ESPN's "Outside the Lines" tonight will feature
"Breaking the Line: Jackie Robinson's Legacy" at 8:30pm ET.
It will be followed by a "ESPN Town Meeting: Sports in Black
in White" hosted by ABC's Ted Koppel (ESPN).
RAVE REVIEWS: Media columnists reviewing ESPN's
"Outside the Lines" give it high marks, with most commenting
on the show's revelation that some players seriously
considered striking in the spring of '47 when Robinson took
the field. In Washington, Leonard Shapiro: "If there was
any doubt about where the best sports journalism on
television is being practiced these days, tonight's episode
of ESPN's 'Outside the Lines' ... should settle the issue
once and for all" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/28). NEWSDAY's Steve
Zipay calls it "enlightening, ... one of the best. Catch
it" (NEWSDAY, 2/28). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir calls it an
"impact statement that delivers sharp enterprise reporting
and incisive segments" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/28). In Hartford, Dom
Amore calls tonight's show "the standard by which all others
should be judged" (HARTFORD COURANT, 2/28). In
Philadelphia, Tom Mahon: "It should not be missed"
(PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/28). In K.C., Randy Covitz:
"ESPN has broken new ground" (K.C. STAR, 2/28). In Detroit,
Steve Crowe calls it a "four-star" program (DETROIT FREE
PRESS, 2/28). For more on Robinson, see #15.
