When ESPN started in 1979 we were the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (thus, ESPN). However, that name took too long to paint across our chests on game day, so we dropped it in 1985 and adopted a new corporate name -- ESPN, Inc.-- and a new logo. And by the way, we're a subsidiary of ABC, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co. Also, the Hearst Corporation has a 20% interest in ESPN.