Harlem Globetrotters guard Bull stands on top of the basket to halt play Jan. 24, 2014, at Breslin Center. The team engaged the audience with comedy and interactive play throughout the evening. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
For some Harlem Globetrotters fans, it’s the power of the tradition that keeps them coming back. Friday at the Breslin Center, the fans enjoyed the traditions, in addition to some new twists.
But even among their oldest veterans, Globetrotter Herbert “Flight Time” Lang said the changes are always welcome.
“Every year we try to do something a little different,” Lang said. “It never gets old because every night in a different city we have a different audience. That keeps it interesting for us.”
The Globetrotters came out and were introduced with “Sweet Georgia Brown,” of the traditions most revered by fans. But this time, the fans made the rules. By tweeting at the Globetrotters’ official account, fans were selected to pick their own rule at the start of every quarter.
“We have so many people who come back every year, and there are certain things that we can’t take out,” Lang said. “The first time we don’t have ‘Sweet Georgia Brown,’ people will be asking us about it.”
Lang has been a member of the Globetrotters for 15 seasons. He played college basketball at Centenary College in Louisiana and was one of the two Globetrotters to appear on the “Amazing Race” for two seasons.
The Washington Generals, previously the anointed Globetrotter punching bag team, was nowhere to be found in East Lansing. This year, the team played the World All-Stars, a team comprised of some of the best players in the world.
The Globetrotters are split into three teams that travel and play every day, sometimes playing two games a day. By the time the season is done, the team will have seen between 250 and 300 cities.
The team has come to Breslin Center many times in the past decade, ringing in a successful night every time, Breslin Center Marketing Manager Tara Peplowski said.
“Michigan State, East Lansing and mid-Michigan has been a really great market for them,” Peplowski said. “We have a lot of fans of basketball but also a lot of families.”
People of all ages came out to see the Globetrotters. Some, like Lansing resident Richard Sabin, hoped to channel a piece of history in the process.
Sabin saw the Globetrotters 20 years ago and said the game speed is the biggest difference between the show now and then.
“It’s something different,” he said. “There’s a lot of showmanship, which is entertaining.”
Peplowski said the show is attractive not only to families but also to fans of basketball because of the athletic skill of the Globetrotters.
“While it’s entertainment and everyone loves that, these players are phenomenally talented,” she said. “It’s like basketball, kind of on steroids.”
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