A Paley Tribute to Roberto Clemente: The Legend of #21

12:30 pm, 4:25 pm 

ESPN Classic: SportsCentury: Roberto Clemente 

This ESPN report deftly uses archival footage and interviews to give an overview of Clemente’s magnificent career, stating unequivocally that the Latino icon was never fully appreciated during his lifetime. Pittsburgh writers speak of the cultural and language barriers that Clemente overcame, theorizing why his achievements were minimized during his playing days. The film also explores Clemente’s growing confidence in speaking to the media, often delivering part of his comments in Spanish to send a message to family and friends in Puerto Rico. (2002)

12:55 pm, 4:50 pm 

ESPN Perfiles: Roberto Clemente

This ESPN profile, hosted by Ernesto Jerez, looks at Clemente’s remarkable career as part of the first Latino wave in play in the major leagues. Such baseball greats as San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Tony Perez, and Minnesota Twins infielder Rod Carew talk about Clemente’s impact on Latino players and his enduring legacy. In Spanish with English subtitles. (2007)

1:20 pm, 5:15 pm

Clemente 

Narrated by Jimmy Smits, this engaging documentary produced for FOX Sports focuses on the challenges of Roberto Clemente who was the first Latin superstar to break into American consciousness, while remaining an enigma to many fans. Baseball icons Henry Aaron and Frank Robinson discuss how Clemente battled racism, later becoming a political activist fighting for the equal rights and justice. (1998)

2:05 pm 

Beisbol: The Latin Game 

This illuminating MLB documentary, narrated by Esai Morales, tells how an ever-growing number of baseball players born in the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America, have become a significant force in the Major League Baseball. Baseball historians discuss how the first wave of Latino players, including Roberto Clemente, suffered racial tension and social injustice even after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. The film shows how Hispanic players who followed, including Fernando Valenzuela, Ivan Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera, achieved baseball superstardom. (2007)

3:30 pm

American Experience: Roberto Clemente

Directed by Bernardo Ruiz and narrated by Jimmy Smits for PBS’s American Experience, this documentary is an in-depth look at an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball’s first Latino superstar. Featuring interviews with Pulitzer Prize–winning authors David Maraniss and George F. Will, Clemente’s wife Vera, Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, and former teammates, the documentary presents an intimate and revealing portrait of a man whose passion and grace made him a legend. (2008)