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Harlem Globetrotters

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Sports Team

The Resume

    (1926- )
    Founded by Abe Saperstein
    First game in 1927
    Originally called the Savoy Big Five, then Saperstein's New York Globetrotters, then the Harlem New York Globetrotters, and finally Harlem Globetrotters
    Famous players include Wilt Chamberlain, George 'Meadowlark' Lemon, Fred 'Curly' Neal, Reece 'Goose' Tatum
    Saturday morning cartoon show, 'The Harlem Globetrotters Show,' aired in the 1970's

Why they might be annoying:

    In spite of their name, they were founded in Chicago and are currently headquartered in Phoenix.
    They only played in the U.S. for their first 23 years and didn't start 'globetrotting' until 1950.
    They never played in Harlem until 1968.
    They adopted the name 'New York Globetrotters' in 1927 because they played their first game in jerseys marked 'New York.' They later added 'Harlem' to emphasize that their roster was entirely African-American.
    Thanks to them, most people think that 'Sweet Georgia Brown' is just a song featuring some guy whistling to a jazz beat, but the song does have words.
    They often scare fans into thinking they're going to get doused with a bucket of water, when it turns out to be only confetti.
    Owner Abe Saperstein got his friend, Louis 'Red' Klotz, to form some teams for the Globetrotters to oppose; among these teams was the Washington Generals.
    The Generals have become synonymous with perennial losers.
    At one point, there were four different 'Harlem Globetrotters' teams touring the world at the same time, all run by Saperstein.
    The team was nearly bankrupt in the early 1990's.

Why they might not be annoying:

    They were more popular than the NBA during the league's early days.
    They dazzle fans with their artistic style of play that features unusual passing styles, trick shots, and spectacular dunks.
    They goof on the refs a lot and even pull down the ref's pants during games (try getting away with that in the NBA).
    They signed Lynette Woodard to play for them in 1985, making her the first female to play for a major professional basketball team in the U.S.
    They play with a red, white, and blue basketball, which makes their passes and shots look cooler than they would with a standard plain orange ball.
    They had an 8829-game winning streak from 1971 to 1995.
    Wilt Chamberlain played for them before joining the NBA.
    Magic Johnson fulfilled a dream of his by playing for them in one game in 1997.
    They were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a team in 2002.

Credit: Gregg


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 22 Votes: 4.55% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 19 Votes: 5.26% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 85 Votes: 43.53% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 42 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 18 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 27 Votes: 25.93% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 29 Votes: 31.03% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 42 Votes: 40.48% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 50 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 111 Votes: 47.75% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 148 Votes: 43.92% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 343 Votes: 44.31% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 346 Votes: 44.51% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 832 Votes: 48.08% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 994 Votes: 36.92% Annoying