Why Philadelphia Lost the Athletics

William J. Kovatch, Jr.

In 1954, the Athletics were the only baseball team in Philadelphia that had brought a World Championship to the city.  In fact, the team won five!  Arguably, the team was more popular than the Phillies.

But 1954 was the last season that the American League had a team in Philadelphia.  In the off season, the A's were sold, and by 1955 they were opening in Kansas City.

The loss of the Athletics had a number of causes. Connie Mack had guided the team for over fifty years, but was having memory problems.  Because the ownership comprised of his family and the Shibe family, no one was willing to tell him that it was time to leave.  The result was decades of bad baseball, and lost attendance.

In the midst of all of this, Mack's children from his late wife did not see eye to eye with his son with his second wife.  The older Mack children then mortgaged the team to buy all of the shares.  But this move was done when attendance was still in decline.  This put the Athletics in a poor financial situation.

Finally, the Yankees grew tired of Shibe Park, and wanted to support their landlord's quest to buy a team and move it to Kansas City.  When Roy Mack worked behind the secure a front office job for himself and his own son, he sabotaged a deal that would have kept the Athletics in Philadelphia.

References

Corbett, Warren, "Connie Mack's Less than Graceful Exit," February 20, 2014 http://www.hardballtimes.com/connie-macks-less-than-graceful-exit/.

Warrington, Robert, "Departure without Dignity: The Athletics Leave Philadelphia," http://sabr.org/research/departure-without-dignity-athletics-leave-philadelphia.

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