Net Worth Ranker
What Is Scott Rasmussen’s Net Worth?
Scott Rasmussen, an American political analyst, digital media entrepreneur, and co-founder of ESPN, has an estimated net worth of $100 million. He has made significant contributions to the fields of sports broadcasting and public opinion polling, establishing himself as a prominent figure in both industries. Rasmussen’s career spans various ventures, including founding Rasmussen Reports, launching ScottRasmussen.com, and authoring several books.
Early Life and Education
Scott William Rasmussen was born on March 30, 1956, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. His father, Bill Rasmussen, was a sports broadcaster. This early exposure to the media world significantly influenced Scott’s career path. At the age of seven, Scott taped his first radio commercial with his father’s help. Growing up, he spent summers in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, with his grandparents and had his first job at age 14 as an umbrella boy. He later worked as an announcer for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association. Rasmussen graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 1974, where he played as a goaltender for the hockey team. He began his college education at the University of Connecticut, where he attended a class taught by pollster and political scientist Everett Ladd. Rasmussen obtained a bachelor’s degree in history from DePauw University in 1986, following in his father’s footsteps. He also earned an Executive MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University, providing him with a strong foundation in business and management.
Career Highlights and Ventures
Rasmussen’s career is marked by innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. In 1978, he partnered with his father, Bill Rasmussen, to establish the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). This 24-hour cable television network dedicated exclusively to sports programming revolutionized the broadcasting industry. In the early 1980s, the Rasmussens’ ownership stake in ESPN was bought out. Subsequently, they founded the Enterprise Radio Network. By 2003, Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Reports, LLC, a polling company that tracked consumer and investor confidence, as well as presidential approval ratings. In 1995, Scott founded a polling company called GrassRoots Research. In 1999, after changing the name to Rasmussen Research, the company was bought by TownPagesNet.com for about $4.5 million in ordinary shares. By 2012, Rasmussen Reports had garnered a national reputation for providing “reliable, newsworthy, and actionable public opinion data,” receiving over one million visits per day during the presidential election that year. In July 2013, Rasmussen left his position as president of Rasmussen Reports following disagreements with investors over business strategies. After leaving Rasmussen Reports, Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Media Group, where he worked as a political analyst, author, public speaker, and columnist. In August 2018, Rasmussen launched his public opinion website, ScottRasmussen.com, in partnership with HarrisX. As Editor-at-Large for Ballotpedia, he writes the “Number of the Day” feature, contributing data-driven analysis of politics, culture, and technology.
Author and Public Speaker
Scott Rasmussen is a New York Times bestselling author, further contributing to his income and reputation. He has written several books, including:
- Solving the Budget Crisis: Hope for America’s Future
- A Better Deal: Social Security Choice
- Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System
- In Search of Self-Governance
- The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt
- Politics Has Failed: America Will Not
- The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not (2018)
His book, “The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt,” reached number 17 on the New York Times Bestseller List in March 2012. Rasmussen is also a sought-after public speaker, providing political analysis and insights at various events. As a speaker, his fee typically ranges from $10,000.
ESPN Founding and Subsequent Ownership
In 1979, Scott Rasmussen co-founded ESPN with his father, Bill Rasmussen. Bill Rasmussen came up with the concept of ESPN in May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers. Scott, who had also been let go by the Whalers, joined the venture. The launch of ESPN on September 7, 1979, marked the beginning of a new era in sports broadcasting, reaching 1.4 million cable subscribers. The network was initially financed in part by Getty Oil. Within a month of launch, Scott Rasmussen was gone, after he rejected Evey’s offer to take a 75 percent pay cut and start in an entry-level job at ESPN. By the early 1980s, the Rasmussens’ ownership stake in ESPN was bought out. The Rasmussen family ended up with a $3.4 million payout.
