ESPN Plans Inauguration Coverage, ‘Barriers’ Marathon

By Vlada Gelman

ESPN Classic will air a 10-hour marathon of “Breaking Barriers” on Jan. 20 to celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration as president.

An additional seven hours of the series, which profiles ground-breaking African American athletes such as Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe and Jack Johnson, will air Jan. 19 to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“SportsCenter” will offer live coverage of Mr. Obama’s swearing-in ceremony at 11:30 a.m., featuring Jeremy Schaap reporting from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol and reaction from athletes in attendance.

ESPN’s inauguration coverage also will feature “Realizing the Dream” vignettes airing Jan. 20 on ESPN’s studio programming and online and mobile platforms. Athletes such as Magic Johnson, Tom Jackson, Paul Pierce and Oregon State head basketball coach Craig Robinson, who is Mr. Obama’s brother-in-law, will talk about what Mr. Obama’s election means to them in the vignettes.