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HARLEM
Globetrotters invade Reed Arena with basketball fim
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
ibove: Matt “Showbiz” Jackson
light: Globetrotter Orlando Antigua clunks on a member of the New York
lationals basketball team.
BY SCOTT HARRIS
The Battalion
he Harlem Globetrotters. Just the name
conjures images of greatness. Visions of
spectacular basketball players in their
red, white and blue jerseys
demolishing any and
every team that
stands the misfor
tune of having to
play them.
The Harlem
Globetrotters have
a long standing his
tory of winning and entertaining fans at the
same time. They are bringing this history to
Reed Arena Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Formed Jan. 7,1927, by Abe Saperstein, the
Globetrotters were originally named the
“Savoy Big Five,” after a popular night club in
Chicago called the Savoy Ballroom.
Their first game was played in Hinckley, Ill.,
and was the first of what was to become thou
sands for this traveling basketball team.
Saperstein formed the team to give black
basketball players an opportunity to play. At
the time, they were not allowed in profession
al basketball because it was believed that
African-Americans did not have the coordina
tion and skill to play such a game.
Saperstein did not believe this and he
picked the best players he could find and
toured with them, coaching their exhibition
games.
At times he would suit up himself to play
for an injured player.
He changed the name of the team in 1930
to the Harlem New York Globetrotters, main
ly to drive home the point that it was an all
black basketball team.
In 1932, the Globetrotters played in Detroit,
their first big city.
Two years later they had played over 1,000
games, many times defeating their opponents
by over 100 points.
In 1939, the Globetrotters started what they
are famous for today: hi-jinks, crazy antics and
showing off.
It all started during a game when the Glo
betrotters were leading a team 112-5. They
just started clowning around and fans fell in
love with their showboating.
Afterwards Saperstein told the team they
could only showboat after they had gained
an insurmountable lead.
The Globetrotters continued this way for al
most a decade, winning game after game and
establishing themselves as a dominant bas
ketball powerhouse.
In 1948, the Globetrotters played the World
Champion Minneapolis Lakers of the Nation
al Basketball Association.
The Lakers, lead by George Mikan, were de
feated 61-59 by the Harlem Globetrotters.
The victory not only proved the Globetrot
ters were the real deal, but it also tore down
the racial walls that surrounded the profes
sional basketball leagues.
This victory opened the NBA doors to Glo
betrotters Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton and Chuck
Cooper, the first black players in the league.
In 1951, on their 25th-anniversary tour, the
Globetrotters were named the “Ambassadors
of Goodwill” by the mayor of Berlin, a title
which they still bear today.
The team toured for almost 40 more years
until they were recognized again for their out
standing community service when they re
ceived the Gen. Omar N. Bradley “Spirit of In
dependence” Award.
This award is given to those who exhibit
“hard work, high morals, discipline and the
courage to lead by example.”
Mannie Jackson bought the team in 1993,
saved them from financial collapse and became
the first African-American and former basket
ball player to own an international sports team.
Jackson said in a press release the Globe
trotters play an integral role in teaching chil
dren about the racism that once existed in the
United States.
“One of the things I like about owning this
company now is that wherever we play it’s a
reminder to African-Americans and a re
minder to white citizens of that painful peri
od of apartheid we once had,” Jackson said.
“And that, just for a moment, white parents
have to tell their kids why there was a
Harlem Globetrotters and black kids to hear
from their parents what this organization
means and stands for.”
Jackson said in a press release that there is
more to being a Harlem Globetrotter than play
ing basketball.
“I always tell the new players when they
join the Harlem Globetrotters their basket
ball careers are over because the Globetrot
ters are more than just a basketball team,”
he said. “They are an integral part of a prod
uct that is linked to ideals that are integral
to giving back to the community, such as
education and drug prevention, and they
conduct themselves according to the code
at all times. That takes a special individual.
Today I think we have those individuals on
this team.”
One of these individuals who will be play
ing Saturday night is Eathan O’Bryant, a na
tive of Huntsville, Texas. O’Bryant said one of
the things the Globetrotters do is cater toward
children in their shows.
“We have a lot of crowd participation and
we like to see a lot of kids out there,” O’Bryant
said. “It’s a little bit of sports and entertain
ment at the same time, it’s a great show with
a lot of antics. You never know what is going
to happen.”
Before each show, the Globetrotters choose
one child between six and 12 to be a Junior
Tfotter.
“These kids get to sit on the bench and hang
out with the team,” O’Bryant said. “We give
them T-shirts and arm bands.”
Jackson said in a press release that the
Harlem Globetrotters have been entertaining
and dazzling fans for decades and the show will
create a lasting impression.
“For over seven decades, the Globetrotters
have been making lasting memories for fans
and families,” Jackson said. “We are one of
the most affordable, fun and exciting experi
ences people can see.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
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MSC Opas brings Latin musical to College Station
BY KIFFIN COLLINS
The Battalion
(^rx'iango Buenos Aires” is not a
performance for the conserva-
JL tive, discreet type. Called a “rev
elation” by the New Yorker, it is a pro
duction filled with such energy and
charisma that it is sure to have audiences
dancing in their seats.
The Opera and Performing Arts Soci
ety welcomes the world-famous musical
during its first United States coast-to-coast
tour this weekend. Show times are sched
uled at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sun
day in Rudder Auditorium.
“Tango Buenos Aires” portrays the
evolution of Argentina’s most seductive
dance. This musical timepiece beautiful
ly displays the birth of tango and its evo
lution and adaptation to society.
William Rogers, director of publish
ing and advertising for OPAS and a ju
nior biomedical engineering major,
said he is very excited about hosting a
show of this caliber.
“We are excited about bringing ‘Tan
go Buenos Aires’ to College Station,”
he said. “It is very popular in the na
tion currently and we are proud to de
liver a show like this.”
The musical consists of three main
parts, each depicting a chronicle of time
in the history of the tango.
Part one begins in 1905 with the in
troduction of tango in Buenos Aires, Ar
gentina. Through orchestral music,
“Tango” displays the beginnings of the
tango era, including the addition of
women to this male-oriented avocation
and the growing popularity of the
dance outside city walls.
Part two of the musical records the
next ten years (1920-1930) through ex
traordinary musical performances.
During this portion of the presentation,
tango is accepted worldwide. The stage
is swept with many dancers, all differ
ing in forms of tango dance.
This second part of the production also
honors famous figures in tango history
through songs such as “Milonga Con
Variacion” (Milonga with Variation) and
“Volver” (Returning).
Following intermission, part three con
tinues with 1930 to the present. It is
throughout this piece that tango is most
musically interpreted, providing the audi
ence with elaborate choreography and
portraying the influence of orchestral mu
sic on the dance itself.
Osvaldo Requena, the founder of
“Tango Buenos Aires,” also directed this
production. Requena began his career
at an early age, establishing himself as
an astounding conductor and pianist,
having appeared in all of South Ameri
ca’s major orchestras.
It was in 1993, however, that Maestro
Requena first premiered a “tango” for the
city of Granada, thus starting the craze
that would bring the world to its feet.
The tango is a dance that can stand on
its own in terms of technique and intrica
cy, including music, poetry and great his
torical personalities. Often referred to as
the dance of sorrow, the tango originated
as a distraction for immigrants coming
into South America to ease the sense of
ruthlessness in a new land.
Robbie Thomas, chairman of OPAS
and a senior mechanical engineering stu
dent, said the tango can be linked to many
Latin traditions.
“It is many different Latin American
people mimicking their culture and way
of life through dance,” Thomas said. “It’s
hot, spicy and full of salsa. Tango’ is for
people who appreciate dance. Everyone
who sees it will walk out of the perfor
mance strutting. ”
For more information on “Tango
Buenos Aires” or upcoming OPAS events,
call the MSC Box Office at 845-1234.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MSC OPAS