Clinton Is Set to Host ESPN Race Dialogue

WASHINGTON — Hoping to draw more white men to its effort to promote a national racial dialogue, the White House has scheduled its next presidential discussion on the topic for broadcast on ESPN, the 24-hour cable sports channel. Prominent athletes and sports executives are expected to join President Clinton in a review of the racial climate in the locker room, on the playing field and in the front office, administration officials said Friday.

The session April 14 in Houston is planned for broadcast on ESPN in an effort to reach “audiences that sometimes might not take time to think about those kinds of issues,” White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said.

By working with ESPN, which has a strong demographic of white males, White House officials hope to point out to sports fans the successes that take place among athletes who share the same color uniform but not the same color skin.

“The reasons why athletes pull together to win a game can help us pull together for the good of the country,” said Lydia Sermons, spokeswoman for the President’s Initiative on Race.

The presidential task force, headed by historian John Hope Franklin, includes a pastor, a union activist, two former governors, a lawyer and a corporate executive. None of them are in the record books for their athletic pursuits.

But those expected to join Clinton, who is an avid golfer, in Houston will be team owners, league commissioners and high-profile professional and amateur athletes.

ESPN officials, who have not yet officially signed off on the project, said that the network is actively working to line up big-name panelists.

“We did a special show on race last year and want to make sure this covers new ground,” ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said.

The president unveiled his racial initiative last June in a commencement address at UC San Diego. Since then, he has sparred with a critic of affirmative action at a University of Akron forum and taped a 30-second public service announcement shown during the Super Bowl that highlighted how sports brings together people from various ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Organizers said that the Houston discussion would not sidestep controversial subjects, such as the dearth of racial minorities in front offices and racial tensions in the locker rooms.