• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 26, 2008

ESPN will air a documentary about the Civil Rights Movement and college basketball, with spots only at the beginning and end from co-sponsors Russell Athletic and State Farm.

"Black Magic," which will run March 16 and 17 for two hours each night. Each marketer gets a 60-second spot at the top and another at the conclusion on both telecasts.

Russell president Doug Kelly will offer a message about the link between the film's content and the company's brands in its spot. State Farm will air undisclosed ads, with one targeting the African-American market. (Russell also owns Spalding.)

In addition to on-air, the sponsors will have a presence as ESPN offers the production in select theaters across the country.

The film, directed by Dan Klores and co-produced by basketball great Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, has a series of well-known narrators, including Samuel L. Jackson and Wynton Marsalis. It chronicles the Civil Rights Movement from the perspectives of players and coaches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

"Black Magic" is about injustice, refuge and joy," Klores said. "It's a story I have been yearning to tell for a long time... a story of exclusion and therefore invention. The film exposes a system characterized by quotas, the blacklisting of players, the murder of innocent children, the pride of attending an HBCU, the psychological effects of desegregation and the long-term debates surrounding integration."