"Seven nights a week,
the road-weary team played ball
healthy, sick, or injured
and won nearly every game.
But hometown fans
didn't like out-of-town hotshots
skunking their team."
Only once did we see the Harlem Globetrotters play. There was a great deal of excitement as the game was about to start. Laughter, admiration, and disbelief were our reactions to the talent displayed throughout the exhibition. The players were certainly having as much fun as the audience was. It was an unforgettable night!
After reading this accomplished story, I am even more impressed. It begins in 1922, the year all black players from Chicago's Wendell Phillips High School basketball team were kept from competing at the next level of the sport. Five years later, in order to play the game they loved, five players made the decision to travel together as the Harlem Globetrotters. Their chariot was a Model T, and they were willing to play any team wanting to play against them.
The locals were not pleased when they beat hometown players. They met with racism as they travelled, and were not welcome in hotels or eating establishments. Wanting to entertain and have people appreciate their talents, they changed the way they played the game. Developing trick plays and fancy footwork, they soon became fan favorites. Their antics, constant chatter, and amazing talent stunned audiences.
In 1948 they had an opportunity to play a game with the Minnesota Lakers - the top team in the all-white NBA. What a surprise when they won! That win caused the NBA to take a critical look at their recruitment policies. That, they say, changed the course of history in professional basketball. Lucky are fans today to reap the rewards of that decision.
It is evident while reading this account that Suzanne Slade did her research. An avid Globetrotter fan, it had long been her dream to tell their story. Don Tate did the same in order to create the remarkable artwork that accompanies the engaging text. The book's design places constant movement, incredibly complex perspectives, humor and talent on almost every page. Readers will be totally immersed in learning more and more.
Front and back endpapers include archival photographs and a very detailed timeline that begins in 1922 and ends in 2016. The author adds a note citing further information gleaned from her extensive research. The artist also provides a note about his work, and his delight at returning to study some of the heroes from his youth.
Postponement of the Globetrotters 2020 World Tour dates back to March 12, 2020. The team remains on an extended timeout.
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