Insert Whistling Here

The Harlem Globetrotters are a franchise in crisis. Not since the Globetrotters’ disastrous first-half performance against a team of robots on Gilligan’s Island have Harlem’s favorites been in such disarray. After an 8,829-game winning streak compiled against the Boston Shamrocks, the New Jersey Reds and the Washington Generals, the Globetrotters have fallen on hard times, losing two games in the course of the past six years. The Globetrotters attempt to reverse their struggles in their annual series in Kansas City, today through Sunday at the Sprint Center (1407 Grand). Their hometown fans have voiced displeasure, albeit from a distance, because the team never plays a home game. Though some have described the Globetrotters’ recent struggles as a sign of increased parity in exhibition basketball, some traditionalists bemoan the new generation’s disinterest in the fundamentals of the weave offense and the proper technique of throwing confetti at referees. Tickets cost $15 to $121. Call 816-931-3330.

Harlem Globetrotters

Thu., Jan. 3, 7 p.m., 2008