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- [00:09]
Dan Rubenstein
It's 1952. A breeze carries through the windows of an Italian palace. Inside a grand hall, five towering basketball players and their tiny coach wait for the luminary who invited them. The coach grows impatient. He's got places to go, a game to prepare for. Finally, a man enters. Your Holiness, may I present to you the Haarlem Globetrotters. Then Pope Pius XII glides in. The coach of the Globetrotters, Abe Saperstein, who also owns the team, is awestruck by the Pope's gallant appearance. Brilliant white robes, a procession of servants, a golden scepter. Abe's gotta hand it to the Roman Catholic Church. They certainly know how to make an entrance. Abe steps forward and hands God's representative on earth an autographed basketball. His Holiness, raised a soccer fan, apparently doesn't know what to do with a ball other than to kick it. He leans over and asks his servant a question in Italian. The servant translates to Abe, could you show him basketball? Abe grins, takes the ball and tosses it to his superstar player, Goose Tatum and begins clapping a syncopated rhythm. Then Abe starts to whistle. The Globetrotters launch into their signature warm up routine. It's called the Magic Circle. It features underhand no look passes, gymnastic juggling, spinning the ball on their fingers, up their arms, around their backs. It's not about getting ready to play, it's about letting the audience know they're in for a show. The Pope's face lights up with childlike wonder. He applauds exuberantly and leans forward to Abe to tell him directly, if I had not seen this with my own eyes, I would not believe it could be done. Abe and the players share a knowing smile. Spreading the gospel of basketball is just what the Globetrotters do, and they're determined to turn the whole world into believers.
- [02:32]
Leon Nayfak
I'm Leon Nayfak.
- [02:34]
Dan Rubenstein
What happens when OnlyFans becomes more than just a side hustle?
- [02:37]
Leon Nayfak
OnlyFantasy is an in depth look at
- [02:39]
Dan Rubenstein
the world's newest profession and how the
- [02:41]
Leon Nayfak
rules of human intimacy are being rewritten online.
- [02:45]
Dan Rubenstein
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or binge all episodes of Only Fantasy ad free only on Audible. Jason I'm Jason Concepcion and welcome to Six Trophies, a podcast hosted by myself and four time New York Times bestselling author Chase Serrano. Each week Shay and I are finding the best of the NBA storylines and then handing out six pop culture themed trophies for six basketball related activities. Listen to six Trophies with Jason Concepcion and Chase Serrano on the Wondery app
- [03:10]
Leon Nayfak
or wherever you get your Podcasts Whether you're exploring your fascinations or discovering new ones, Ottawa has stories that will introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tail Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy Romantasy series. Know how true the latest blockbuster movies stayed to the sci fi story it was based on, or find unexpected reveals through an exclusive True Crime podcast. However you listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating. Select any audiobook every month, plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at $8.99. Audible. Be fascinated. Be Fascinating.
- [03:55]
Dan Rubenstein
From wondery I'm dan rubenstein and this is sports wars. Before LeBron, MJ Magic and Bird, even before Bill Russell, basketball was defined by 1 Globetrotters. The globetrotters changed the basketball world forever and changed the world with basketball. They desegregated sports arenas, spread democratic goodwill across the Soviet Union, and transformed basketball from a second tier exhibition sport into world class entertainment, selling out stadiums wherever they played. Some of their basketball rivals wore jerseys, but their biggest challengers didn't. Racism, capitalism, Communism, Hollywood, the ncaa, the NBA. The Globetrotters took them all head on, not to mention over their long and winding history. They went toe to toe with each other as well. In the beginning, the Globetrotters challenge was to make the leap from upstart touring team into a profitable sports organization, despite few Americans considering basketball a sport worth watching. And they had to do it all under the dark cloud of the Great Depression. This is Episode one, Survival of the Misfits. It's late spring, 1930. A jazz crooner sings a suave little number in a Southside Chicago nightclub. Lately, jazz has become more of the crooners passion project. Because professionally, he's Tommy Brookins. Player slash owner of Tommy Brookins Globetrotters, a new basketball team made up of former Chicago high school standouts who tour the Midwest and and split the profits of ticket sales among the players. From the stage, Tommy frowns at the man who just barged in, Abe Saperstein. A month or so ago, Tommy hired Abe as a freelance booking agent for his team's upcoming tour. He paid Abe$100 up front to hit the road and secure contracts for 10 games. In exchange, Abe would collect 10% of the ticket sales. The arrangement was working well until a fan approached Brookins after a game and said something odd. The fan told Brookins that the team looked even better this game than when he saw them in Eau Claire. Brookins was puzzled. His team hadn't played in Eau Claire. That's how Brookins discovered that Abe had formed a second team and booked a second tour, all without telling him. Worse yet, Abe was using the same name for his knockoff squad, the Brookings Globetrotters. So while the real team was in Michigan, Abe's weird doppelganger team would play in Wisconsin. Led by no names, the Globetrotters had rejected. Abe, of course, pocketed all the cash from the other team's ticket sales. Brookins was livid when he found out. Now, seeing Abe suddenly appear in the nightclub makes Brookins irate. He stops the song mid verse, makes a beeline for Abe and explodes on his conniving employee. He yells at him and asks him, what the hell does he think he's doing starting another team using Brookins name? Abe's face falls. He holds his hat in his hand. He tells Brookins, tommy, first, I want to apologize. I know how hard things are with your mother being sick. Tommy mumbles, thanks. Caught off guard by Abe's respectful demeanor, Abe then continues, let me run a plan by you. How about, and again, this is just me spitballing. How about we split the profits? We already made you leave the team to me so you can stay in Chicago. Stay close to mama, keep singing your heart out. In jazz clubs, you get to do what you want to do. Win. Win. Tommy glowers at Abe. He can't believe the nerve of this guy. Then again, he does make some good points. A week later, Abe Saperstein is the proud owner of the Globetrotters. His first move is to change the team's name. He drops Brookins from the name. And then, even though the team is from Chicago's south side, he renames them the Harlem Globetrotters. It's a nod to New York City's famous neighborhood, known as an artistic capital of black culture, and all part of Saperstein's calculated plan to bring curious white Midwesterners to the team's games. It's January 1930. A Ford Model T hearse is steering down an icy Minnesota road. The Globetrotter's mvp, Runt Pullens, is crammed into the car alongside the rest of his teammates. The second hand car, which Abe Saperstein is driving, serves as the entirety of the Globetrotter's transportation. It's anything but pleasant. The players are sandwiched together, their joints cramping in the bitter chill as they head to the Globetrotter's 59th consecutive game. The team hasn't had a night off in two months. Runt's stomach grumbles. He peels a slice of bologna off the clammy stack resting in his lap. The team tried to stop for a bite at restaurants in the last two towns, but couldn't find anywhere that would allow black patrons. Runt is furious that because of the color of their skin, he and his teammates were unable to get a simple plate of food. Tonight's game will be played after yet another meal of grocery cold cuts. Runt then turns and holds up a slice of freezing bologna. He asks if anybody's in the mood for an icicle sandwich. He then breaks an icicle off the inside roof of the car, wraps it in a slice of bologna and chomps it down. His teammates laugh and ask him to cook em up one of their own. Even more than his lifelong love of basketball, it's the camaraderie that drives Russell to hit the open road with his teammates. The paydays are uncertain. The only guarantee is the disrespect they'll face from fans wherever they go. The hearse then pulls off the road to park in front of the gym for tonight's game. Immediately, Runt can tell that something's off. The coach of the team they're here to play rushes to the car. Bundled in a thick parka. Abe exits the vehicle and huddles with the coach, their foggy breath swirling in the winter air. Runt wonders out loud, what's it gonna be this time? Then he notices the windows of the gym are open. Abe re enters the car and explains to the team that the gym was painted earlier that day and the janitor has to air out the fumes. Runtime looks his coach in the eye. So the game's canceled? Abe's brow furrows. He tells his star, of course not. There are 20 paying fans in the stands. But it's 15 degrees. Abe decides it's time to launch into one of his salesman pitches to rally the troops. The cold troops. Guys, we're building a fan base from the ground up. Not just for the Globetrotters, for the whole sport of basketball. A few of the guys groan. They've heard this from Abe before. We quit now. I might as well drive us back to Chicago when we pack it in for good. But men, I promise, you play here today, we'll play all across America tomorrow. With a collective sigh, Runt and the rest of the squad squeeze out of the car and head to the gym. He knows there's no arguing with Abe. The man's stubborn as an ox. Runt tugs his collar up against a blast of wind. Even Mother Nature seems To want to disrespect him. Abe better get us some of those real basketball games in real arenas soon, he thinks, or I'm out of here. It's December 1930. Abe Saperstein is standing on the basketball court in a Chicago ymca. Kids dribble basketballs and shoot hoops, but suddenly all conversation screeches to a stop when a man steps on the court. When he dribbles, the ball thumps like a bass drum. He's 6 foot 3, 200 pounds. Everyone watches as he begins thundering through a tryout for Abe Saperstein. His name is Inman Jackson, and Abe doesn't know exactly what to make of this guy. He first saw him playing for the Savoy Big 5, one of the Globetrotter's primary feeder teams. In basketball's early days, there was a tip off after every basket, so the towering center's skills were on full display. But Abe's unsure if this tall tree has what it takes to be a Globetrotter. Lately, Abe's been revising his criteria for making the team. His latest epiphany is that fielding a squad of superior basketball players isn't enough. His players need to be entertainers, too. Like so many breakthroughs, Abe's eureka moment was equal parts necessity and luck. Early on, the Globetrotters devised a trick for coping with their grueling schedule. Run up the score early, then put on a show, a combo of fancy dribbling clinic and passing wizardry. Not only did it delight the fans, but not having to constantly run up and down the court saved their legs for the next game. During one of these showcases, held in a drafty Midwestern barn heated by a small wood stove in the corner, the Globetrotter's Kid Oliver repeatedly dribbled around a bumbling farm boy, playing him right off the court. In a fit of frustration, the farm boy shoved Kid Oliver into the stove, and Kid Oliver's shorts caught fire. The star Globetrotter ran around smacking at his rear to extend extinguish the flames, and the fans thought it was all part of the act. Abe hadn't heard such an uproar since his father took him to a vaudeville theater as a kid. In that moment, the Globetrotter's future unfolded before him. No longer were they mere athletes, they were showmen. Even if that meant making his guys the butt of the joke. Which is why today at the ymca, Abe doesn't know what to make of Inman Jackson. This guy is no joke with the ball in his hands. If Abe were Simply building a championship squad he'd be a shoo in. But he needs personalities, something Jackson may not exactly have, no matter how good he is at the sport. Inman finishes his layup drill and asks Abe what he wants next. Abe looks him over broad shoulders with hands the size of a catcher's mitt. There's gotta be some spark, some entertainer in that Olympian physique. Finally, he asks him, what can you do that nobody else can? Well, I can do this. Inman offers Abe the ball with one hand. Abe reaches out, but then Inman quickly draws it back. Abe is stunned. He's never seen that before. 1930s regulation basketballs are so big nobody's ever palmed one. Abe turns around to see kids staring with their jaws open. Inman tosses the ball to one and tells him to take a shot. The boy obliges and it's a perfect swish until Inman leaps and tips it back up and out of the hoop. The kids howl with laughter. Abe walks over to Inman with a sly smile. Welcome to the globetrotters. It's about three years later, in September of 1933 in Minnesota. The Globetrotters shove their shoulders against the locker room door to keep the riot from breaking through. Inman knows that if the mob gets in, he may have played his last game as a Globetrotter, if not his last game, period. Tonight's game against a Minneapolis based team started out like a any other. Since Inman joined the squad, there was a tip off. A few fancy passes and a routine layup for the Globetrotters. But with every shove and elbow, it soon became apparent to Inman that the other team wasn't made up of basketball players. These were football players playing basketball, literally. Their forward was Bronco Nagursky of the Chicago bears. Nagurski had £20 on Inman and let him know it every time they bodied up. If it were a pickup game, Inman would lay down the law, or at least try to. But there were unwritten rules at play. Nagursky was white, Inman was black. I can't get physical with this white guy. They play dirty, we play clean. Nagursky finally subbed out, and Inman breathed a welcome sigh of relief until his new defender started grabbing Inman's arm and elbow, jabbing his kidneys. This wasn't basketball. It was a mugging. Jab, jab, jab. Without even thinking, Inman knocked the defender right in the face. He stood looming over the center, who was splayed out on the floor. He then clamored to his feet and rushed Inman. Nagursky and his teammates charged him as well. A swarm of fans then followed, all enraged at the sight of a black man punching a white man in the nose. Inman, his teammates and Abe bolted for the locker room, fearing for their lives. Hold the door. Don't let them in. Now Inman's in the locker room with a dozen men trying to break down the door. The hinges of the door creak, straining under the pressure of the surge. The wood buckles and begins to splinter. Inman prays, lord, please don't let them get through. All right, break it up. Anybody here? By the time I count to 10, I'm hauling downtown at last, the police arrive and disperse the crowd. Within minutes, the Globetrotters pile into the hearse and Abe floors it as the beat up old Ford rattles down the highway. Everyone in the car sits stone silent. They're too shocked to talk. Finally, Abe pipes up the stuff Bronco was pulling. I would have got myself a stepladder and socked him in the first quarter. Inman and the rest of the Globetrotters burst into convulsions of laughter. The tension gone, the muscular Inman looks across the car at the pudgy 5 foot 4 Saperstein and feels a wave of admiration. Then another feeling hits him, this one not so good. Inman Jackson knows that they may have gotten lucky tonight, but the Globetrotters in the days and months to come are bound to face even more trouble.
- [19:59]
Leon Nayfak
Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Ottawa has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy romantasy series. Become your friend group sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating all in one easy app with plans now starting at £5.99, you'll get access to over 900,000 audiobooks and podcasts, including trending bestsellers, the hottest new releases, and exclusive exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobook every month, plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at £5.99. Audible be fascinated, be fascinating. Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy romantasy series. Become your friend group sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating all in one easy app. With plans now starting at $8.99, you'll get access to over 1 million million audiobooks and podcasts, including trending bestsellers, the hottest new releases and exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobook every month plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at $8.99. Audible be fascinated, be fascinating.
- [22:01]
Dan Rubenstein
Foreign It's February 1934, and Abe Saperstein is stomping his feet in disgust. Abe is standing on the home court of the Billings, Montana Golden Bobcats, where the Globetrotters just lost 3833 despite Runt Pullen's 17 point effort. It's not just that Abe hates losing. This particular loss puts a a serious dent in his latest plan. After the Trotters near riot in Minnesota last September, they faced a flood of cancellations. Coaches didn't want anything to do with a black squad who now had a reputation for violence. Fair or not, Abe knew it was nothing more than blatant racism. But when it comes to promoting a team, he also knows that perception is reality. So he set out to change the Globetrotter's reputation. First order of business was telling his team to double down on showmanship. His players learned to roll a basketball up and down their arms, to spin it on a finger. Abe also knew he had to find new fans and to make new first impressions. Soon the Globetrotters were off on their first west coast tour, where the players were each pulling in $40 a night, a massive haul in the middle of the Great Depression. The third order of business? Taking on their rival, the Harlem Renaissance, a team that was actually from Harlem. Abe is jealous of the Rens. They play on an immaculate casino ballroom floor in front of 10,000 fans. Every night after games, the Wrens sip champagne with New York's elite. The press love them. Sports writers call them America's best black basketball team while at the same time using racist language to poke fun of the Globetrotters. So Abe is trying to work the press and bait the Rens into a face off with the Globetrotters. That's why the loss today to the Bobcats has Abe frustrated. Abe's strategy depends on the team's perceived invincibility and now they've dropped a gimme in the middle of Nowheresville. Abe's also been mulling a fourth strategy, but he wasn't sure whether to pull the trigger. Tonight he decides it's been pulled for him. The team heads to the locker room, and there he addresses them. I blame myself for the loss. I let us become less of a professional team and more of a chummy rec league squad. Which is why going forward, you'll be paid a standard per game salary of $7.50. The players explode in frustration. This is definitely not good news, especially for Runt. He turns and points a finger at Abe and tells him, you want to dock my pay? I just scored over half the team's points. But Abe doesn't budge. Runt's had enough. He stashes his gym shoes, slings his bag over his shoulder and walks out. Three more players follow. When Abe turns back to the locker room, only one Globetrotter remains. Inman Jackson. The men stare at each other. For once, Abe senses it's better not to speak without making a peep. Inman packs up his gear and walks out as well. But then Abe finds himself surprised. Instead of taking off on his own, Inman heads to the Model T hearse in the parking lot. The center opens the door and crouches into his designated shotgun seat. Abe shakes his head in disbelief. The gentle giant never ceases to surprise him. It's March 1939. Inman Jackson shivers outside the front office of a motel, staring down the endless plains of North Dakota. The Globetrotters are on a winning streak, and his new teammates joke amongst each other, riding high after their latest victory. But they don't joke with Inman. Never with Inman. Abe exits the office and divvies up sets of keys to players two to a room, then heads for his. Inman follows, pretending not to hear the snickers from his teammates. It only took a week on the road before his teammates started hurling racist insults insults at Inman and calling him Abe's boy. Inman mostly ignores the insults the other players never saw. How Abe went straight back to Chicago and assembled a new team within a week after Runt and the others walked out. How Abe made sure to contact all the papers to say the new Globetrotters were better than ever. How he made sure to keep the show on the road. Most important, they don't know how Abe stuck up for Inman, even after he almost got Abe killed. Inman hasn't forgotten that Abe may be a jerk and a loudmouth, but at least he's not a racist, thinks Inman. Abe unlocks the door to the double twin bedroom. Inman follows him in and closes the door behind him. He sees Abe's eyes already racing down the page of the local newspaper. It's his post game routine. Finding an offending article comparing the Globetrotters to the Harlem Wrens. Jabbing his thumb at the paper and swearing. The phone then rings and Abe grabs the receiver. Yes, this is Abe Saperstein. Put them through. Thank you. Inman heads to the bathroom to wash his hands and give Abe some privacy. When he comes out, he finds Abe pacing Excitedly. He tells Inman that call was from the Hearst Publishing Company. They're throwing the very first World Professional Invitational Tournament and we're invited. Inman is flabbergasted. This is huge news. Finally, a chance to get the recognition the team deserves. Then Abe delivers the bombshell. Know who else is invited? The Harlem Wrens. It's Monday, March 27, 1939. The World Professional Invitational Tournament in Chicago. 8,000 fans pack the Colosseum to watch the long awaited showdown between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Harlem Renaissance. Abe mops his brow with his handkerchief. It's time for the Globetrotters to put up or shut up on the court. Inman and the rest of the squad shoot around. Abe's heart gallops inside his chest. He's never been this nervous. This is the defining moment of his life. Two days ago, he finally got to see the Rens play up close and personal in the opening round. They weren't good. They were damn near perfect. Now it's one minute to tip off between the Globetrotters and the best and most talented opponent they've ever faced. The Trotters jog off the court and circle around Abe. He gazes at each of the players with an intense stare. Men, I want you to play like your lives depend on it. Not your lives. Now the lives you want. Close your eyes. Dream big. Win tonight and I swear to you, I'll make those dreams come true. Inman leads the Globetrotters onto the court. The ref throws up the ball for tip off. Abe holds his breath and seemingly by the time he exhales, the Globetrotters are down 11, 2. With every basket, the Wrens score. Fans laugh. It's a familiar sound for the Globetrotters in unfamiliar circumstances. This time they're not staging a jokester basketball exhibition. This time they're the joke. When the second half begins, the Wrens extend their lead with four minutes remaining. They're up eight and The Globe Trotters and their fans seem deflated. But then it happens. The Globetrotters hit a long set shot, get a stop at the defensive end, then hit another. Suddenly, the lead is down to 4. 25, 21. The fans roar to life. The matchup between the Globetrotters and the Rens is finally living up to its billing. A knockdown drag out fight for basketball superiority. Less than a minute remains. The Rock gets passed inside to the Ren's center. Inman bodies up against him, making sure not to foul. They rise up simultaneously. Inman challenges him and the ball bricks off the rim for a Globetrotters rebound. Inman collects it and quickly wings an outlet pass. The Globetrotters push the tempo, feed it to the post and lay it up. It's a two point game now 25, 23. The Rennes inbound the ball and try to run out the clock. There are now 30 seconds left. Abe tears at his hair, screaming for somebody to do something, anything. Now 20 seconds. Inman closes in, nearly tipping a pass. But it leaves the Ren's big man, Tarzan Cooper wide open. He cuts down the lane, catches a pass and scores the easiest two points points of his career. 27, 23. Game over. Fans mob the floor, lifting the Rens players onto their shoulders as the hometown Globetrotters shuffle off the court in defeat. Abe slouches in shame. He knows tonight's loss is on him. In his quest to turn the Globetrotters into entertainers, he built a roster that couldn't compete at the highest level. Suddenly, he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see who else but Inman. The big man gives Abe a gentle squeeze. Inman isn't ditching his guy over one loss. He tells him. It's alright, Abe. We'll get him another day. Abe pats Inman's back and sets his jaw. True friendship's a fundamental good, Abe thinks to himself. Life, like basketball, always comes down to fundamentals. And Abe's fundamental rule has never steered him. If at first you don't succeed, bet twice as big. In our next episode, Abe and the Globetrotters once again face the Wrens. They also contribute to America's World War II effort. And they go toe to toe with the most famous white basketball team in the world. From Wondry, this is episode one of the Globetrotters versus the World for Sports Wars. If you like our show, please give us a five star rating and a review. And be sure to tell your friends. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Wondery app or wherever you're listening right now, join Wondery in the Wondery app to listen ad free. You'll also find some links and offers from our sponsors in the episode notes. Supporting them helps us keep offering our shows for free. Another way you can support the show is by filling out a small survey@wondery.com survey and tell us which sports stories you'd like to hear. A quick note about the recreations you've been hearing. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said. Those scenes are dramatizations, but they're based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about the Globetrotters versus the world, we recommend Spinning the Globe by Ben Green I'm your host Dan Rubenstein. I also co host the Solid Verbal College Football podcast, with new episodes dropping each week all year long. Brendan Joyce wrote this story. Edited by Sam Dingman Produced by Jerome Descalo, Gabe Goodwin, Jen Roman and Gabe Riven. Sound design by Jason Freeman. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman Marshall Louie and Hernan Lopez. For Wondery,
- [34:16]
Raza Jaffrey
I'm Raza Jaffrey. And in the new season of the Spy who, we tell the story of Dr. A Q Khan, the spy who sold nuclear secrets to Iran. He was the scientist spy who stole nuclear technology from the Netherlands and used them to give Pakistan a bomb. But he didn't stop there. He became a black market atomic salesman, the fix it man for rogue states seeking nuclear weapons, including Iran, Libya and North Korea. And that left the CIA and MI6 in a race against time to put him out of business before the world's most wayward regimes get hold of the world's most destructive weapons. Follow the Spy who Now wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also listen to the full season of the Spy who Sold Nuclear Secrets to Iran. Early ad free on audible
- [35:15]
Dan Rubenstein
what does it take to go racing in the fastest cars in the world? Oscar Piastri your head's trying to get roofed one way, your body's trying to go another. Let's stroll. It's very extreme in the sense of how close you're racing wheel to wheel. We've been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula One, McLaren and Aston Martin. I'm Landon Arts. They build a beautiful bit of machinery that I get to then go and have fun in. They open the doors to their factories as the 2024 season reached its peak. I'm Josh Hartnett. This is F1 back at base. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.