Tucker Cole
For the third year in a row, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will bring their unique, entertainment-focused brand of basketball to the University of West Georgia’s Coliseum in December. Tickets are now available and on sale since Oct. 6.
The Globetrotters have performed in over 124 countries and territories across six continents since 1926. According to Matt Cooke — assistant athletic director for Events, Marketing, and Media Services — this will be the fifth time that the Globetrotters have performed at the Coliseum in its full history, and there are several reasons why the group has begun to consistently choose this local venue.
“The Coliseum is a great location. It’s the largest facility between Birmingham and Atlanta. It’s really, really accessible to a lot of people,” Cooke said. “I think there’s four-hundred thousand people they can pull from within the Carroll County area.”
Cooke said they have had positive feedback from the Globetrotters about the venue in the past.
“It’s really well laid out for them to be able to bring all of their equipment,” Cooke said of the Coliseum. “They enjoy coming to Carrollton. Carrollton is a very strong economic area and a place where there’s a lot of people with a lot of money to spend, and, I mean, that’s the name of the game for the Globetrotters.”
Cooke said UWG does not stand to make any profit from the event outside of renting out the facility, but nonetheless, the partnership is mutually beneficial.
“They’re wanting to sell tickets, and we want to help them sell tickets, so it’s a great partnership,” said Cooke.
Cooke was especially excited for the Globetrotters to return to UWG this year because of his personal experience seeing the group when he was younger.
“I grew up in North Carolina, and my mother was in charge of events at the Smith Center at the University of North Carolina. I actually got to see the Globetrotters there when I was a kid,” said Cooke. “When you’ve grown up with that and you’ve seen how they’ve been over the years, it’s just so cool to have them in your facility.”
The Globetrotters have several different teams that they take on their tours, but UWG will get to see the number-one squad this December. Each Globetrotter has an iconic nickname they are referred to as, and team members coming to UWG include Hammer, TNT, Bulldog, Cheese, Torch, Hot Shot, Jet, Wham and Thunder.
Along with the overall spectacle of having the Harlem Globetrotters in Carrollton, there will also be several new features added to their visit, one of which is a newly added halftime skills showcase that will allow fans to go out on the court and show some of their own basketball prowess.
The Globetrotters have also newly partnered with basketball manufacturer Spalding, and starting this December, Spalding will be joining the team at every arena destination. This means fans will have the opportunity to take home an official Spalding Harlem Globetrotters basketball or the newly designed Harlem Globetrotters Marble Series ball on game day.
The Globetrotters will make their way to Carrollton for their show on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event are still currently available as of Oct. 15.
Those interested in purchasing tickets for the event may go to harlemglobetrotters.com.