THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 21, 2020 Page 11 Entertaining Harlem Basketball By The Old Sachem Y ou’ve probably heard of the South Side of Chicago from Jim Croce’s song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” but I want to introduce to a more memorable moment on the South Side. In 1926 a group of boys from Wendell Phillips High School of the South Side formed a barnstorming semipro basketball team and had games throughout the region. A recent copy of The American Legion Magazine told of the history of the Harlem Globetrotters. The team was sponsored by and in honor of American Legion Post 87 and Lieutenant George Giles of the Eighth Infantry Regiment of the Illinois National Guard. Giles died in October 1918 leading an assault in France shortly before the end of The Great War to End All Wars. On January 7, 1927, the South Side Giles Post Team played in Hinckley, Illinois, the birth of the team that later became known as the Harlem Globetrotters. They were known briefly as the “Savoy Big Five” because their new sponsor was the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. They competed for over a decade and won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1940. The team we know today is one that is very entertaining, with trick shots, wizardly dribbling, star-spangled uniforms, and comedy – an international sensation. They have performed for over 144 million fans in 124 countries and territories worldwide. The team uses the song “Sweet Georgia Brown,” using Brother Bones’ whistled version. Their mascot is an anthropomorphized globe named “Globie.” The current owner is the Herschend Family Entertainment group – with executive offices in the Atlanta suburb of Peachtree Corners. Abe Saperstein became the manager promoter of the club in 1929 as the team toured Illinois and Iowa with the team he renamed the “New York Harlem Globe Trotters.” Saperstein selected Harlem in New York City, since Harlem was considered at the time as the center of African-American culture. However, the team did not play in Harlem until 1968, four decades after the founding of the team. Since 2007 the Globetrotters conduct an annual draft a few days before the NBA draft, selecting players they consider would fit the mold of a Globetrotter. Among notables drafted by the team are Patrick Ewing, Jr., Sonny Weems, Lionel Messi (of soccer), Usain Bolt (the runner), Mariano Rivera, Johnny Manziel, Jordan Spieth, Aaron Judge, Tim Tebow and Paul Pogba, none of which ever chose to sign with the “Trotters.” Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Fred “Curly” Neal, Charles “Tex” Harrison, Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, Meadowlark Lemon and Goose Tatum have had their numbers retired through the years for their outstanding performances for the Globetrotters. The team acquired Goose Tatum in 1941, and he brought comic routines into the act, which eventually became more known for their entertainment than their basketball skills. Their act consists of incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips and making unusually difficult shots. In 1952 they asked Louis “Red” Klotz to create a team to compete against the Globetrotters, to accompany them on their tours, which eventually became the Washington Generals. The Generals are known as stooges for the Globetrotters, as the Trotters easily beat the Generals nearly every time. In 1959 the team played nine games in Moscow after receiving an invitation from Vasily Grigoryevich, the Director for the Lenin Central Stadium. The team at the time included Wilt Chamberlain and was welcomed by spectators and authorities and met by Premier Nikita Krushchev, and each team member received the Athletic Order of Lenin Medal. In 1985 the Globetrotters signed their first woman player, Olympic Gold Medal winner Lynette Woodward. Over time they have added 13 female players, and also included Ernie Banks, Bob Gibson and Ferguson Jenkins. The team drew criticism during the civil rights era for having only African-American players, but Jesse Jackson (later named as a Honorary Globetrotter), came to their defense by saying “I think they have been a positive influence… They did not show blacks as stupid. On the contrary, they were shown as superior.” They had a white player, Bob Karstens, during the war years 19421943 when players were hard to come by; most were in the service. In 1995 the added the first Hispanic player, Orlando Antigua. Although the games are preplanned, they are not fixed. The Generals do not interfere with the “Trotters” when the hijinks start; the Generals do play a serious game when in possession of the ball. This resulted in an infamous defeat for the Globetrotters in 1971 when the Globetrotters lost track of a big lead with their tricks and the Generals hit a game-winning buzzer-beater. The Globetrotters are always an entertaining production and usually play a game or two in this area yearly. 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