# Were the Harlem Globetrotters ever accused of being racist entertainment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938 "2013-01-31T19:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/1 "2013-01-31T19:12:50Z")
I think the current rendition of the Globetrotters is more PC having 1 or 2 white players on the team and the Washington Generals have a few black players on theirs, but back in the 70s when they were popular I seem to remember the basic schtick of their exhibitions being the team of overly talented black guys using skills and tricks to beat the team of straight-playing white guys making them the butt of their comedy, looking pathetic in comparison, and putting them on a never ending losing streak. Was this ever controversial especially it being considered family entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/2 "2013-01-31T19:37:50Z")
That would be sort of like calling the Negro Leagues racist. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/3 "2013-01-31T19:43:46Z")
“Because almost all of its players have been African American, and because of the buffoonery involved in many of the Globetrotters’ skits, they drew some criticism in the Civil Rights era. The players were derisively accused[by whom?] of “Tomming for Abe”, a reference to Uncle Tom and white owner Abe Saperstein. However, prominent civil rights activist Jesse Jackson (who would later be named an Honorary Globetrotter) came to their defense by stating, “I think they’ve been a positive influence… They did not show blacks as stupid. On the contrary, they were shown as superior.”[citation needed] In 1995, Orlando Antigua became the first Hispanic and the first non-black on the Globetrotters’ roster since Bob Karstens played with the squad in 1942-43.[12]” > **[Harlem Globetrotters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters)** > > The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 countries and territories, mostly against deliberately ineffective opponents, such as the Washington Generals (1953–1995, since 2015) and the New York Nationals (1995–2015). The team's signature song is Brother Bones' whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown", and their mascot is an anth... ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/4 "2013-01-31T19:53:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Was this ever controversial especially it being considered family entertainment? I was never a huge fan, but I’ve watched them perform on TV once or twice. I can say that I’ve never even noticed the racial makeups of the respective teams. I must have noticed there were both black and white ppl on the same field and my unconcious mind must have said “yep, about 50/50, seems about average for a basketball field, good enough.” So no, I don’t think it was especially controversial or else I would have at least noticed it myself due to having heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/5 "2013-01-31T21:08:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That would be sort of like calling the Negro Leagues racist. I’m not sure I agree with the OP, but this does not follow in the least. I mean, in one situation you had black players playing black players, and they were, you know, trying to actually play. In the other you had one race teams which is more stage than sport. Yep, equal in every way. I suppose the Globetrotters themselves aren’t much different than the NBA demographics. Nowitzky and Lin are outliers in a sense. The Generals are more of an oddity. I imagine there’s even at least one black guy in Slovakian basketball. I must admit, a Lakers vs. Red Wings game might be fun, both ways. And of course this entire point is moot because it isn’t about the black guys beating the weak white guys. It is about the powerful aliens from the Globetrotter Planet crushing the puny humans. ETA: Googling around, it looks like the Generals have/recently had at least 2 black players, maybe more. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/6 "2013-01-31T22:01:39Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’m not sure I agree with the OP, but this does not follow in the least. I mean, in one situation you had black players playing black players, and they were, you know, trying to actually play. In the other you had one race teams which is more stage than sport. Yep, equal in every way. The Globetrotters were a “real” Basketball team in the 30’s and 40’s. At that time the NBL and later the NBA were (mostly) segregated, but they’d play AA teams like the Globetrotters at exhibition games. In the 50’s the Globetrotters transitioned to their current gig of doing basketball-based juggling acts, but they carried over the ethnic make-up of their team and their “opponents”. Which I assume is what **Marley** was alluding to. Like the Negro league, the racial make-up of the team was due to it originating during segregation. (interestingly, there used to be a comedic baseball team with almost the same origins, they were a real negro league team that transitioned to performance shows after baseball desegregated.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/7 "2013-01-31T22:06:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’m not sure I agree with the OP, but this does not follow in the least. I mean, in one situation you had black players playing black players, and they were, you know, trying to actually play. In the other you had one race teams which is more stage than sport. I see **Simplicio** responded with my basic point, but just to elaborate: the early basketball associations (including the NBA in its first few seasons) were more or less all-white. The NBL was all white except for a short period during World War II and its last season, when there were a couple of all-black teams and the rest of the teams were all white. The NBA started in 1946 didn’t have any black players until 1950. I’m pretty sure that’s why it occurred to Saperstein in the '20s that there might be a market for a barnstorming black team that was based in the cultural capital of black America. I realize that was a long time ago and that in the meantime the Globetrotters evolved their own style that was based more on entertainment that direct sports, so it’s not an exact comparison. But the history bears mentioning. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/8 "2013-01-31T22:41:37Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m pretty sure that’s why it occurred to Saperstein in the '20s that there might be a market for a barnstorming black team that was based in the cultural capital of black America. There’s no real question about it, considering a Chicago team got named after a neighborhood in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/9 "2013-02-01T00:21:18Z")
The Washington Generals aren’t an all-white team. ---
**Author:** ![Snupzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Snupzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snupzilla)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/10 "2013-02-02T17:10:15Z")
No idea on the Generals ethnic makeup, but their logo seems to suggest the shtick described in the OP. [http://www.washingtongenerals.com/index.html](http://www.washingtongenerals.com/index.html) All that being said, it’s still pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/11 "2013-02-02T18:26:17Z")
I like this quote from the General’s website: > [@](#): > > This is an outstanding opportunity to break into professional basketball while playing for a 60 + year nationally recognized organization. How many current NBA players are former Washington Generals? ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/12 "2013-02-05T21:12:25Z")
How many current NBA players are former Washington Generals? You miss the point. Getting paid to play basketball at any level as a full-time job is breaking into professional basketball. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/13 "2013-02-06T16:43:03Z")
Could the Globetrotters, if they really tried, beat the worst NBA team today in a real basketball game? Could they beat the best college team? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/14 "2013-02-06T16:46:15Z")
No, and no. Individual talent aside, the team isn’t trained for actual competition. It would be like putting Matt Damon on a real SEAL team. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/15 "2013-02-06T16:50:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No, and no. Individual talent aside, the team isn’t trained for actual competition. It would be like putting Matt Damon on a real SEAL team. Before the NBA took it’s modern form, the Globetrotters regularly competed against the top pro teams, and regularly won against all but the best. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/16 "2013-02-06T16:51:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Before the NBA took it’s modern form, the Globetrotters regularly competed against the top pro teams, and regularly won against all but the best. Many decades ago, and they were an entirely different team trained for an entirely different purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/17 "2013-02-06T16:55:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Many decades ago, and they were an entirely different team trained for an entirely different purpose. Yep. They even snagged [Wilt Chamberlain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain#Harlem_Globetrotters_.281958.E2.80.931959.29) for the '58-'59 season, so even after the modern NBA formed, they could have had a chance. Today? No. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/18 "2013-02-06T16:57:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Many decades ago, and they were an entirely different team trained for an entirely different purpose. Well yes, obviously. But that doesn’t mean the modern Globetrotters, with younger players (a lot of those guys are really old last time I looked), trained to compete against NBA players, wouldn’t do as well. They aren’t going to get younger players because the NBA pays so much more now. But one big reason they went into full time sports entertainment was that it was they got paid more than NBA players of the time. It’s a similar situation to professional wrestling currently. One day MMA competitors may outearn WWE wrestlers, but not at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/19 "2013-02-06T18:21:25Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Could the Globetrotters, if they really tried, beat the worst NBA team today in a real basketball game? Could they beat the best college team? [Here’s an article from 2000 detailing a game between the Globetrotters and the Michigan State Spartans, who were ranked 3rd at the time.](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2000/11/13/spartans_globetrotters_ap/) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938/20 "2013-02-06T21:52:32Z")
I remember a mid-1970s Globetrotters game on ABC where Howard Cosell asked Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon if the team was demeaning towards Blacks. lemon said no, there was nothing wrong with making people laugh, or words to that effect. ``` The book "Cosell by Cosell" has an interesting anecdote on a 1967 tribute to Goose Tatum, one of the Globetrotter stars of the 1950s. Cosell interviewed NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy, who was publicity director for the Globetrotters in the 1950s. Kennedy told a story about how Tatum grew up dirt poor in a sharecropping family with about 9 children. When Tatum got rich enough, he bought a new Cadillac. Kennedy said it was Tatum's pride and joy-he loved to wash the car and go riding in it. After the show air, Cosell got a phone call from baseball great Jackie Robinson. Robinson objected to the story, saying it fed to stereotypes about Blacks loving big flashy expensive cars. Cosell said he thought Robinson was wrong-lots of poor people of all colors could relate to ``` becoming rich and buying an expensive automobile. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-harlem-globetrotters-ever-accused-of-being-racist-entertainment/648938.md?page=2)