QUINCY (WGEM) – “Sweet Georgia Brown” is back on live television.
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will be appearing live on television for the first time in 40 years, and you can see them Sunday at 6 p.m. on Tri-States CW (WGEM channel 10.2) and via live streaming on the WGEM Smart TV app, WGEM News app and WGEM.com.
“We are thrilled to give our viewers the opportunity to see the legendary Harlem Globetrotters,” said Ben Van Ness, General Manager of WGEM. “This is just another opportunity Gray Media provides us to deliver quality programming for the entire family.”
After years away from the spotlight, the Harlem Globetrotters are now looking to return to television with a live game in which they dribble, spin and slam dunk their way past their relentless but helpless rivals, the Washington Generals.
The broadcast is a collaboration between the Harlem Globetrotters and Gray Media. The game will be broadcast from the Globetrotters’ historic sports home at the American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event will be televised in more than 90 Gray Media television markets.
“Our historic residency continues to attract partners who want to help make this moment even more exciting,” said Keith Dawkins, president of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios.
“It’s been more than 40 years since audiences have seen the Globetrotters live on television, and we’re grateful to have Gray Media help us revitalize our brand for a whole new generation,” said Dawkins.
The show will be produced by Gray’s Raycom Sports, a national leader in sports production and syndication with deep roots in college basketball, football and professional sports. Hosts for the show are expected to be announced soon.
“We are thrilled to partner with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. Over the past 45 years, we have produced over 10,000 events including college basketball, football, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS games,” said Raycom Sports CEO Hunter Nickell. “Now we are honored to feature the Globetrotters on Gray stations across the country.”
Now in their 98th season, the Harlem Globetrotters are the founders of the basketball style and are characterized by dynamic athleticism, unique skill and historical influence on the modern sport of basketball.
Legendary globetrotters such as Wilt Chamberlain, Geese Ausbie, Marquis Haynes, Goose Tatum and Curly Neal and of course Meadowlark Lemon thrilled the crowds for years.
This year’s team is coached by “Sweet Lou” Dunbar Sr., another legendary Globetrotter player. His son, Lou Junior, is also on the squad.
The team’s official theme song since 1952, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” is played before every Harlem Globetrotters game. It is played during the famous Magic Circle, where star players take turns demonstrating their masterful ball-handling skills.
Believe it or not, the Globetrotters have actually lost 345 games over the course of nine decades. However, with 27,000 victories, the Globetrotters have the best winning percentage (.987) in the history of professional sports.
Since 1926, the Globetrotters, proud members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, have used their legendary world tour to showcase their iconic brand of basketball to tens of millions of people in over 124 countries and territories on six continents.
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