Globetrotter

It might be hard to believe now, but there was a time when basketball was a somewhat marginal sport. A key figure in taking it to popular, professional status was Abe Saperstein, best remembered as the owner and promoter of the Harlem Globetrotters team. The Jacob brothers, both experienced sportswriters, set out to tell his story, admitting that the task was made difficult by Saperstein's tendency to embellish, exaggerate, and invent. In fact, it is not even clear when the team was founded, although it was sometime in the late 1920s (and the team was from Chicago, not New York). Saperstein, the son of Jewish immigrants, saw a wealth of talent in the Black community and took his team on a series of grueling cross-country tours, including to the segregated South. It was tough going, but the team, combined with Saperstein's talent for marketing, slowly climbed to the championship level. When the Trotters started doing entertaining tricks at halftime, the spectators loved it. The show became a trademark, and Saperstein developed tactics that turned the game into a dynamic, crowd-pleasing spectacle. He was a tough and often paternalistic boss--and was sometimes criticized for playing up Black minstrel stereotypes--but when Saperstein died in 1966, he left a legacy of breaking down racial barriers and changing the nature of the game. The Jacob brothers provide a fast-paced narrative of an underappreciated game changer. -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" The life of Abe Saperstein is a study of contradictions. Standing five feet, three inches tall, the energetic but diminutive promoter and booking agent founded the Harlem Globetrotters in the late 1920s and barnstormed through the country showcasing his all-Black basketball team, often against white opponents. He was an advocate for the promotion of Black ball players and deemed a racist for exploiting his players by having them perform humorous routines on the court. Saperstein's influence didn't stop with basketball; he was integral to the integration of Black players into major-league baseball, and his Globetrotters were sometimes funded by the State Department to promote U.S. relations abroad during the Cold War. Meticulously researched and written in an easy and entertaining style, Globetrotter provides a lively and honest look at Saperstein's life. Readers will be amazed at the all-star names that he represented or worked with: Wilt Chamberlain, Satchel Paige, and Jesse Owens, to name a few. Even his failed stint as the commissioner of the short-lived American Basketball League (1961-2) left an indelible mark on modern basketball. When Caitlin Clark or Steph Curry launch shots from beyond the three-point line, they can thank Abe Saperstein for introducing it to professional basketball. -- ""Booklist, Starred Review"" This book is as fast-paced and as entertaining as a Globetrotters game! Abe Saperstein played a major role in making pro basketball the worldwide sensation it is today, breaking down racial barriers and piercing the Cold-War Iron Curtain along the way. The story of his amazing forty-year career--which includes all the ""gimmicks"" he devised, like the 3-pointer--makes for a terrific read. --Jacqueline Jones, Pulitzer Prize winner for No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era A beautifully written, nuanced portrait of one of America's most interesting, influential, and overlooked sports figures. Globetrotter dazzles with its fine writing and scores over and over again with its impressive research. It's a winner. --Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize winner for King: A Life and New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig When Abe Saperstein died in 1966, he was the most well-known, and successful, sports promoter in the world. But today, he has been largely forgotten. Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob's Globetrotter will hopefully correct that wrong. In a meticulously-researched book, they bring to life this complex man-- from his unparalleled marketing genius to his complicated record on race. It is a fascinating story about one of the most important men in sports history, with lessons that still resonate today about race and sports in America. --Ben Green, author of Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters Abe Saperstein remains among the most influential figures in sports history, but too few know his name or remarkable story. Globetrotter fixes that in thrilling style, delivering us courtside for a gripping biography of a man whose impact on American athletics, race relations, and flat-out fun remains as vibrant and valuable as ever. --Robert Kurson, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Divers and Rocket Men