The Harlem Globetrotters have been entertaining audiences with their antics, as well as their undoubted athletic skill, for decades. Names like Meadowlark Lemon and Wilt Chamberlain are enshrined in the public consciousness as all-time basketball greats, and the team is a hit wherever it plays.
The Globetrotters’ history starts on the South Side of Chicago in the 1920s, when a group of young men, who called themselves the Savoy Big Five, began playing basketball in the newly built Savoy Ballroom. They were an instant success, but some of the members left to form another team, referring to themselves as the “Globe Trotters.” They went on to hire Abe Saperstein as their manager and promoter.
In 1929, the team was called the New York Harlem Globe Trotters, with “Harlem” added because of it was a center of Black culture.
The Globetrotters have gone on to fulfill that early dream, playing for appreciative audiences all over the world. They are skilled players, but what sets them apart are their comedy, and the routines that show off their talents, making outrageous shots and handling the ball with tremendous skill.
A review says:
“It was beautiful and we had laughs and exactly what the Globetrotters represent :)”
The Globetrotters will be at the Toyota Center in Kennewick on January 20, at 7:00 pm. Using poster printing, organizers of events like this can create spectacular advertising.