Why Philadelphia Lost the Athletics

Connie Mack's decline, low attendance and infighting among the Mack Family cause Philadelphia to lose the Athletics at the end of the 1954 season.
I have since revisited this subject, telling the full story of the rise, and then fall of the Philadelphia Athletics. To see that video, please click here: • The Rise and Fall of t...
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[@John-pm1hk]

The A;s are still the winningist franchise in Philadelphia history, and they left town in 1954.

[@MrDan708]

Yep, they won five WS titles, one more than the Eagles' total of NFL titles.

[@jameshudson169]

that's hard to imagine. the A's have won more games than the phillies even after all these years.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@jameshudson169 cheap ownership will do that to you.

[@JenDoe1]

Very interesting...the video and the comments. My Dad, Lou Brissie, pitched for Mr. Mack from '47-'51, after returning from WW2 with his left leg injured, shin bone broken into 30 pieces, before he went to pitch at Cleveland. Despite having to wear a shin guard, he was one of only a few pitchers to strike Ted Williams out twice in one game - 2 different times. He always told me that Mr. Mack took a nap every afternoon like clockwork. I was never aware of the strife in the Mack family (which is sad) but it does make sense....with all of the children they were bound to have different ideas. I will say regarding Mr. Mack that from my Dad's mouth, he was an upstanding man who really cared about his players. The stories my Dad has told me are amazing. There are so many 'baseball historians' out there but many only know of what they've read, which will typically be biased in some form as it is journalism. My Grandfather's dream was for my Dad to play for Mr. Mack, so my Dad gave up a $20k bonus to play for the Dodgers as well as the Yankees in order to play with the Athletics. Rest in Peace, Dad. Anyways, just going down memory lane this evening and wanted to leave a comment. Thanks for the upload! PS - I sure do wish the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society hadn't closed!! A very sad day, especially for the hardcore fans and the families of the players.

[@robbybonfire9944]

I regret the closing of the A's Historical Society, too. I always wanted to meet Bobby Shantz but never got to, living on the west coast for too many years to get back home. I also never met Chuck Bednarik. To have had the opportunity to shake hands with Bobby and Chuck would have been the deeply moving highlight of my lifetime sports fandom.

[@hamishmcdog48]

Wow, sure would have been fun to chat with your father as I love baseball history. I saw this today after pulling from a baseball game card pack an Unsung Hero Lou Brissie. I'd never heard of the fellow until now but I plan to learn more.

[@jessemossberg8108]

Your dad was a part of Mr. Mack’s “last hurrah,” his winning clubs of the late ‘40s. Not quite enough to overcome the hated Yankees or pitching-rich Cleveland, but still good, fun baseball. Great comment. Thank you!

[@Playbyplaymedia]

What a window on history with his own participation your father had! Thanks for posting.

[@carlwilkerson9722]

CORPORAL LOU!!! I inherited him in a retro fantasy baseball sim (it's just a computer game) in which I had control of the postwar A's. I was reminded of his war stories and his courageous comeback to the major leagues.

[@mikeysawchyn9415]

I grew up a die hard phillies and A's fans because of my grandfather i wish they never moved away we deserve our A's and warriors back...

[@robbybonfire9944]

A few years back I took a train trip from Oregon to San Diego, through Oakland. I had to see the Oakland ball park, home of the A's, and the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Warriors, at least until they relocate to San Fran. That was painful for me, having grown up supporting and really loving those two franchises.

[@mikeysawchyn9415]

Robby Bonfire right thats why i want them home in philly i could see the sixers and warriors play in separate stadiums same as the phillies and a's i would love it

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

@@mikeysawchyn9415 - From the middle of the 1938 season until the end of the 1953 season, the Phillies and the A's shared Shibe Park, known in later years as Connie Mack Stadium. One team was away while the other was home.

[@TonyGilbert1]

Well there in the swamp build a stadium and make an offer you get them back Oakland doesn't want them trust me

[@jamesrivera4947]

It's ok with me 😉

[@SorgiStories]

This video helped educate us on Philly before we went on our Brewers road trip there a couple years ago. Your city's fans were...FANTASTIC. Every single Phillies fan treated us wonderfully, even with us wearing Brewers gear at the game. A total destruction of the Philly sports fan stereotpye. Red button hit. Glad to support such fellow baseball storytellers!

[@matthewglover9651]

Thank you.

[@christopheroliver2465]

Thank you, Jen Doe, for the wonderful story about your father. Modesty must have prevented you to say that Lou Brissie was once an all-star. After looking at his stats, it is easy to see that he had a good career as a starter for Mr. Mack and as a reliever for Cleveland. Your grandfather and father must have been proud, and it is easy to see that you are proud of both of them...as well as holding Connie Mack in high regard.

[@redbug3485]

Is there a follow up video to this one? Great story to share on KZbin!

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Thank you. How would you like me to follow-up?

[@oughtssought1198]

I saw an interesting vid of similar length + content on youtube 2 weeks ago about the A's Charlie Finley years that would be an apt followup becuz it also spent time on the Johnson years to say why the A's were available to Finley here it is... kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXTaXmBnYpuUatk

[@rhp_6926]

It's an easy answer. When the A's were winning, the fans supported the team. When they weren't, they didn't. And after the early '30s, they didn't win very often.

[@rocknrallsoul94rockero4]

I always find it interesting that the Athletics despite with financial problems still managed 9 titles

[@vinceniederman3235]

Same Thing If They Were Still in Philadelphia Today They Would Be Cross City Rivals With My Phillies Playing in Northeast Philly While The Phillies Would Still Be Playing in South Philadelphia!

[@mariocisneros911]

I think that 6 titles occurred when Mack was in his 40's and 50's . Pre 1920's .

[@BAYAREA-kd1ig]

They have arguably the most ebb and flow history in MLB. They'll be bad for years then be great, wash, rinse and repeat.

[@straycatttt]

The A’s won titles in 1929 and 1930.

[@1thepner]

@@mariocisneros911 They did win three pennants in a row, 1929-1931. Two WS championships. Then it was all down hill.

[@10gocubs14]

I'm intrigued by this information and the Yankees connection. The KC A's became known as a feeder team for the Yanks. Is there more history to this Yankees-A's relationship?

[@aboriginalbrotha9947]

Arnold Johnson came up with the idea and it made things worse for them.

[@df5295]

The Yankees had a connection with KC because that's where their AAA club use to be located. The Yankees came up with the idea of using the KC A's as feeder club. No one would trade with the Yankees. So the A's would trade for the players the Yankees wanted and eventually trade them to the Yankees for old broken down players. Roger Maris is the best example.

[@ntzelldonnie2kk642]

Connie mack?? Wow i use to live across connie mack playground on 22nd and lehigh . never know who he was ! Learn something new everyday

[@robbybonfire23]

Actually the Mack family sold out to a Philadelphia ownership syndicate, but the Yankees blocked the sale. The Yankees wanted the A's gone from Philly, and got their "front" Arnold Johnson, to move the team to K.C. Philadelphia could no longer support two teams, the crime rate in North Philly made attending night games too risky for too many people. This is a big reason for the Dodgers and Giants moving, also, and the Senators. Decaying inner city neighborhoods. I wish the Phillies had moved to Minneapolis, which had a new and sparkling ballpark at that time, so that the A's could have stayed. The A's had outstanding tradition in Philadelphia, all the Phillies had to show by 1954 were pennants in 1915 and in 1950, and too many years in warped-dimension ball park, Baker Bowl.

[@vinceniederman3235]

+Robby Bonter True and If The Phillies Had Moved Out Of Philadelphia I Would Be a Yankees Fan Instead in The 90's Cause They Have More WS Titles and Yup The Crime Was Very Nasty At The Time Where Connie Mack Stadium Was!

[@kevaninthe4135]

Wasn't the phrase "Watch your car mister" coined outside Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium?

[@robbybonfire23]

You need to know that the Yankees (owners Dan Topping and Del Webb) bribed MLB Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler ( a former politician) to bar Phillies ace starter (17-8) Curt Simmons from participating in the 1950 World Series, even though Simmons had been granted leave from his Army duties to pitch in the W.S. Simmons was drafted in late August of that year, the result of the Korean War breaking out in June of 1950. The Yankees also killed the sale of the A's to local Philadelphia interests so that they could use Kansas City A's owner Arnold Johnson as an MLB farm club, which is how they were able to engineer "sweet heart" deals for Roger Maris and Ralph Terry. I also strongly suspect Charlie Manuel was managing more for the Yankees than for the Phillies in the 2009 W.S., because Manuel gave journeyman Joe Blanton the start in a critical game, instead of giving the start to the brilliant Cliff Lee. That is one of the most odious, suspicious choices any manager has made in the history of baseball. The Yankees were the first but now have imitators where it comes to "buying" championships and favorable insider manipulations, starting with the New England Patriots and Ohio State football. I just hope you don't think sports is any more honest than stock market price fixing and swindles?

[@russphilly]

hehehe...possibly, I first heard that in 1965 when my father was taking me down there...most of the time we took public transportation.., my father seemed more relaxed during the game, instead of worrying about the animals watching his car...

[@phil5775]

The Yankees may have wanted the A's out of Philadelphia, but they didn't "block" the sale. The AL owners gathered to vote on the sale to the Crisconi group to keep the team in Philly. All that was needed was a 5-3 majority vote. It came up a 4-4 tie. Roy Mack, Connie's son who arranged the deal with Crisconi, reneged and voted against the sale. So while New York may have voted against it, their vote wasn't decisive.

[@tommytrinder.1226]

The Oakland As are in dire need of a new stadium.Why not knock down the megachurch in north Philly,rebuild Shibe Park and move the Athletics home ?

[@michaelheimple8579]

The narrator makes reference to the American League Second Division. I'm not familiar that term. If anyone can enlighten me, that would be appreciated. Thanks.

[@trapezemusic]

The second division would be the teams finishing 5-8 in an eight-team league.

[@imc440]

Wait, so the Yankees said it was too difficult to get to the location in Philadelphia and their solution was to move them to Kansas City? That's the easier commute from New York? I am confused.

[@robbybonfire9944]

Don't be, it's all economics, which is what the Yankees know best.

[@gregb6469]

It wasn't getting to Philadelphia that was difficult, it was getting to Shibe Park once they got to Philly that was difficult, because of the bad neighborhood the stadium was in.

[@trapezemusic]

@@gregb6469 Thanks for mentioning the bad neighborhood, something that went unsaid in the video. But what the hell difference did it make to the Yankees? I guess they had to take an unusual bus route to the stadium in order to minimize their time of the bad neighborhood. The poor darlings. Was there bus often attacked? If not, paly ball.

[@df5295]

The answer is money!

[@oldcougar65]

My father never really warmed to the Phillies. He took us to games, and watched on TV with us, but he was an A's fan. He was betrayed when they moved to Kansas City, and never enjoyed the game as much after that.

[@jorgejohnson451]

That would make a great movie. Son takes father on cross country drive in 1972 to see his beloved A’s in the World Series.

[@hamaciohamanis1632]

Is the narrator the same person as Redline Reviews? I enjoyed seeing the vintage photos of the Philadelphia A's. The A's (all three cities) have a fascinating history.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Nope. The narrator is just some goofy lawyer who was born and raised in Philadelphia, spent much of his childhood at the Vet, now lives in Northern Virginia, but still loves his hometown teams.

[@michaeldemenchuk6988]

The Yankees didn't favor Kansas City because they didn't like to travel to North Philly. They owned the Kansas City AAA team, its stadium and were business partners with Arnold Johnson. And the Athletics continued to have a "special relationship" with the Yankees until Charlie Finley bought the team. It's more sordid than you've made it out to be. Also the Phillies had just been bought by one of the duPont heirs and suddenly found themselves with deep pockets and none of the burdens of owning (and maintaining) a stadium (they were tenants in Connie Mack). The Whiz Kids taking over the town in 1950 didn't exactly help either.

[@oughtssought1198]

Thanks for mentioning this. Bill Veeck's autobio, Veeck An In Wreck, has a chapter detailing the winter meetings at which the fate of the A's were decided. The Yankees dictated the votes of half the teams in the A.L., & were leaning on others to go along with the Yankees candidate -- Arnold Johnson. With Johnson as owner, you could say KC went from having a AAA team to having a AAAA team, still a Yankees farm team, but the only farm team to ever play in a Major League. Trading Yankee rejects for KC bloomers every winter bought the Yankees the pennant almost every year Johnson owned the team. this vid I bumped into a few weeks ago talks about it some... kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXTaXmBnYpuUatk Considering what some of Del Webb's non-baseball biz buds were up to, being a biz "associate" of Del Webb wasn't necessarily a character reference to most citizens, but would have been a big character reference in the right wrong circles. Webb built the mob's first Vegas casinos; is a friend & biz bud of Clint Murchison, who had various "mob" biz associations while being cozy w/ J.Edgar Hoover. The link vid mentions Arnold Johnson's Chicago wealth being from "vending machines", which Chicago org crime had control of by the '40s, & was expanding to other cities. With Del Webb picking Ford Frick as Commissioner.

[@richardstewart85]

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again Athletics she return to Philadelphia it would be a epic move .

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Unfortunately, not very likely. The way things are heading, the differences between AL and NL teams are becoming fewer and fewer. I am even convinced that our current Commissioner would love to get rid of the AL and NL completely, and adopt a system more like that of basketball. Seeing a second team come to Philadelphia under those circumstances seems rather unlikely.

[@tudormiller8898]

Interesting documentary. I'm a UK baseball fan watching from London. ⚾

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Thank you for tuning in!

[@mjcruiser4238]

I grew up in Philadelphia in the 50’s -to call the stadium a dump is an understatement -and it was in a very tough neighborhood. I remember my dad having to pay kids to watch his parked car so it would not be vandalized!

[@MikeCee7]

Not being from Philadelphia, I thought west-Philadelphia was a bad neighborhood? (not north Philly)

[@mjcruiser4238]

Parts of both are sketchy -been gone a long time so I’m really not qualified to judge

[@TheBatugan77]

Connie and his boys let the game pass him by. The Yanks, Cards, Dodgers and others began to develop farm systems. That's what killed Philly, imho. Damn shame, a lot of rich history.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

The A’s declined in the 1930s and 1940s for this reason exactly. Mack disparaged the farm system as “chain store baseball.” Only after lingering in or near the basement for over twenty years did Connie Mack finally get it.

[@bogey19018]

Back when the boss worked.

[@colyhope6467]

The photo of Mack at 1:25 says it all.

[@PennsylvaniaHistoryBuff]

I’m a bit confused as to why the Yankees had a say in where a team in Philly played. If anyone could elaborate I’d appreciate it.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Back in 1954, an AL team had to get the unanimous approval of all AL owners in order approve a sale or to move. It wasn’t that the Yankees dictated where the A’s landed, so much as the Yankees influenced Connie Mack’s older sons to reject an offer by Philadelphia investors in favor of the Yankees’ landlord with a promise of a job after the sale was approved.

[@KevinLeMelle]

Interesting baseball history.

[@Lava1964]

This was a very interesting video. One minor correction is needed: Shibe Park first opened in 1909, not 1908. The A's were a burden on the American League by 1954. Attendance was awful (less than 305,000 people attended games that year). Visiting teams complained about their low shares of the gate receipts. Shibe Park was situated in a rough neighborhood too, which also dissuaded fans from attending games. Urban decay is seldom mentioned, but it is also a major reason why the Dodgers left Brooklyn and the Giants left New York City. I am the author of several baseball history books. One was on the 1916 Philadelphia A's titled A's Bad as it Gets. Another one is The Games that Changed Baseball. (Each has gotten very good reviews. Please check them out!)

[@americangiant1003]

Lava technically Brooklyn is also in New York City proper. However you point was valid in which major factors of the A's, Senators and Giants and Dodgers leaving the east coast was not only the crime factor and also being blunt. the neighborhoods of those old landmark ballparks becoming majority Black and Hispanic. Polo Grounds (Harlem NYC/Manhattan)Shibe Park (North Philadelphia)and Ebbets Field (Crown Heights Brooklyn)

[@Randoman35]

New York and Brooklyn are the same city.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@Randoman35 they are today but once upon a time the boroughs operated separately.

[@joemckim1183]

It just made no sense to have 2 teams in a single city anymore other then the big 3 of NY, Chicago and LA(which didn't happen for a decade after this). Why only have so many MLB teams but only be able to take advantage of having teams in a handful of cities? Same reason that the Braves and Browns moved.

[@Ettoredipugnar]

My Dad was a tremendous A's fan , so am I !

[@redbug3485]

The Oakland A's won the World Series the year I was born. 1972. The also contended for several years in the 70's. Plus Rickie Henderson stole a whole lotta bases with the A's! Great baseball team.

[@OldWorkingMan]

The reason the A's went to KC and then Oakland is that America's mean center of population has continually moved west. Television and westward population movement made it smart business for sports franchises to move west. It didn't matter what the Mack's did - they were up against forces much bigger than them. It was just smart business, that's all.

[@joeshmoe7789]

Why did the Yankees want them to move to Kansas City? Why not some other city? Did the Yankees have a potential owner in mind that wanted to move it to KC? The Yankees used the Kansas City A's almost like a farm team until Charlie O'Finley bought the team. I'm sure there's a lot more to this story.

[@kevosuss4537]

After the 2nd selloff the A's made bad decision after bad decision after bad decision and it became a perfect storm for the Phillies to become the city's favorite team. By 1954 it was over. The last A's game at Connie Mack Stadium didn't even draw 2,000 fans. It was time to go.

[@vinceniederman3235]

Yup and Then The Phillies Become Beloved in Philadelphia Before The A's Left The City in 1954!

[@robbybonfire9944]

It was known they were already gone, when they played their last game at CMS in 1954. You looking for 30K people to turn out to say goodbye?

[@mikedoran9851]

Connie Mack's son was ROY, not Ray; check any reference work.

[@TheSignal337]

This is not quite equivalent to "The Dodgers" leaving Brooklyn New York. Remember Mr. Moses , A new York City Politician , flatly refused to have the Dodgers acquired land in Downtown Brooklyn New York at the corner of Flatbush Avenue & Atlantic Avenue in October 1957. The Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles.

[@kevaninthe4135]

Moses wanted them to move to Queens. The exact site where Shea Stadium was built. Walter O'Malley simply said to him "We are not the Queens Dodgers. We're the Brooklyn Dodgers".

[@robbybonfire23]

Right, we are the Brooklyn Dodgers so much we will be playing from now on in Los Angeles.

[@sjdrifter72]

Robert Moses was the real culprit and the reason why the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. If he had allowed O'Malley to build his new stadium in Brooklyn, they would have stayed and the Washington Senators would have been the team most likely to have moved to L.A.

[@amazing50000]

The funny thing is that site you are talking about (Flatbush Avenue & Atlantic Avenue) were the Brooklyn Dodgers wanted to build their baseball park on is the same site were the Barclay Center is today, home of the NBA Brooklyn Nets & NHL New York Islanders SMH, Robert Moses did a lot of bad deals in New York City, and Moses did offered the Brooklyn Dodgers that site in Flushing, Queens were the New York Mets play today.

[@dangelo1369]

Well, I think there might be truth in both men being culprits. While Moses had designs on building the site in Queens, O'Malley saw a brand new market west of St.Louis in California. Add to that, the sweetheart deal Los Angeles was giving him for Chavez Ravine and a new stadium, O'Malley could afford to play hardball, knowing that Moses would say "no". All that was needed was another sucker, er owner who would relocate with him. That sucker was Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. So while O'Malley got Chavez Ravine, Stoneham got Candlestick Point-the worst spot to ever put a ballpark. Windy, cold and the stadium was a horror palace. Say what you want about Barry Bonds, but he was the one that made PNC/PacBell Park possible.

[@dgb921]

Money and greed. Every time I see the Oakland As have the elephant on their sleeve it makes me mad. I love the Phillies but the As are the true Philadelphia baseball team

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

I feel bad that I never got to see the A’s play in Philadelphia. Who knows? Maybe I would have wound up an AL fan.

[@MikeCee7]

I don’t understand why the Yankees wanted to buy the A’s and wanted to move them to Kansas City? He says that twice in the video, but doesn’t explain why.

[@billvalinote1414]

Your video is mostly factual & done well. Two exceptions: Philadelphia was not "shocked" when the A's left. There were rumors for months. Also. Mack's son was Roy, not Ray.

[@kevaninthe4135]

You had the 2 selloffs, the "Connie Mack Spite Fence" even though it was a Shibe that ordered the fence built, years of futility and Connie Mack basically being senile for the last decade. He would fall asleep in the dugout, give weird orders and call for pinch hitters he sold off decades before, "Baker, Foxx". After the 2nd selloff it took 40 years and 2 cities before the A's became relevant again.

[@mariocisneros911]

Have you forgotten the A' s 1971-1975. REGGIE JACKSON , VIDA BLUE , GENE TENNACE , MOON BLUE ODOM , ETC . 3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, 5 DIVISION TITLES .

[@someguy23475]

That’s what he said. The second selloff was in the early 30s. 40 years later would be the 70s.

[@kevaninthe4135]

@@mariocisneros911 I guess math isn't your strong suit huh.

[@mikeysawchyn9415]

North philly still wants our A's back i wish it would happen

[@rewing84]

1 small correction its roy mack not ray

[@chazbo0715]

They were the only team dynasty in the history of Philadelphia Sports

[@oceanthresher6184]

Philadelphia’s most successful sports franchise hasn’t played in the city since the Korean War.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

In all fairness, they had ceased to be a competitive franchise by 1954, due to neglect and the failure of Connie Mack to Realize the significance of establishing a farm system. By 1954, the Phillies were a franchise on their way up, while the A's remained at rock bottom.

[@michaelleroy9281]

In 8 years they would be wearing green 💚🍏 and gold 🥇🪙 in Kansas City

[@wilrobles5392]

Always wondered about this.

[@christopheroliver9854]

2:17 Frank Grimes and Frank Grimes, Jr.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Learn more about Shibe Park, the Athletics’ home, by clicking here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXLJe5p7aa2Eetk

[@jorgejohnson451]

What’s with the elephant?

[@Alan-lv9rw]

The Cubs have been in the same city since 1870.

[@JamesJohnson-l6y]

Not only Philadelphia lost the Athletics. But, it happened in Kansas City (1952-1967) & Oakland (1968-Sept. 2024).

[@CanIKickIt30]

Wait a minute then if they were going to Kansas City then how did the Athletics Leave to California

[@simpsonsfan09]

Charles Finley moved them from KC to Oakland

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

You have your history a little backwards, I’m afraid. The A’s moved to KC first, and then Oakland. But thank you for your comment.

[@SteveGee1986]

NO TV or radio deals so ticket sales were everything. Nobody was going to the games= No money for players.

[@mariocisneros911]

Baseball is still messed up financially when small market teams can not sustain winning . It's too expensive/ trying keep players / raising ticket prices. Kansas City , Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are examples. I'm not a businessman but many fans think all baseball is making money. Well add up every thing a team must pay , all employees. , farm team , their personal , scouting !!!!

[@someguy23475]

Tampa Bay cannot keep players because the stadium is mostly empty, even when the team is good.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Even Pittsburgh has trouble keeping their stars. Owners need to realize that financially they are not in competition with each other, but in competition with other forms of entertainment.

[@rickarnold7778]

It's hard to believe that the Philadelphia Athletics left for KC 70 years ago! A storied franchise with great players should be remembered. I find it astounding that not one player from the Philly years has had his number retired. IMO, that should be corrected. We can start with Jimmy Foxx (#3) and Lefty Grove (#10) and go on from there. Of course, Tony LaRussa already has his #10 retired, but this shouldn't diminish Grove's right to recognition. Just my 2-cents ......

[@Randetroit]

It is odd that the Athletics never drew a million fans in a season , when the Phillies have! 1929,30 &31 World Champions Athletics...not the Yankees!!!!!!

[@garyfaught3769]

In '31 the Athletics won the AL pennant but LOST to the Cardinals in the Series.

[@DaveDaShrubber]

Nobody ever seems to question the apparent unwillingness of either Connie Mack or his sons to desegregate the Athletics.

[@bustercherry9643]

Actually, they did integrate the A's during the team's final season in Philly. P Bob Trice was the first black player for the A's.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

The A’s had African-American players way before the Phillies.

[@stever3291]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the last 2 teams to have a black player were the Yankees in the AL & the Phillies in the NL. 🤔

[@DaveDaShrubber]

@@stever3291 The Red Sox were the last team in either league to have a black player.

[@TheBatugan77]

No one GivesAShit, davey boy. 👎👎🏾👎🏿

[@christopheroliver9854]

Connie Mack: Baseball's "Charles Montgomery Burns"! Monty's son, Larry Burns, would have a good job with the ballclub. But Larry got "no regard, no regard at all!"

[@Rick-f4j]

In the 1930's and the 1940's the Futile Phillies and the Awful Athletics were the two worst MLB franchises. Repeated 100+ regular season defeats, last place finishes (8th of 8), 40+ games out of first place, the Depression and WW2 drove the money-strapped fans away. When television arrived in the late 1940's not enough fans bought tickets preferring to watch baseball on TV. An unexpected Phillies flag in 1950 convinced the A's to move to KC in 1955.

[@Section5_CdnIntelService]

Baseball like all professional sports is not about sport it's strictly the entertainment business. Owners could not care less about what fans want. They want to see ever increasing profits just like all business executives and their wealthy shareholders. Winning is secondary. Even a team that always loses is fine as long as gullible fans continue to buy tickets and team merchandise. The other aspect of organized sports is its value as a distraction of the public from real world problems and the ever growing wealth of a small segment of society.

[@phil5775]

Connie's son's name was Roy, not Ray.

[@Mpshfromlowell64]

The Athletics have played more seasons in Oakland (56) than they did in Philadelphia (54)….

[@user-sb1vz9pv5y]

Mack once said it was better for The A's to compete well but fail to make the playoffs. Thus he would get the fans to the games but would not have to higher salarys. Of course he would have just traded them off anyway. Imagine if you could have combined Mack and McGraw into one single manager.

[@mariocisneros911]

Just like today . The richest win everything , everyone else try to keep afloat. > white sox , Padres, athletics , rays, reds , pirates

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

I’d have to do more research on this. But, I think what Connie Mack experienced was that attendance and revenue actually decreased after the first championship of his two dynasty teams.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@mariocisneros911 You sound like a whiner, buddy. Are you a whiner. Should we call the whaaaaaaaambulance?

[@TheBatugan77]

@@mariocisneros911 Oh bullshit.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory Well, the onset of the Depression probably hurt big time.

[@jamesweikel2594]

I agree the Athletics were the better Philadelphia team

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Except the A’s weren’t the better team by 1954. The Phils were on their way up, while the A’s had become perennial basement dwellers. I cover this in a video that explains how the Phillies became the more dominant team in Philadelphia.

[@GizmoBeach]

The Phillies improved after three decades of losing; the A's sunk again after three not-bad seasons in the late-40's following a dozen-plus seasons of lousy baseball. If not for Indian Bob Johnson's hitting/fielding there's no way to tell how horrible they'd have been. People who weren't around then wax on about these old teams that have been long gone as if they were lovable losers. But we see bad teams now and we can't imagine paying big bucks to see today's White Sox or the O's before they put it together again. Now imagine you have little time to enjoy a game and precious little income; you're going to waste it on a 53-101 A's team? Attendance was horrible for the A's and teams like the Browns and with good reason; they couldn't afford to keep good players very long and fans had nothing but masochistic loyalty to bring them to the stadium and watch another boring loss in sweltering heat.

[@HistoriaOrbis74]

I Love our Kansas City Royals but I wish we still had the Athletics.

[@geebee6010]

And they lost the warriors

[@fourthgirl]

Oakland did not lose the Warriors. They were always SF's team.

[@geebee6010]

Fourthgirl they were in Philadelphia First you dumb bitch.

[@southtext3400]

@Ray Sikes They began in Philly moved to the dump of a city that is SF moved to Oakland then idiotically moved back to SF.

[@TonyGilbert1]

@Ray Sikes the dodgers are always and forever will be a Brooklyn team

[@JK-Alabama11k]

@@TonyGilbert1 stfu

[@stever3291]

It really didn't work out well in KC, did it? They were only there for 13 years. Rather a pit stop for a MLB franchise. 🤷

[@TheBatugan77]

Honestly, they've failed in Oakland too. Sure they've won. But they've never been financially viable.

[@WaluigiLebron]

@@TheBatugan77 OH they have, the owner is just a cheap skate

[@TheBatugan77]

@@WaluigiLebron Well I guess they were ALL cheapskates, Finley included. Good teams, GREAT teams, especially the 1972-74 bunch. But not money makers.

[@gregb6469]

Not as short as the Pilots' pit stop in Seattle!

[@joek9353]

They just couldn’t build a new park.

[@allenatkins2263]

"The Phillies use Lifebouy and they still stink."

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Both teams had a reputation for stinking. The only difference is that the A’s had two dynasties mixed in with the really bad years.

[@robertmurphy440]

MUST HAVE SEEN THE CITY WAS TO BECOME A LIB WASTE LAND

[@gregb6469]

Why did the Yankees care what city the Athletics played in?

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

Bc they're the greediest, most egotistical team in sports. They treat their own people like shit if you don't win a championship every year. Read into how they fired Yogi Berra and tell me you can respect the Steinbrenners

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

The Yankees hated Shibe Park. They hated the neighborhood. They hated the small streets. Plus, once the A’s were sold to someone the Yankees could influence, they effectively became another farm club for the Yankees. I think the Yankees saw how weak the Macks were on the business side of baseball, and swooped in to take advantage of the situation.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory Yep. We got LOTS of good young players. Good times! GOOD TIMES!

[@TheBatugan77]

@@andrewpestotnik5495 Go Yankees! Fk u, andy pesterdick.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory Correct. Proof? The KC Blues were usually BETTER than the KC A's became!

[@caesarvalentin7155]

Money

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Yup

[@TheBatugan77]

I like money.

[@mariocisneros911]

I still think Philadelphia could support 2 teams . And Detroit should be losing teams . Their economy , population has bottom down .

[@penguinsfan251]

Detroit losing teams? Are you out of your mind? What team should Detroit lose and to where? God, how I wish Western Pennsylvania could break away from Philadelphia.

[@snarfsnarf3062]

Go A's 2023

[@allenatkins2263]

They should have stayed in Kansas City.

[@WilliamFlickinger-ex2sd]

Remember when Connie Mack was playing with the pirates