Sports, comedy mesh at Rotary fundraiser

Improv comedy and athletics collided Friday evening at Maricopa High School in a basketball game fundraiser featuring the Harlem Ambassadors, a comedy sketch basketball team similar to the Harlem Globetrotters.

The team traveled to Maricopa to put on a show and raise money for the Maricopa Rotary Club.

Full of high jinks, insults and b-ball skills, the show mixed the feel of basketball with the showmanship of professional wrestling.  Sometimes the two came together.

“That is a terrible call; I still have the belt,” said Lady Majic, captain of the Harlem Ambassadors after body-slamming a member of the Copa Crew, an opposing team made up of Maricopa  community members.

Maricopa players were frisked, tackled and danced on throughout the duration of the game. Combined with staged events for the kids between quarters, such as a competition of musical chairs, the show had the 350 attendees roaring.

This marked the second year in a row the Maricopa Rotary Club put on the event.

“They brought it on last year as a fundraiser and it worked well. So this is a second year,” said Mirisue Galindo, the club’s social media director. “Anything we get goes toward scholarships we give away in the community.”

The club awards scholarships to middle school and high school students each year. The event was held to raise funds for future scholarships. 

To see photos from the event, click "View Gallery" under the photo above. 

Because of an editing error, the following article has been updated.