All Nations was a barnstorming professional baseball team that toured the Midwest from 1912 to 1918, and again in 1920 and 1921, and from 1923 to 1925. It derived its name from the fact that its team included players of several nationalities, including blacks and whites, Indians, Hawaiians, Japanese and Latin Americans. The team was founded by the Hopkins Brothers sporting goods stores. One day, however, the team's manager absconded with the daily gate proceeds. J. L. Wilkinson , who played for the team, replaced him as manager, later becoming owner as well. The team was based out of Kansas City and Des Moines .
51-472: Under the management of Wilkinson, the All Nations' approach to the game was more serious than that of many teams who followed Abe Saperstein 's farcical approach. They did however provide additional entertainment for their audiences, including having a dance band to play before the games and wrestlers like Ben Reeves to perform after their games. Wilkinson transported the team from location to location in
102-427: A $ 25,000 Pullman car , which also held portable bleachers which would be set up for the game. He did not pay for rooms for his players, however, instead having them sleep the night before the game in tents they brought with them on the field on which they would play. Under Wilkinson, the team became "strong enough to give any major league club a nip and tuck battle", according to Sporting Life . It went 3-1 against
153-654: A 1926 game, for example, Saperstein substituted into the game, prompting the Winona (Minnesota) News to report: "Four clean-limbed young colored men and a squat bandy-legged chap of Jewish extraction ... styled the Harlem Globetrotters, beat the Arcadia Military police ... 29 to 18." During the early seasons, the Globetrotters needed to play every night just to make ends meet, because the team often netted less than $ 50
204-635: A 22-foot line in the corners. "It made for interesting possibilities," he wrote. After the ABL shut down in 1963, the American Basketball Association made the three-pointer a central part of its image, creating enough competition for the NBA that the two leagues merged in 1976. The NBA adopted the 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) shot in 1979. In 1994, it was moved to 22 feet, then changed back three seasons later, where it has stayed ever since. Saperstein
255-568: A board of seven (7) non-salaried Commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor of the City of Chicago with the approval of the Chicago City Council. In the 1860s, Chicago already had about 40 small parks, but no central plan, and it fell far short when compared to other major cities in the country. Lincoln Park was Chicago's first large park, created in 1860. Dr. John H. Rauch MD , who was a member of
306-512: A minor league club for the Globetrotters. He also booked games for the Hong Wah Kues , a basketball team of Chinese Americans from San Francisco. Started in 1939 with six players, the Hong Wah Kues became known for their speed and quick passing. They played the Harlem Globetrotters once, and lost. In a time of racial segregation and bigotry in professional sports, Saperstein proudly showcased
357-524: A night. Accommodations on the road were sparse and hotels often would not allow blacks. On one occasion, when the players could not find a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa , they sneaked up the fire escape and slept in Saperstein's room. Saperstein was relentless in booking games; in the team's first seven years, the Globetrotters played more than 1,000 games, with Saperstein driving the players to tiny towns throughout
408-655: A shock to the Globetrotters. The team's star, Meadowlark Lemon, was on the road in Charlotte, North Carolina at the time. "My mouth went dry," Lemon said. "The boys cried. I had to force myself to be funny. I did it only because Abe would have wanted the show to go on." Saperstein is buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois , near Chicago. The first biography of Abe Saperstein, Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up
459-651: A team in California. That hope was dashed when the NBA approved the move of the Lakers from Minneapolis to L.A. Saperstein was also denied ownership of the Warriors when the team moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Saperstein started the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1961 and served as its commissioner, as well as owner of the league's Chicago Majors team. To differentiate
510-601: Is German for "tailor". After buying the business from the owner several years later, Louis dropped the façade and changed the name of the store to Louis Saperstein's Tailor Shop. At age 10, Saperstein discovered a lifelong love of sports, playing basketball at the Wilson Avenue YMCA and second base for a parochial school team, though he attended the public Ravenswood Elementary School. At Lake View High School , he played nine different sports, including baseball , basketball , football, boxing, and track . Saperstein attended
561-594: Is its shortest male member. In 1979, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and 2005 was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame . Saperstein was born in the East End of London , England , to a Jewish family originally from Łomża , Poland . His family moved from London to Chicago in 1907, when Abe was five years old. They settled just north of
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#1732850980489612-588: Is survived by his two sons, Adam and Lanier Saperstein, and his daughter Sara Chana (Simone) Silverstein . They all live in the New York area. Lanier is a partner in the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP . Eloise established a non-profit organization, the Abe Saperstein Foundation, designed to advance opportunities through sports for Chicago's youth, and she also was the first woman ever certified as an NBA player representative. She died on July 15, 2018, at
663-549: Is the largest municipal lifeguard force in the world and is regularly observed by representatives from Japan, Australia, Ireland, Germany, California, Florida and other locales. The Service also covers more waterfront than any other individual lifeguard force in the world; Chicago beaches cover over 26 miles of the lakefront. The 58,100-square-foot (5,400 m ) headquarters is in Park 596 in Brighton Park . Its previous headquarters
714-677: The Chicago Board of Health and later a president of the Illinois State Board of Health , played a key role in establishing Lincoln Park by persuading city officials to close several festering cemeteries filled with shallow graves of victims of infectious epidemics. Rauch next formulated a central plan for parks across the entire city, noting that they were "the lungs of the city", and pointing out that Chicago's parks were inferior to those in New York's Central Park , Baltimore's Druid Hill Park , and Philadelphia's Fairmount Park . His influence
765-604: The Cleveland Indians in the late 1940s, he hired Saperstein as his chief scout for African-American players. At Saperstein's suggestion, Veeck eventually signed Luke Easter , Minnie Minoso , Suitcase Simpson , Satchel Paige , and Larry Doby , the American League 's first black player. Saperstein also founded the white New York Nationals baseball team and the Boston Brownskins , a basketball team that served as
816-569: The Indianapolis ABC's in 1916 and splitting a series with the Chicago American Giants . The team encountered difficulties during World War I , when it found most of its better players were drafted, and was finally disbanded in 1918. Pitcher John Donaldson managed the All Nations from 1923 to 1924. The All Nations were still owned by J.L. Wilkinson and was used as a traveling team that trained inexperienced players and found talent in
867-707: The Lincoln Park Conservatory . The Chicago Park District's seven Commissioners govern the district. Under the Chicago Park District code, the Commissioners have a fiduciary duty to act, vote on all matters, and govern the Park District in the best interest of the Park District. The Commissioners appoint the General Superintendent & Chief Executive Officer. On May 11, 2022, Rosa Escareño
918-625: The University of Illinois , but dropped out to help support his family. He decided not to follow his father into tailoring. Instead, his dream was to pursue a career in sports, though he realized that his athletic abilities and height were not going to take him far. Saperstein eventually landed a position working for the Chicago Park District as a playground supervisor at Welles Park, on Chicago's North Side . There, after hours of watching kids play basketball, he decided to create his own team,
969-445: The ABL from the NBA – and to promote the new league – Saperstein introduced several innovations that have endured as features of modern basketball. He widened the free throw lane to 18 feet (from 12) and created the three-point shot . As commissioner of the short-lived ABL, Saperstein wanted a way to add excitement to the game and provide players with additional challenges. He hoped the three-pointer would become basketball's equivalent of
1020-668: The Chicago Reds. The Chicago Reds were a semi-pro lightweight (135 lb limit) basketball team, and Saperstein played point guard. As player, manager, and coach of the Chicago Reds, Saperstein met Walter Thomas Ball, a legendary baseball player in the Negro leagues , who had a black baseball team he wanted to send on tour in Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He hired Saperstein as his booking agent. Saperstein went on to become booking agent for several basketball teams as well, until branching out in
1071-477: The Globetrotters defeated the Minneapolis Lakers, the best team in the all-white NBA, a league that had been formed two years earlier. The star of the Lakers was six-foot-ten George Mikan , nicknamed "Mr. Basketball." Despite the Lakers' significant height advantage and the team's billing as the best basketball team in the country, the underdog Globetrotters won the game 61–59, thanks to a dramatic long shot at
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#17328509804891122-636: The Globetrotters from an unknown team touring small farm towns in the Midwestern United States during the height of the Great Depression to a powerhouse that went on to beat the best team in the all-white National Basketball Association . He also introduced the three-point shot , which went on to become a mainstay of modern basketball. Saperstein was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and, at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m),
1173-563: The Globetrotters, The Harlem Globetrotters (1951) and Go, Man, Go (1954), the latter starring Dane Clark and Sidney Poitier . Several documentaries have also told the Globetrotters' story, including The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World (2005), which featured Geese Ausbie , Larry Brown and Bill Bradley . Saperstein had ambitions of owning a team in the National Basketball Association and hoped to start
1224-659: The Globetrotters. In the early years, Saperstein's then-teenage brother Harry worked as a typist and secretary, sending out press releases and game schedules. His sister Fay, the youngest sibling, helped Abe with paperwork for years and ran the New York office in the 1950s. After Abe's death in March 1966, his brother Morry Saperstein assisted in running the business before it was sold to a group of Chicago businessmen for $ 3.7 million and eventually moved from Chicago to New York City. On May 6, 1934, Saperstein married Sylvia Franklin from Chicago. They had two children, Jerry and Eloise. Jerry ran
1275-537: The Midwest in his unheated Ford Model T . From early on, the Globetrotters blended basketball with showmanship and ball-handling wizardry, but they were also extremely talented basketball players, winning most of their games. In 1940, the Globetrotters beat the legendary black basketball team, the New York Renaissance . An even bigger achievement came a few years later in the 1948 Globetrotters–Lakers game , when
1326-555: The Midwest. Abe Saperstein Abraham Michael Saperstein ( Yiddish : אברהם מיכאל סאפערשטיין ; July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters . Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated. Saperstein revolutionized the game of basketball and took
1377-711: The World of Sports, by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob, was published in October of 2024. Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States . As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, 10 boat docking harbors, two botanic conservatories, a zoo, 11 museums, and one stadium. The Chicago Park District also has more than over 230 field houses, 78 public pools, and dozens of sports and recreational facilities, with year-round programming. It also owns and operates
1428-632: The age of 81. Eloise is survived by her three children, Lonni, Avi and Abra, who live in the Chicago area. Saperstein was a tireless worker, taking off just one day a year, Yom Kippur . He continued to work right up until his death from a heart attack in March 1966. "He had more energy than the Grand Coulee Dam," wrote Chuck Menville in The Harlem Globetrotters: An Illustrated History . The news of Saperstein's death came as
1479-433: The buzzer by Globetrotter Ermer Robinson . Afterward, in the locker room, the players hoisted Saperstein triumphantly on their shoulders. The Globetrotters-Lakers game had taken place amid a sharp racial divide in sports. Many fans and team owners believed that black athletes were not coachable or intelligent enough to learn complicated plays, and lacked the competitive fire necessary for premier athletes. The victory, which
1530-483: The city limits. A number of these are tourist destinations, most notably Lincoln Park , Chicago's largest park which has over 20 million visitors each year, second only to Central Park in New York City . With 10 lakefront harbors located within a number of parks along the lakefront, the Chicago Park District is also the nation's largest municipal harbor system. A number of Chicago Park District parks are located in
1581-452: The city's Jewish area, often called the “Poor Jews' quarter” because of the many struggling immigrants living there. Saperstein's father, Louis, who had been an apprentice tailor in Poland, saw an ad for a tailor on Chicago's North Side in a predominantly German, Irish, and Swedish neighborhood. The ad warned “No Jews allowed” so Louis changed his surname to the more German-sounding Schneider, which
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1632-612: The city, and created a lakefront concert venue on Northerly Island on the site of the former Meigs Field airport. In 2014, the district won the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation . Park District land hosts 11 museums in locations around the city. They are: In addition, the district's parks host the free admission Lincoln Park zoological park, the Garfield Park Conservatory , and
1683-437: The contrary, they were shown as superior…they were able to turn science into an art form." Meadowlark Lemon , who played with the Globetrotters from 1954 until 1979, also came to the Globetrotters's defense, saying that the team had "done more for the perception of black people, and the perception of America, than almost anything you could think of." Saperstein was the eldest of nine children, several of whom were involved with
1734-613: The first black NBA players also were Globetrotters – Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and Hank DeZonie . Also in 1950, the Globetrotters played their first game in Madison Square Garden , marking the first time the venue sold out for a basketball game. Following these successes, interest in the Globetrotters grew and Saperstein created two more teams in the United States, as well as an international squad. The Globetrotters have now played in more than 123 countries and territories across
1785-481: The home run. "We must have a weapon," Saperstein said, "and this is ours." To determine the distance the new shot line should be from the basket, Abe Saperstein and longtime DePaul University coach Ray Meyer went onto a court one day with tape and selected 25 feet as the right length. "They just arbitrarily drew lines," his son Jerry Saperstein said. "There's really no scientific basis. Just two Hall of Fame coaches getting together and saying: 'Where would we like to see
1836-595: The international unit of the Globetrotters in the 1960s, founded the New York Sets , a charter franchise of World Team Tennis, and owned the San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Hockey League. He then served as the first vice president at Madison Square Garden Corporation, reporting directly to the then-Chairman Sonny Werblin . Jerry died on November 16, 2021, two days after his 81st birthday. Jerry
1887-740: The lakefront stadium, Soldier Field , which the Chicago Bears and Chicago Fire FC lease. The district is an independent taxing authority as defined by Illinois State Statute and is considered a separate (or "sister") agency of the City of Chicago . The district's headquarters are located in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. The Chicago Park District oversees more than 600 parks with over 8,800 acres (3,600 ha) of municipal parkland as well as 27 beaches , 78 pools, 11 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons and 10 bird and wildlife gardens that are found within
1938-654: The late 1920s to form his own team with some of the members of the Savoy Big Five. He called the team the New York Harlem Globetrotters. Although Saperstein's team had nothing to do with Harlem (they wouldn't play there until 1968), he chose the name to indicate that the players were black, as Harlem was the epicenter of African-American culture. Many of the towns where the Globetrotters played in their first few years were all white, and Saperstein did not want other teams or spectators to be surprised that his team
1989-579: The late 1960s, the district lent its support for a Special Olympics for developmental challenged children. The Park District co-sponsored the first Special Olympics at Soldier Field in 1968. In the past several years, the Park District has initiated a program of renovating and beautifying existing parks and playgrounds, as well as initiating the building of a number of new parks, including Ping Tom Memorial Park , Ellis Park , DuSable Park , Maggie Daley Park and others. The Chicago Park District has also expanded programming in neighborhood parks throughout
2040-483: The line?'" Not long after, in June 1961, Saperstein was traveling when the other seven ABL owners voted, 4–3, to officially shorten the line to 22 feet. Saperstein, who had significant power in the league as owner of the popular Globetrotters, disagreed with this and simply ignored the ruling. Games continued with the 25-foot shot. Saperstein eventually acknowledged there was one problem with the 25-foot arc and solved it by adding
2091-446: The planet. Even after the NBA integrated, top black players continued to play for the Globetrotters. In 1958, Wilt Chamberlain joined the Globetrotters for a year before going to the NBA and becoming its most dominant player. In a 1999 interview, Wilt Chamberlain said, "The fraternity of the Globetrotters was one of the most rewarding times of my life. I almost did not go into the NBA." Two feature-length movies have been made about
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2142-508: The prejudice of hotel owners, they continued to be housed in "colored" hotels in black neighborhoods, while players on Saperstein's white teams supposedly stayed in first-class hotels. There was also discontent among some Globetrotters that Saperstein reportedly paid white players on his other teams higher salaries. Others criticized the Globetrotters for their on-court antics, saying they played into racial stereotypes. In 1978, however, Jesse Jackson said: "They did not show blacks as stupid. On
2193-515: The talents of the nation's best black basketball players. Four years after the all-white National Basketball Association (originally called the Basketball Association of America) was formed, black players were finally allowed into the league. As the integrated NBA became recognized as the country's highest level of basketball, Saperstein focused the Globetrotters on entertainment, creating a popular act that played to audiences worldwide. In
2244-449: The team into the racially charged atmosphere of Berlin, Owens and the Globetrotters were greeted by 75,000 cheering fans. The mayor of Berlin greeted Owens and famously said, "In 1936, Hitler refused to shake your hand. Today, I give you both of mine." As the movement for civil rights progressed, some alleged that Saperstein did not do enough to advance the equality of his black players. In the 50s and 60s, some players resented that, due to
2295-402: The vicinity of or even adjacent to a number of Chicago Public Schools . This design was done in order to make it easier for public school students and faculty to incorporate school assignments or physical activities into the learning experience. Additionally, a number of Chicago Public Library locations are sited within Chicago Park District facilities. The Chicago Park District is governed by
2346-451: The years following World War II, the Globetrotters embarked on a “goodwill tour.” Among the more memorable of those games took place in Berlin's Olympic Stadium and featured Jesse Owens, who was traveling with the team. Owens returned to the stadium where he had won four gold medals 15 years earlier, after which Hitler famously refused to shake his hand. Although Saperstein worried about bringing
2397-755: Was a leading figure in the black baseball leagues. At various times, he owned the Chicago Brown Bombers , the Birmingham Black Barons , and the Cincinnati Crescents baseball teams. He also created several new leagues, including the Negro Midwest League and, in partnership with Olympic track and field star Jesse Owens , the West Coast Negro Baseball League . When Saperstein's friend Bill Veeck took ownership of
2448-476: Was appointed to the position. The Chicago Lifeguard Service, or the Chicago Park District Beaches and Pools Unit, employs over 1000 as aquatics staff during the summer and 300 year round to protect the lives of patrons. Lifeguards are stationed at 23 beaches on Lake Michigan plus one inland beach, as well as, 26 indoor and 51 outdoor pools at city parks and 15 pools in public schools. The Service
2499-511: Was black. The Globetrotters played their first game in Hinckley, Illinois . The team netted a grand total of $ 8, which was split evenly among the six members of the team, including Saperstein. Over the next several years, in the midst of the Great Depression, Saperstein served as the team's coach, driver, booking agent, PR director, and occasional substitute player. When a player was injured in
2550-475: Was just shy of the Globetrotters' 3,000th victory in 21 seasons, proved that none of this was true and that African-American players had the skill and ability to play in the professional leagues. In 1950, within two years of the Globetrotters-Lakers' game, the NBA integrated. Chuck Cooper , who had been a Globetrotter briefly, became the first black player to sign a contract with the NBA. Another two of
2601-700: Was key in setting up Chicago's modern park system. The current Chicago Park District was created in 1934 by the Illinois Legislature under the Park Consolidation Act (70 ILCS 1505 et seq). By provisions of that act, the Chicago Park District consolidated and superseded the then-existing 22 separate park districts in Chicago , the largest three of which were the Lincoln Park, West Park, and South Park Districts, all of which had been established in 1869. In
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