George Bodenheimer was born on 6 May 1958, in New York City USA, and is an executive, best known to be the former president of ESPN Inc, as well as for working in ABC’s sports division. He held the position in ESPN from 1998 and the ABC Sports position from 2003, holding both until 2011. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is George Bodenheimer? As of mid-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $25 million, mostly earned through his success with ESPN and ABC; he helped establish numerous shows and networks for ESPN. As he continues his endeavors, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
George Bodenheimer Net Worth $25 million
George attended Denison University, and after graduating started working as a mailroom clerk for ESPN. Around this time, the network was just starting , having been around only 16 months into the industry. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually became part of sales and marketing. He also worked with the research team of the company, and eventually became the president of ESPN. As part of the network, he helped launch numerous projects including ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, ESPN Plus, and EPSN PPV, which helps broadcast out-of-market sports packages through pay-per-view events. Other projects he helped create include ESPN3, which is the network’s online streaming service, ESPN Motion, and ESPNU which is a satellite sports television channel created as a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company. He also launched ESPN Deportes which focuses on delivering Spanish language digital cable.
With ABC, George helped establish ESPN on ABC from 2006. He helped the network air college football, college basketball, the soccer World Cup, the NBA Finals, and NASCAR. He also oversaw the sports assets of the Walt Disney Company, and he then became the co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.
Thanks to his efforts, his net worth increased significantly as both ESPN as well as ESPN2 reached almost 100 million households. He created numerous long-term deals with various sports franchises such as contracts with Monday Night Football, NFL, NBA, MLB, and several college conferences. ESPN eventually got SEC and BCS airing on the network. ESPN would hold more than 50 business entities, including six domestic television networks and 33 international television networks. The growth of the company also meant the growth of his net worth.
Bodenheimer held his position until 2011, when he was replaced by John Skipper as president, but the following year he became the executive chairman of ESPN. He then chose to leave the company in 2014 after 33 years of working with them. He was listed by “The Sports Business Journal” as the most influential person of 2008.
For his personal life, it is known that George is married with three children, but likes to maintain privacy away from work. He spends a lot of time working with The V Foundation which aims to find a cure of cancer. The Foundation was established in honor of college basketball coach Jim Valvano. According to various sources, the reason for his success was his focus on creativity and innovation. He always thought of enhancing values for business partners as well as fans. He also held a large focus on teamwork.
