http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/harlem-globetrotters-spinning-globe-tour/story.aspx?guid={664501D0-2B0E-44EB-8C26-0A3A684D1DEE}&dist=msr_4The World Famous Harlem Globetrotters continue to shatter box office records on their sensational 2009 "Spinning the Globe" World Tour, as the tour has set 29 new box office marks through its first eight weeks.
Al Pacino, Billy Crystal, Neal McDonough, Martin Lawrence, chef Gordon Ramsay, and radio personality Adam Carolla were among the celebrities enjoying the family fun at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Feb. 15, as the team set an all-time Globetrotters' record for the highest number of single-game paid tickets for any and all shows in the historic 83 years of the Globetrotters franchise.
Other entertainment and sports icons took in the Globetrotters during the record-breaking President's Day Weekend, including David Duchovny and Harry Connick, Jr. at Madison Square Garden, Jon Bon Jovi and New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, and Vivica Fox and Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton at the Globetrotters' first ever show at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
The tour, which tipped off December 26, has also set records in Chicago, Anaheim (Calif.), Oakland (Calif.), San Jose (Calif.), Houston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Kansas City (Mo.), Cincinnati, Oklahoma City, Austin (Texas), New Orleans, Little Rock (Ark.), Tulsa (Okla.), Lexington (Ky.), Rochester (N.Y.), Syracuse (N.Y.), Bossier City (La.), Waco (Texas), Baton Rouge (La.), Moline (Ill.), Youngstown (Ohio), Monroe (La.), Beaumont (Texas), Lake Charles (La.), Bethlehem (Pa.) and Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario).
The Globetrotters are showing their appreciation to these markets by awarding the venues specially embossed "money balls," displaying the venue and date of their record-breaking Globetrotters show. The team will continue to award "money balls" to other venues that have record-breaking Globetrotter performances through the conclusion of the North American Tour in April.
"We are extremely excited that so many people across the continent are coming to witness the magic of the Harlem Globetrotters and our unrivaled brand of affordable family entertainment," stated Michael Kenney, the Globetrotters' senior vice president, live event marketing. "We truly believe that a Globetrotters show is an 'unskippable' event that families will be talking about for years to come, and a tradition that will be passed on from generation to generation."
Sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, IHOP, Spalding, and America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, the Harlem Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining over 128 million fans. For the latest information about the Globetrotters, including where to catch them on their 2009 "Spinning the Globe" World Tour, visit the team's official Web site:
www.harlemglobetrotters.com.
SOURCE: Harlem Globetrotters
