Music, dancing, basketball and shenanigans have been a successful recipe for the Harlem Globetrotters for almost a century.
The iconic team dribbled its way onto the court at the GM Centre against their nemesis the Washington Generals on Feb 15.
As the game got going, a Globetrotter noticed a fan arriving late to her seat.
“Excuse me ma’am, what are you doing? Where’s your seat? Well then sit down and hurry up then,” said Big Easy, the main showman for the Globetrotters, to a woman trying to find her seat at courtside. “Now before I was interrupted, my teammates and I are very excited to be here in OSHAWA!”
The Harlem Globetrotters have been performing for 89 years. The last game they lost was against the Generals in 1971.
Within the first quarter of the game a short Generals player shocked the crowd by ripping off his jersey and exposing himself as Too Tall, the shortest player in Globetrotter history.
Too Tall wasn’t the only deception in the game. A referee’s accountability was being questioned after hugging and high-fiving the Generals’ coach and making bad calls.
Undercover players and dirty refs weren’t the only excitement throughout the game. Players went into the crowd and stole popcorn or pulled people onto the court and used them as props for the mischief that ensued.
Marg Banman, a first-timer seeing the Globetrotters, summed up the experience in one word: “Fantastic.”
The contest wasn’t all fun and games. Before the halftime show the Globetrotters announced that for every person who sponsored a child with World Vision they would receive a free Globetrotters ball. World Vision was set up throughout the stadium in different locations.
After the seriousness was looked after it went right back to the silliness of the game, which included Big Easy stealing a woman’s purse and scarf. Big Easy put the purse and scarf onto a General to make him lose his focus.
The woman was then brought onto the court and given a gift for participating.
“I’m going to give you a real gift, I’m going to give you an official authentic Harlem Globetrotter sweaty wristband,” said Big Easy while he took off his wristband and placed it on her wrist.
Big Easy didn’t just pick on the Generals, there was also a water fight between him and Scooter, the guard for the Globetrotters, that ran into the crowd.
The packed stadium was brought to their feet dancing to the Y-M-C-A. The GM Centre was loud with noise from booing to cheering through the whole game.
Despite the rough start the Globetrotters kept up their winning streak by beating the Generals.
