January 7, 2013 - Harlem Globetrotters Day

Cannyou imagine professional basketball without Kobe, Le Bron, MichaelnJordan, or Wilt Chamberlain? No Shaq or Magic or Kareem? I could gonon and on naming great basketball players of the past andnpresent—those who just happen to be black—and you would wondernwhat the sport would be like without them. But for decades pronbasketball was “whites only”! The color barrier was finallynlifted in 1950.

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nWaaaaayyyynback on this date in 1927, when blacks weren’t allowed on pro teams,nthe Harlem Globetrotters—a team made up of black players—madentheir debut.

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Anshort, Jewish guy from Chicago named Abe Saperstein was the owner andncoach of the team. He decided to capitalize on the fact that his teamnwas made up of black men and chose a name that would be recognized asnhaving roots in the African-American community; Harlem is the name ofna famous “Negro” neighborhood that was undergoing a grandnRenaissance in the 1920s—an explosion of art and poetry and musicnby black artists. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the HarlemnGlobetrotters actually played a game in Harlem!

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nSapersteinnhand-sewed uniforms for his new team all by himself. He chose to makenpatriotic red-white-and-blue uniforms, and he emblazoned them withnthe words “New York” (even though the team members were in andnfrom Chicago). Saperstein’s dad was a tailor, so we can guess thatnSaperstein might have learned how to sew as a kid.

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nSonnow he had a team, a cool name, and flashy uniforms. Now what?nSaperstein had to work hard to book games for his team. He acted as,nnot just coach and owner, but also manager and publicist. Sapersteinneven occasionally acted as a substitute player! n

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nThatnfirst game was played in Hinckley, Illinois, and the team as a wholenwas paid just $75. None of my sources state whether or not thenGlobetrotters won that first game, but they probably did since theynwon 101 out of 117 games in the first “season.” Many peoplendidn’t know a thing about basketball (which was invented a mere 36nyears before the Globetrotters’ debut) until the Globetrotters camento town, so the team may have added to the game’s popularity.

Take a peek at this video
of a Globetrotter’s antics.

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nInn1939 the Globetrotters began to add “silly antics”: ball-handlingntricks, trick shots, and comedic clowning on court. The crowds LOVEDnthe antics, and the team became more sought-out and popular. Still,nSaperstein asked the team to add in the comedy and tricks only whennthe Globetrotters had a large lead. But that might have been prettynoften, since the Globetrotters won a LOT—supposedly they had an2,495-game winning streak until they had a loss in 1971, and thennthey supposedly had a 8,829-game winning streak until 1995! With thisnmany victories, it’s easier to just list the rare defeats!

nThenGlobetrotters’ overall record is 22,000 wins to 345 losses. Thatnmeans that they win more than 98% of the time!

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nOvernthe years, the Harlem Globetrotters have played B-ball in more thann115 countries, in front of more than 120 million fans. Several moviesnand TV shows have been made about the team. The team isnpart-entertainment / part-sport, so it is appropriate that the teamnwas honored by an induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame AND ALSOnhas its own star on the Hollywood Walk to Fame!

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nAlsonon this date:

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