The Original Harlem Globetrotters Kick off March Madness on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Whether you are a sports fan or not, the arrival of March means spring is near and basketball binging will begin. Watching March Madness events surrounding the single-elimination Division I college basketball tournaments performed each spring are a rite a of passage for many. The main tournaments involved are the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. Nashville, Tennessee is the host city for 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four.

During the month of March, Living Your Best Life will go behind the scenes to hear from several who worked tirelessly to bring the NCAA 2014 Final Four tournament to Nashville, women who are trailblazers in sports, the origin of Title IX and those who have played collegiate and professional basketball.

On Saturday, March 8, 2013 tune in to hear from Mark Johnson, the son of  Andy Johnson, an original Harlem Globetrotter and NBA player. Hear him share how his father and the Original Globetrotters, were U.S. Ambassadors who traveled the world promoting American pride and patriotism. Hear him tell how their lives as Ambassadors contrasted drastically with their lives in the U.S. where segregation and discrimination were the laws of the land, off the courts, and in the locker rooms.

Joining Mark Johnson will members of the Original Harlem Globetrotters team, Carl Green and Bob Showboat, who will share their HIStory as they give us a glimpse into the world of sports from the past and the similarities found in the business of sports today.

This show will give you a piece of American History that is often left out of history.

 Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, on streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About the The Andy Johnson Harlem Globetrotter-NBA Story

 The Andy Johnson Story is filled with extraordinary tales from behind the scenes of the early Original Harlem Globetrotters.  It is loaded with a wealth of historical information never disclosed regarding the slow, quota-based inception of African American athletes in the NBA. This book clarifies the role of the Original Harlem Globetrotters which made the NBA the multi-billion dollar organization it is today.

It is also a fascinating and inspirational story that weaves the heart-wrenching account of a young boy who became a man through the lessons of basketball. He grew up watching his family working in the cotton fields of Louisiana to playing basketball in the streets of Hollywood in his bare feet. His education was under-valued in high school.  He was considered a basketball star only. By the time a major university recruited him, his hopes for a decent education were lost, as well as the opportunity to receive a college degree. Special interest individuals and corporations saw this as an opportunity to put him in the “professional basketball auction block” where he had no ability to negotiate his contract, pay, or where he would play. These unfortunate events occurred three times in his professional career. However, Andy Johnson turned every devastating event into an opportunity by staying positive in the game of life.