In 1979, ESPN was in its 2nd year of existence….having been founded in 1978 as a satellite provider to cable operators (CATV) around the country….which meant that they were in no position to compete with network television sports & entertainment providers like NBC, CBS, ABC and even USA…..resulting in the fact that they had to fill their programming schedule with ESPN-made competitions like this 1979 Cheerleading Competition between the Gamecocks vs Crimson Tide. In many ways, programs like this were the predecessor to today’s ESPN-made competitions like X-Games and Texas Hold-um Poker….and look where the competitions of cheerleading have gone in the past 38 years.
