I would like to talk about my experience with the Harlem Globetrotters. It was like it happened yesterday. It was in January of 1977 when I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters play basketball in a stadium in Richfield, Ohio. The way was difficult due to the ice and heavy snow but I was able to make it by going west on Ohio State Route 18 from Akron to Bath and then make a right turn up north on Ohio State Route 21 before arriving at the Stadium in Richfield, Ohio.

 

The stadium was filled to capacity as people wanted to forget the harsh winter and enjoy the game. I wanted to forget the harsh winter and the fact that Ohio was depressing after Christmas. I sat down with my father and a cup of hot cocoa with warm milk and a coffee with warm milk to see the Harlem Globetrotters in action. The Harlem Globetrotters did not disappoint this fan.

 

The announcer belted from the loudspeaker: «Here are the Harlem Globetrotters!!!!» and the signature tune of «Sweet Georgia Brown» resonated throughout the stadium as the Harlem Globetrotters roster was announced to the people who cheered and then the opposing team was announced to cheers and some silence. Of course, it was all part of the entertainment as the Harlem Globetrotters and the opposing team took things in stride.

 

I was able to appreciate how Meadowlark Lemon and Curley played and dribbled the ball while giving their opponents one big headache. The referee was also present and received a bucketful of confetti. It was one game to remember and was a moment of showmanship. For one day, I had forgotten all of my troubles. I attempted to take photos but the Harlem Globetrotters were far away. At the end, it was the Harlem Globetrotters that won the game and the hearts of the fans. I myself left with «my frown turned upside down». I was using the phrase from the now defunct store Lionel’s Play World to describe my inner and outer emotions.

 

After the game, I remembered the fact that Hanna Barbera had a cartoon series of the Harlem Globetrotters and that an episode of the Harlem Globetrotters with Scooby Doo existed. My daughter Veronica once gave me a DVD of the episodes of Scooby Doo with the Harlem Globetrotters that I still cherish. Even now, I remembered that there was another show by the Harlem Globetrotters live which was on the same channel as the popular programme of the 1970’s American Bandstand with the Harlem Globetrotters showing their basketball skills to the people of the world.

 

In closing, during the 1950’s, The United States of America and Argentina under President Juan Peron had big differences that threatened to undermine relations between the two countries. The Harlem Globetrotters went to play in Argentina during this tense period with President Peron as a spectator. Peron loved the Harlem Globetrotters that relations between Argentina and the United States of America improved. Our world needs more of the diplomacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and less of the diplomats.