On one of my local PBS stations last night was a one hour special on the Harlem Globetrotters. This comes just a month or so after my children and I attended our third Globetrotters "game" in the last three years.
I think that the Globetrotters, under new ownership, are making a comeback in their popularity. When I first became familiar with them, their popularity may have been at their peak, thanks in large part to their Hanna-Barbera cartoon series (remember "Granny" and their dog "Dribbles"?).
I still have some grainy, black and white photos of "Geese" Ausbie in the gym of our local university when they played there in 1973. I find it both amusing, and comforting, that I can match up those old B&W pics with my newer, color, digital photos and get the same poses and comedy scenes.
One of the closing comments in last night's documentary referred to the fact that the Globetrotters are still tossing buckets of confetti on the crowd and teasing the ref with the same jokes and taking a purse from a nearby audience member and playing the game with it hanging on a player's arm. And that's part of the Globetrotter's charm. We'd be disappointed if they DIDN'T do those things. We'd feel cheated if they tried to "modernize" their humor.
Maybe their magical ball-handling doesn't seem as impressive now because so many NBA players are doing the same amazing things, but combine their skill with the humor, and you still have a really fun event.
What impresses me now, as a father taking my children to the games, is the accessibility of the Globetrotters. After each of the games we've been to, there has been a half hour autographing session. We have signed shirts, balls, duffel bags, and programs in our house, and each is a prized memento for my children. And what my children are seeing, and learning, is that even these professionals are making time for the kids ... that the kids are important. How accessible are the NBA players? (I took one of my sons to a Minnesota Timberwolves game as part of a Cub Scout event -- after the game, all Cub Scouts were invited to come to the floor to shoot one free throw. As the scouts were all seated in one section, one of the Timberwolves players walked on to the floor to do a radio interview. Certainly I would never expect him to come over and sign 500 autographs, but would it have hurt him to turn and acknowledge [even with just a smile and a wave] the cheering group of boys?)
And while my kids still think of these events as going to a basketball game, I applaud what the Globetrotters have managed to, which is to combine a popular sport with a theatrical show. It's part sport, part vaudeville, part circus. It is unique.
Yes, I'm still a bit of a Harlem Globetrotter fan, and I'm very glad their popularity is on the rise again.
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3 comments:
I am pleased to learn that the Harlem Globetrotters are still going strong.
I liked the one where Meadowlark Lemon would be at the edge of the court with his back to the basket and then would throw the ball over his shoulder into the basket.
Do they still play the Washington Generals - who had won about a dozen games in 30 years?
Yes, the Globetrotters represent fun and no little skill.
Your post brought back memories for me.
It's not Meadowlark Lemon any more, but there is still a Globetrotter who stands at half court and and tosses a two handed hook shot in to the basket. They pretend he's a famous Trotter, but I know that I'd never heard of "Showtime" Gaffney before I went to the game -- how can you be famous if you don't have a cartoon likeness?
I don't remember who they played against in the first game I saw a few years ago, but the last two games were against the New York Nationals. My fear is that my son, who aspires to be a Globetrotter, but is a short, white boy, will be one of these "Globetrotters."
Ironically, the Globetrotters also have a fantastic ball handling dibbler whose name is "Curley." Curley "Boo" Johnson. I have been most impressed with him, not so much for his skill, which is quite extraordinary, but for his graciousness to the fans.
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