Globetrotter

Mark Jacob is the co-author of eleven books about sports, history, and photography. He is the former metro editor of the Chicago Tribune and created the newspaper’s popular “10 Things You Might Not Know” history feature. Jacob’s articles have been published in Library Quarterly, Chicago Reader, Chicago magazine and Chicago History magazine. He is a former adjunct professor at Northwestern University.Matthew Jacob is the co-author of What the Great Ate: A Curious History of Food and Fame with his brother Mark. He started his career as a journalist, working as a sportswriter and city council reporter, receiving awards from the Arkansas Press Association. Jacob is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and has written for such outlets as the Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today.

• ForewordIntroductionChapter 1: The DisruptorChapter 2: The ImmigrantChapter 3: The EntrepreneurChapter 4: The BarnstormerChapter 5: The BossChapter 6: The Baseball PromoterChapter 7: The ChampionChapter 8: The GroundbreakerChapter 9: The People PersonChapter 10: The Team PlayerChapter 11: The ShowmanChapter 12: The Frequent FlyerChapter 13: The DiplomatChapter 14: The CommissionerChapter 15: The InnovatorChapter 16: The Perpetual Motion Machine EpilogueAcknowledgementsPhoto CreditsEndnotesBibliographyIndexAbout the Authors

The life of Abe Saperstein is a study of contradictions. Standing five feet, three inches tall, the energetic but diminutive promoter and booking agent founded the Harlem Globetrotters in the late 1920s and barnstormed through the country showcasing his all-Black basketball team, often against white opponents. He was an advocate for the promotion of Black ball players and deemed a racist for exploiting his players by having them perform humorous routines on the court. Saperstein's influence didn't stop with basketball; he was integral to the integration of Black players into major-league baseball, and his Globetrotters were sometimes funded by the State Department to promote U.S. relations abroad during the Cold War. Meticulously researched and written in an easy and entertaining style, Globetrotter provides a lively and honest look at Saperstein's life. Readers will be amazed at the all-star names that he represented or worked with: Wilt Chamberlain, Satchel Paige, and Jesse Owens, to name a few. Even his failed stint as the commissioner of the short-lived American Basketball League (1961–2) left an indelible mark on modern basketball. When Caitlin Clark or Steph Curry launch shots from beyond the three-point line, they can thank Abe Saperstein for introducing it to professional basketball.