What do the All-American Redheads and Harlem Globe Trotters

They have bright, colorful uniforms, perform amazing tricks, have outstanding talent, and are fun and entertaining to watch. Who am I describing? The Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.

The Globetrotters, made up of all males, travel around the world exhibiting flair and performing tricks that no one has ever seen before. According to Manny Jackson, creator of the official Harlem Globetrotters website, they started out as a serious team in 1927, but begin throwing tricks into their game twelve years later, in 1939 (par. Timeline 1939).The Harlem Globetrotters is the only team that comes to mind when talking about basketball show teams, but many fans don't realize that there was actually a female version that played for nearly 50 years. They were known as the All-American Redheads.

They began playing back in 1935 and played well into the 1980's. Like the Globetrotters, the talented Redheads traveled around the county performing tricks and sported a new style of uniforms while at it. The Globetrotters and Redheads traveled all across the country, from New York City to California.The Globetrotters also went across the border and played in several other countries. According to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, they would make trips up to Canada and to dozens of other countries (par.

Bio). This added up to about 170 games a year, according to Jackson (par. Timeline 1940). It seemed like they were constantly on the road.

The Redheads rarely played out of the United States, but that allowed more Americans to see their style of play. They played more than 200 games a year.As William Johnson and Nancy Williamson, editors of Sports Illustrated pointed out, they traveled more than 60,000 miles a year, to every state except Hawaii (pg. 78).

Can you imagine traveling that much? 60,000 miles is equivalent to 20 trips across the United States! The Harlem Globetrotters and All-American Redheads put on a show every time they stepped onto the court. They dazzled crowds with their unbelievable play. They started out playing traditional basketball, but would soon add in tricks. The Globetrotters made some of the most unheard of shots that got the crowd jumping!Some of their tricks included 12 foot dunks, shots off their heads, behind the back passes and unbelievable ball-handling.

The Redheads were the same way. No matter where they were playing, the Redheads would always start out the same. They followed the typical rules of a game, and then add tricks as they went. As Coach Moore put it, "We would always play it straight in the beginning of games, and then we would add the entertainment," (Red and Proud par.

6). The teams they faced had no clue when the tricks were coming.According to William Johnson and Nancy Williamson, "they stopped the game sometimes to clown around and do ball-spinning tricks, crawling between opponents legs, take shots piggyback, and perform on of their most popular tricks, "the pinch. " A routine where a player pretended a man pinched her behind and insists that it was a personal foul, "a very personal foul" (pg 78). The crowd loved it! People would laugh hysterically and would be amazed at what they just saw.

If you were playing the Redheads, you had to be alert and watch out for anything and everything!The uniforms worn by the Harlem Globetrotters and All-American Redheads only added to their show. While most men's teams wore a plain jersey and basic shorts, the Globetrotters wore bight, blue jerseys with stars scattered about, and the name Harlem in bold print across the front. Their shorts were long and had red and white vertical stripes going down them. Their uniforms made the game even more entertaining and fun to be at.

The Redheads sported uniforms that easily caught attention. They were unlike anything else. At the time, most women's teams wore a jersey and skirt, but not the Redheads.According to Molina, editor of All-American Redheads Website 1936-1986, it wasn't uncommon to find the Redheads in shorts and a small top (par.

14). Their tops went down to their belly button and were skin tight. They had red, white and blue vertical stripes going around them. Their shorts were red and had a single star in the right corner.

You weren't going to miss spotting the Redheads. The All-American Redheads were highly regarded during their playing years. Although they aren't together anymore, they are still around in presence. The Redheads had the same presence during their playing years as the Harlem Globetrotters do today.