Chicken and I are the least sporty of the non-sporty people. We do not play them, we do not watch them. Unless it’s the Portland Timbers. They are a special exception. But as a general rule, sports are a no-go. Nugget, on the other hand, is all in. He loves all things sporty and can’t get enough. Dad is a pretty big fan, too.
When I heard the Globetrotters were coming to town, up came vague memories of seeing them as a child. I couldn’t remember much, but I remember thinking they were funny and that I enjoyed going. So I decided this could potentially be a fun family outing- sporty enough for the boys, entertaining enough for the girls.
After showing our proof of vaccination and scanning our tickets, we were in. Music played while we waited for the game to start, and we soon learned that the music was played by the team’s first female DJ. An MC worked the crowd as game time approached, engaging us in cheers, the wave, and generally keeping us amused.
After the teams were introduced and players had a chance to show off some of their best skills, the game officially started. One player had a mic and told jokes as the team played, flirted with audience members, even proposing marriage to one special lady, teased the ref, and kept things fun and moving. The team’s famous passing skills were showcased several times, and it was pretty impressive. Players did backflips, tricked the other team into running off the court, climbed up on top of the hoop, gave the ref a wedgie, and made the entire experience really fun.
Nugget, who takes his sports very seriously, was initially flustered. He leaned over and said “That guy keeps getting distracted! They need to sub him out!” I tried to explain that it was part of the show, but he wasn’t buying it. By the second quarter, he said “Is this scripted? I feel like it’s scripted. Why would you want to see a game that is scripted?” By the end of the half he had given up expecting an NBA style game and was laughing along with the rest of us. Chicken bought in immediately, and especially loved that there was a woman on the team.
The quarters were 10 minutes each, and there was a brief halftime. With the pauses due to the silliness of the game, Globie the mascot doing his thing, granny interrupting to give the players hand sanitizer, and videos about the history of the team and legendary players, the game lasted about an hour and a half.
The entire atmosphere was very family friendly. The merchandise store was feet from the court, and children were encouraged to play in the space behind the basket. Both adults and kids were pulled from the audience to participate in various antics and were given merchandise and other rewards for their efforts.
After the game was over, people were invited to come down and get free autographs. Nugget had purchased a basketball with his own money, and he excitedly made the rounds and got the autograph of every single player on his new ball. He even got the autographs of the DJ and the granny!
What it’s not: a serious NBA style game, inexpensive
What it is: fun, silly, entertaining, full of talented players, as much ‘show’ as game, very family friendly, engaging
Do we recommend it? Yes! We all had a great time and would definitely go back
You can check out the tour schedule here, and tickets are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.
Adventures with Chicken and Nugget 