Even if you've never been to a single Harlem Globetrotters exhibition game, you probably know their theme song, that distinctive whistled version of Sweet Georgia Brown. You also might know about their arch nemesis, the hapless Washington Generals. But the Globetrotters are more than just a touring basketball comedy act — at 99 years old, they're a barrier-breaking American institution that reflects our nation at its goofy and good-natured best.
The Globetrotters didn't start out in Harlem, but on Chicago's South Side in 1926, when a 5-foot-3-inch Jewish immigrant named Abe Saperstein founded the Savoy Big Five with all African-American players. Initially, the Big Five played exhibition games at the newly built Savoy Ballroom, but before long, Saperstein and some of the original Big Five hit the road with a new name: the New York Harlem Globetrotters. The name was at least partly a practical choice — their touring schedule often landed them in all-white towns, and the team didn't want other players and spectators to be surprised when an all-Black team arrived on the court.
The Globetrotters were known for their showmanship and flashy tricks even during their early years, but they were a highly competitive team as well, winning the World Basketball Championship in 1940. Even elite NBA teams fell to the Globetrotters, notably the reigning world champion Minneapolis Lakers in 1948 and 1949. Shortly after those stunning wins, the NBA signed its first African-American player — Globetrotter Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton.
In 1952, their greatest (and some might say most incompetent) rival, the Washington Generals, was born. In over 16,000 matchups, the Generals have won just three, most recently in 1971. The victory broke a 2,495-game losing streak, and the Generals have not defeated the Globetrotters since.
