The Harlem Globetrotters blow out 100 birthday candles, becoming a benchmark for commercial longevity in sports. The Globetrotters are a brand that has managed to transform the field into a global business, capable of maintaining million-dollar income a century after its founding.
Born in 1926 on the South Side of Chicago, although their name may suggest otherwise, the Harlem Globetrotters began as a modest neighborhood team before becoming a global basketball spectacle phenomenon.
Made up entirely of young African-Americans at a time when they were still excluded from elite professional basketball, the team adopted the name Harlem in reference to the emblematic New York neighborhood, the cradle of black culture in the United States.
In 1948 and 1949 they twice defeated the Minneapolis Lakers (who in 1960 would move to Los Angeles), demonstrating the level of their players. One of them, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, would be the first African-American to sign a professional NBA contract in 1950, with the New York Knicks.
That same year, the Globetrotters embarked on their first international tour, a business model they have maintained to this day and which has seen them perform in front of 148 million people in 123 countries. From their match in front of 75,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin to the historic tour of the Soviet Union with the legendary Wilt Chamberlain in their ranks.
Their acrobatics, impossible passes and spectacular dunks have made the Gobletrotters a timeless spectacle worth seeing. According to the Growjo platform (the data is not public), the Globetrotters currently generate about $52 million in annual income.
centennial tour
For their centenary, the Globetrotters have hired the agency M+C Saatchi to reposition their brand with a global campaign that connects with new audiences and enhances their value as a cultural and entertainment icon.
They have renewed their logo to reflect the centenary, retaining their red, white and blue colors and adding 5 stars in honor of the founding members. In addition, Moroccan-born designer Jeff Hamilton, famous for his iconic NBA outfits, is in charge of the new official uniforms.
But the highlight, as it could not be otherwise, will be the centenary tour, which will kick off on December 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York, the mecca of basketball. The Globetrotters will play their archrivals, the Washington Generals, in nearly 200 games in the United States and 125 abroad.
They will stop in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Mexico and several countries in Asia. In Spain they have stops planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Vitoria, Tarragona or Valladolid.
Petition to the NBA
After multiple changes of hands throughout its 100 years, the Globetrotters have belonged since 2013 to Herschend Family Entertainment, a company dedicated to themed entertainment and owner of amusement parks in several countries. The Globetrotters are his only sports investment.
In 2021, they addressed a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, demanding a spot in the league: “You cannot act as if we do not exist. It is time to right the wrongs and rewrite history. It is time for the NBA to recognize what the Globetrotters have done for our sport, both here in the United States and around the world.”
“Basketball would not be what it is today without us,” they added. They are still waiting for a response.
