Harlem Globetrotters

The clips of the Harlem Globetrotters made it obvious that the actions of and the mere existence of these players empowered and entertained many African Americans for quite a while. These men all represented strong, graceful, and successful black men. Their movements seemed larger than life as they turn the already challenging game of basketball around and make it look nearly effortless with extremely difficult shots, slams, passes, and layups. An interesting perspective I do have after actually seeing them live this past winter is that all of the games are rather theatrical and staged. The opposing team is a team of Junior college players paid to act and simply be the butt of constant jokes. To add to this, the opposing team (at least in my experience) were all white. This works to declare basketball or even high-level athleticism as a strictly black area of expertise while also showing black dominance over a white opponent. While the show, skills, and entertainment is worth the price of admission, one must note or at least ponder how the value of such a staged event has lasted for such a long time. Staged or not the skills and shots are real but, in reality, would be much more potent and emotionally stirring if the gameplan for the other team was not to simply let this happen.