originally posted on Metroblogging Chicago

I took my little crew out into the blizzard to see the Harlem Globetrotters at the United Center Saturday. My roommate, foolishly, bet me $5 on the New York Nationals (I even gave him 12 points -- the Globetrotters won by 20 or so points). They didn't do any of their super-crazy stunts (no ladders or trampolines this tour) but tons of antics and Kenyan dancers and high school drum and choral groups at half-time.

When I got back to the office on Monday one of my co-workers asked, "aren't the Globetrotters from Chicago?" What? Duh -- they're from Harlem.

Well, actually, the Globetrotters are from Chicago. The team was founded in Chicago in 1926 (by a short Jewish guy from the North Side) and was based here until 1976 (now they're headquartered in Arizona). (And WTTW has a history-geek-fascinating account of discovering a minor inaccuracy in the official Globetrotter history.)