Harlem Renaissance Sports
Sports was a large part of the Harlem Renaissance and Harlem history in general. Harlem is known for its amazing basketball which has started one of the most entertaining shows in modern day America, "The Harlem Globetrotters." The Globetrotters birth came in 1926 as the Savoy Big Five; they played their first game on January 7, 1927. The globetrotters won 101 of their first 117 games. They have now played for 85 years and 20,000 individual games. The Globetrotters have not been the only team originated in Harlem during the 1920's however. The Harlem Rens (short for Renaissance) originated in 1923 and were members of the Negro Leagues of basketball. They won multiple Colored Basketball World Championships in their first couple years of existence and led the way for colored basketball in America. This time in sports history prompted one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association history, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, to write a book on "the storied history and lasting impact of the Harlem Renaissance Ballroom," and, "how ethnic rivalry was used to promote sports." The Harlem Renaissance had an impact on the sport of basketball and even the idea of entertainment; that is a great feat. (NB)