There are a vast number of American sports fans who despise change. They see their sports as perfect, unwilling to accept that their mortal limits have provided them only with an “era” of the game that is the purest to them.
Hank Aaron fans can’t accept Barry Bonds. Canadians can’t believe Florida has a hockey team. Basketball has the Jordan/LeBron debate.
But one thing has been true throughout the major American team sports: Expansion teams coming into fruition every so often, in an attempt to keep America interested.
The NBA may soon be the benefactor of a new franchise if the Harlem Globetrotters get their way.
As the NBA considers expansion, the Harlem Globetrotters are asking to be made an NBA franchise.
In an open letter to commissioner Adam Silver, the Globetrotters explained their historical significance to the sport of basketball and said that “if you really believe what you’ve been saying about social justice, going back to ‘normal’ needs to look different.
“You can’t just act like we don’t exist anymore. It’s time to right the wrongs and rewrite history. It’s time for the NBA to honor what the Globetrotters have done for OUR sport, both here in the U.S. and around the globe,” the letter read. “Based on what we’ve already proven, we can field a team of talent on par with the pros of today, and we want the chance to do that. As a world renowned and legendary professional basketball team, we petition Commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA governors and the powers that be to grant The Original Harlem Globetrotters an NBA franchise. Not now, but right now!”
But sports fans shouldn’t hold their breath: The league hasn’t had an expansion since 2004 and doesn’t appear in a hurry to change that.
