Around the World with the Harlem Globetrotters

Announcer Dave Zinkoff joined Abe Saperstein and the Harlem Globetrotters for their first 'Around the World' tour in the early 1950s. Zinkoff gives a brief history of the Globetrotters, then describes the whirlwind trip that took the team across Europe, into northern Africa, and over Asia, ending in Japan. He covers the highs, the lows, and the antics on (and off) the basketball court. This was first published in 1953. Some may consider this written through rose-colored glasses, but there is little doubt that the Globetrotters promoted black athleticism and dignity at a time it was needed. (The Berlin story is phenomenal.) This trip was also an effective 'good will' tour, offering a look at American culture when many countries were heavily influenced by communist propaganda. In addition to Zinkoff's book, the expanded edition epub includes newspaper clippings from the 1930s showcasing an early team, and pages from Harlem Globetrotter souvenir programs from the 1950-1954 to provide greater context to the globetrotting team.

Ebook Size

Please note that due to the many images, this epub is almost 117MB in size.