Globetrotters get wrapped up in global politics

FOr 'cac and country: Nemo Blizzard highlights unique challenges of collegiate road games

Away games are comprised of two components—the travel and the game itself—and a victory in the latter is usually contingent on mental preparation during the former. That is not to say that the team that spends the entire travel time visualizing the game always comes out on top, or that the game itself is entirely decided by the hours, or even days, leading up to the game. Rather, road games provide a platform of adversity for teams to demonstrate their resilience and make strides towards greatness. Bowdoin’s traveling teams persevered through the challenges brought about by Nemo this weekend, winning three out of five games. Ironically named after the Latin word for “no man,” this weekend’s legendary nor’easter affected almost every man, woman, and child of the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and eastern Canada, resulting in over 3,000 flight cancellations, 400,000 power outages at its peak, and entire road and highways bans.

FOr 'cac and country: Heat, Penguins streaks show allure of dominance

After winning 27 games in a row, the Miami Heat finally lost.
As an Orlando Magic fan, I’m thrilled. My enemies—those who wanted to “be a part of history” by hoping the Heat would break the coveted 33-game winning streak held by the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers—may consider this to be bad news. Those who are disappointed that the Heat could not mount a heroic comeback against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night to further cement their legacy as one of the greatest teams ever should take comfort knowing that what they are watching still stands out in the annals of history. For the first time since 1972, an NBA team won over 22 games in a row. Simultaneously, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins are riding a 14-game winning streak—just three victories from breaking their own record of 17 consecutive wins in 1992-1993. This may seem like one of those random ESPN stats, but give it some time to sink in and you may come to appreciate its implications.
Wednesday night was the first time the Heat lost since Super Bowl Sunday. The Penguins have been undefeated since February. We can appreciate both of these streaks regardless of whether the Penguins lose their next game or never lose again for one reason: sustained concentration.

FOr 'cac and country

Globetrotters get wrapped up in global politics

March 1, 2013

The Harlem Globetrotters are the most unique team in American sports. Unlike other squads, their victory is the entertainment they provide. They dazzle fans with a repertoire that ranges from showy dunks—rivaling the skill of NBA players—to fan interactions; from soaking referees with water pails to circling defenders with their dribbling.

The Globetrotters have found their niche playing over 20,000 games—the equivalent of 243 NBA seasons—in thousands of U.S. cities and in 122 countries during the course of their 87-year history.

While we have grown accustomed to the Globetrotters’ spectacular performance on the court, they continue to make national headlines off the court.
Mighty Mitchell—the 11th female member of the Globetrotters—and Flight Time Lang walked across the Francis Scott Key Bridge from Virginia to Washington, D.C., dribbling and spinning pink basketballs the whole way to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Afterwards, they addressed over 150 students at the Holy Trinity School about their nationwide “ABCs of Bullying Prevention.” Meanwhile, nearly 6,000 miles away, another troupe of Globetrotters found themselves in a place much more unknown—North Korea.

Last Tuesday, the Globetrotters journeyed to Pyongyang, North Korea and began a weeklong project to entertain. The troupe consisted of four Globetrotters, former NBA player Dennis Rodman and a film crew. They are running a basketball camp for children, playing pickup games, and competing with top North Korean athletes. Vice Media is following the group around the country to film these interactions.

Just as the Globetrotters utilized their skills in Washington to bring attention to domestic issues, many wonder if this trip to Asia has international implications.

As of Wednesday, the State Department denied to comment on this ongoing visit. Spokesmen Patrick Ventrell simply stated that, “We don’t vet U.S. citizens’ private travel to North Korea.” He continued by urging Americans who are “contemplating travel to North Korea to review our travel warning on North Korea.”

Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider backed Ventrell’s statements by denying that this trip links to political activism in any way. He commented that this journey is an effort to continue “our storied heritage of entertaining families and breaking down social barriers world-wide.”

Nevertheless, it seems doubtful that Dennis Rodman and the four Globetrotters can effectively run a basketball camp for children. After all, it is no walk in the park for a team of 15 Bowdoin basketball players to manage just 50 local Brunswick students at the annual Polar Bear Camp.

Moreover, the inclusion of Rodman in the trip is strange especially considering that Dikembe Mutumbo, a well-known diplomat from the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as a humanitarian who recently played in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, would be a much better candidate. But perhaps Rodman came along just for that reason—he is an unexpected participant and perhaps, just the character to draw America’s attention.

So far it has worked—you, in Brunswick, Maine, are currently reading about it. However, those who do not read my column may hear of this story through national media outlets. On ESPN’s First Take, notorious arguers Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless exclusively discussed Rodman’s visit without any mention of the Globetrotters. In addition, many people will tune in to the HBO special airing in April solely to see Rodman, and his lip ring, interacting with North Korea youth.

Similar to the Ping-Pong Diplomacy that thawed U.S.-China relations in the early 1970s, the Harlem Globetrotters visit can be conceived as a form of “Basketball Diplomacy.”

Like Ventrell, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also made sure to steer clear of questions regarding U.S.-North Korea relations. Nevertheless, he is enjoying the entertainment. He was in attendance at Wednesday’s match between North Korean teams, each with a pair of Globetrotters dazzling fans. He then took the Globetrotters and company to drinks after the game.

Perhaps the Obama administration did not vet this visit, and perhaps the Harlem Globetrotters are conducting the visit truly to spread basketball worldwide. Only time will tell. After all, Henry Kissinger did not become an honorary Globetrotter until 1976, five years after a secret visit to China.

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