Globetrotter How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports

<p><b>*<i>Booklist </i>starred review*</b><br><br><b>The captivating biography of Abe Saperstein, creator of the Harlem Globetrotters</b><br><br>The original Harlem Globetrotters weren’t from Harlem, and they didn’t start out as globetrotters. The talented all-Black team, started by Jewish immigrant Abe Saperstein, was from Chicago’s South Side and initially toured the Midwest in Saperstein’s model-T. But with Saperstein’s savvy and the players’ skills, the Globetrotters became a worldwide sensation.<br><br><i>Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports </i>is the fascinating biography of Saperstein, a five-foot-three promoter who made an amazing impact in a sport where height is at a premium: basketball. After Saperstein founded the team in the 1920s, the players battled everything from blizzards to bigotry, steadily building a reputation for talent and comedy until their footprint covered the entire world.<br><br> Abe Saperstein’s impact went well beyond the Harlem Globetrotters. He helped keep baseball’s Negro Leagues alive, was a force in getting pitching great Satchel Paige his shot at the majors, befriended Olympic star Jesse Owens when he fell on hard times, and pioneered the three-point shot. <i>Globetrotter</i> reveals the tireless work and impressive achievements of a man and a basketball team that made millions of people laugh, gasp, and applaud at their astounding performances.</p>