I have had this book in my Goodreads Want to Read list since August 31st when I saw a Tweet from @SprtBookReviews about it. I was immediately intrigued as in 2022, I read Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters by Ben Green.
So, I was already familiar with the team, but was looking forward to reading about the man behind the team, Abe Saperstein.
I didn’t know how much influence Abe had during his lifetime for bringing the world together and not giving a care in the world about the color of somebody’s skin. I didn’t know he helped bring Larry Doby and Satchel Paige to the Cleveland Indians baseball team in 1948 with the magnificent, Bill Veeck, as the owner. I have read a few books on Bill Veeck, and wasn’t surprised to see Abe and him having a positive business relationship.
I didn’t know it was his idea to bring the three pointer to basketball.
I didn’t know how much there tours overseas helped bring more awareness to basketball and improved relations with those countries. He even had portable basketball courts stashed overseas for those appearances.
He was a pioneer in everything he touched and grew the team into a powerhouse. Remember, this was during the 1930’s to 1960’s. The Great Depression, wars, racism, with no social media to spread the positivity of Abe and the Globetrotters. The Globetrotters barnstormed throughout the country and the team they played against were considered to be the best, and Trotters won! They even defeated the Minneapolis Lakers twice during there George Mikan time.
All the gimmicks and hijinks throughout the games made it fun and the variety acts he had for halftime, were a perfect fit. Just look at an NBA game today, and you can see Abe’s influence, although you may not know it.
He was inducted after his death to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
It was an amazing read and purview in to Abe’s life. I really enjoyed it. There were references to books, newspaper articles, and sports writers throughout the book. One book, in particular, caught my eye. It’s The Legend of Red Klotz: How Basketball s Loss Leader Won Over the World 14,000 Times, which I have just finished and am working on the review now.
