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49-611: In 1902, white sportswriter H. Walter Schlichter joined with long-time Negro league player Sol White and Harry A. Smith, sports editor of the Philadelphia Tribune (an African-American newspaper), to organize the Philadelphia Giants. Schlichter arranged for the team to play in the major league Columbia Park when the Philadelphia Athletics were on the road. Schlichter served as the owner and business manager during

98-637: A 134–21–3 record, the best in their history, and won their second colored championship, beating the Brooklyn Royal Giants in three straight games. The team is considered one of the greatest Negro league teams ever. They scored 1,000 runs and had three 30-game winners in pitchers Foster, McClellan, and Emmett Bowman . In 1906, the Giants joined a multiracial baseball league, the International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs . They had

147-652: A decade and been sponsoring a men's basketball team since the fall of 1929. On November 13, 1931, the Philadelphia Tribune Newsgirls made their debut at the Catherine Street YWCA in Philadelphia. The starting five for the Newsgirls consisted of Ruth Lockley, Ann Carrington, Rose Wilson, Louise Hall and Louise "Dick" Hill. The pinnacle of the Newsgirls first season game in the city Championship against

196-516: A former player and organizer with deep roots in Philadelphia's African American community, used his platform at the Tribune not only to build a competitive team but also to create opportunities for other African American women in sports. The team's success, particularly in national championships, was a powerful statement against the prevailing racial stereotypes of the time, proving that African American athletes, particularly women, could achieve excellence at

245-634: A growing push to challenge the racial and gender barriers in sports. The Tribune Newsgirls were one of the first women's teams to receive sustained media attention from a major African American newspaper, which helped elevate their status within the African American community and beyond. Additionally, the Tribune Girls' dominance on the court helped shift perceptions of African American women, demonstrating that they could excel in competitive sports traditionally dominated by white athletes. Coach Otto Briggs,

294-611: A hot seller. In April 1929, months before the Stock Market Crash , Philadelphia's black unemployment rate was 45 percent higher than white unemployment. During the Great Depression , African Americans in Philadelphia and throughout the country suffered higher levels of unemployment due to their lack of skills and qualifications. Rhodes and the Tribune wrote articles to help African Americans improve their standard of living during

343-584: A record of 108–31–6. In September they once again faced and defeated the Cuban X-Giants, thereby winning both the National Association championship and another "World's Colored Championship". Subsequently they played two games against the Philadelphia Athletics, losing both to outstanding pitching performances by Hall of Fame players Eddie Plank and Rube Waddell . In 1907, the Giants joined

392-498: A way to create a cultural identity and unity among blacks in the city, the Tribune publicized free lectures and invited respected church leaders to write columns for the paper. As white men left the city for war assignments in Europe, industrial jobs opened up for African Americans and the Tribune covered the job market. However, after the war ended in 1918, white veterans returned and competed fiercely with African Americans for jobs in

441-454: Is remembered not only through their championship titles but also through the lasting impact they had on promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport. The Tribune Girls’ success was not just a reflection of their athletic skill but also of the cultural and social dynamics of the time. According to Separate Games , the team's existence coincided with a broader movement for African American women's rights and visibility, and they were part of

490-529: Is the oldest continuously published African-American newspaper in the United States . The paper began in 1884 when Christopher J. Perry published its first copy. Throughout its history, The Philadelphia Tribune has been committed to the social, political, and economic advancement of African Americans in the Greater Philadelphia region. During a time when African Americans struggled for equality,

539-567: The 369th Infantry Regiment (Harlem Hellfighters) , a unit attached to the French Army during World War I , earning decorations (five battle stars and a Purple Heart ) for his combat experience in France as a sergeant. He returned home and continued a successful baseball career, playing for the Lincoln Giants from 1919 to 1923. Following his playing career, Poles was hired multiple times to coach

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588-677: The Cuban X-Giants to compete in a Negro league championship series, but the X-Giants declined. In October, their first season culminated with a two-game series against the American League champion Philadelphia Athletics. The Athletics won both games, 8–3 and 13–9. In 1903, White acquired Harry Buckner , William Binga , Robert Footes , Bill Monroe , and John W. Patterson . The team improved its record to 89–37–4. Attendance grew, and in September

637-552: The National Urban League of Philadelphia in order to combat the increasing discrimination found within the city. Beginning about 1910, a new wave of black migrants moved to Philadelphia, as part of the Great Migration from the rural South to northern and midwestern industrial cities. The expansion of railroads drew many new workers. After World War I began, industries began to recruit blacks as whites were drafted into

686-513: The Tribune ' s coverage of and coalition with the NAACP, Philadelphia captured national attention in 1965 when demonstrators protested to end segregation at Girard College . It had been established as a high school to educate poor boys in the city but historically had admitted only whites. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Philadelphia, strengthening the city and the Tribune ' s connection to

735-517: The Tribune acted as the "Voice of the black community" for Philadelphia. Historian V. P. Franklin asserted that the Tribune "was (and is) an important Afro-American cultural institution that embodied the predominant cultural values of upper-, middle-, and lower-class Black Philadelphians." In the early 21st century, the paper is headquartered at 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . It publishes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The Philadelphia Tribune also publishes

784-633: The Tribune covered the new federal relief agencies and exposed the discrimination some of the programs practiced against African Americans. Although Roosevelt and the New Deal aimed to assist struggling Americans, the Tribune faced a political dilemma. Historically, the Tribune had supported the Republican Party because of its ties to Abraham Lincoln and the Abolitionists . In order to keep Republicans in control of local and State politics, Rhodes and

833-420: The Tribune enjoyed unusual success during its early years, and it averaged 3,225 copies weekly by 1887. In 1891, Perry and the Tribune received national recognition when Garland Penn , a prominent advocate for African-American journalism, praised the Philadelphia newspaper in his book The Afro-American Press and Its Editors . In his book, Penn complimented the Tribune's consistency and reliability. However,

882-671: The Tribune played a monumental role in officially ending segregation in Philadelphia schools. Upset over the Philadelphia School Board's lack of action to end segregation, the Tribune organized the Defense Fund Committee in 1926. It collected funds to support a court challenge to the school board. By 1932, the Tribune succeeded in gaining appointment of African Americans to the School Board, which eventually ended segregation in Philadelphia's public schools. Thanks to

931-554: The Tribune remained loyal to the party of Lincoln and criticized Roosevelt and his Democratic Party . The confusing message the Tribune offered allowed other African-American newspapers in Philadelphia to gain readers. In 1935, the Philadelphia Independent openly supported Roosevelt and the Democrats, and surpassed the Tribune as the most popular African-American newspaper in Philadelphia with 30,000 weekly subscribers. In

980-416: The Tribune until his death in 1921. Throughout his career with the Tribune , Perry promoted the advancement of African Americans in society and covered issues affecting their daily lives. When the Tribune began publication in 1884, it was a weekly, one-page paper, publishing from 725 Sansom Street. Despite the challenges black businesses faced during the late nineteenth century, especially in journalism,

1029-454: The Tribune was not the only African-American newspaper circulating in Philadelphia at the time. The Tribune competed against other African-American newspapers during its first few decades, such as The Philadelphia Standard Echo , The Philadelphia Sentinel , The Philadelphia Defender , and The Courant . But by 1900, the Tribune became the leading voice of Black Philadelphia, and W. E. B. Du Bois referred to it as "the chief news-sheet" in

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1078-481: The Tribune , G. Grant Williams , reported the case and encouraged African Americans to join the police force and become part of shaping the city. The newspaper worked with the Colored Protective Association to help defend African Americans who were unfairly arrested. Williams also wrote articles on how to protect community women from racial violence, as well as giving advice on morals and values. As

1127-584: The Tribune Magazine , Entertainment Now , Sojourner , The Learning Key , and The Sunday Tribune . The Tribune serves the Philadelphia–Camden Metro Area, as well as Chester . The Tribune has received the John B. Russwurm award as "Best Newspaper" in the country seven times since 1995. Christopher James Perry Sr. (September 11, 1854 – May 15, 1921) was an African American journalist and

1176-634: The German Town Hornets. The Newsgirls' record for their first season was 31-5 and also won the National Colored Championship title. The Newsgirls picked up Ora Washington, the greatest performer in the woman's ranks, to play for the next season. The Tribune Girls continued to dominate woman's basketball for the next several years. The Newsgirls went onto win several city and national championships in their eleven-year existence from 1931 to 1942. Otto Briggs had to resign from his position in

1225-456: The Giants again challenged the Cuban X-Giants for a championship series. This time the challenge was accepted, and games were scheduled for New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. The Cuban X-Giants beat Philadelphia behind outstanding pitching by Rube Foster . In 1904, White recruited Foster, outfielder Pete Hill , and pitcher Dan McClellan for the Giants, and a dynasty took shape. With the Giants' growing popularity and to avoid working around

1274-600: The Giants were no longer contenders for championships. According to writer Neil Lanctot, the team disbanded during the 1911 season, forced by player defections (citing the New York Age of August 3, evidently). The new Lincoln Giants of New York City had signed several players, including Louis Santop and Dick Redding . Many clubs claimed the tradition: by 1914 there were North, South, East, and West versions of "Philadelphia Giants" and also "East End Giants of Germantown". Philadelphia Tribune The Philadelphia Tribune

1323-549: The Harrisburg Giants, once in 1928 and again in 1953. Poles is credited with a lifetime batting average of over .400 in all competitions and hit .319 in four winters in Cuba. A tantalizing aspect of his career is his success against white major league teams; Poles hit .610 against these teams, including three consecutive hits against Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander . After retiring from baseball, Poles first worked as

1372-580: The New York Lincoln Giants in 1911, where he blossomed into a star; in his first four seasons with the Lincoln Giants, 1911–1914, Poles attained batting averages of .440, .398, .414, and .487 against all levels of competition. Poles then spent the next few seasons jumping among the New York Lincoln Stars , Brooklyn Royal Giants , and Hilldale Daisies . While with the Daisies, Poles joined

1421-413: The Philadelphia Athletics' schedule, they leased their own home stadium at Broad Street and Jackson Avenue in Philadelphia. They finished the season with a record of 95–41–6. A second "World's Colored Championship" was determined by a best-of-three series in September. Foster beat the Cuban X-Giants in both the first and the decisive third games for Philadelphia's first championship. In 1905, the Giants had

1470-402: The Tribune due to his declining health. Robert Bryant became the new coach for the 1941–42 season. Bryant was an ordained minister and was then called to serve as an army chaplain. The Tribune girls continued their season, unfortunately becoming the last season the Tribune girls would play. Eventually, head coach Otto Briggs died on October 27, 1943. His death, coupled with the changing interest of

1519-516: The city from the south due to the Great Migration. Teams loosely organized based on neighborhood or local YWCA that sponsored educational classes and athletic teams to team the migrant's new skills. During the Great Depression in 1931 The Tribune , who had long been an advocate of athletics, decided to organize a women's basketball team. The Tribune had been covering women's sports for over

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1568-500: The city. After Reconstruction ended in 1877, many African Americans from the South migrated to northern cities in search of a better life. The city went through a fundamental transformation as African Americans flooded the city looking for jobs. Racial tensions divided Philadelphia as the new black migrants crowded neighborhoods and competed with Whites for jobs, including Irish immigrants and, increasingly, other European immigrants. During

1617-453: The country. In 1921, its founder and chief editor Christopher Perry died; he was succeeded by G. Grant Williams. Williams died in June 1922. Eugene Washington Rhodes became the managing editor, serving for more than two decades until 1944. Under Rhodes, the Tribune went through aesthetic enhancements as the print size and column size grew larger. Despite an increase in cost, the Tribune remained

1666-603: The difficult times. The newspaper provided information on relief help by advertising black social organizations, churches, and schools. Also, by 1930, Tribune and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Philadelphia would report unfair employment practices by local businesses, and the negative publicity would pressure the businesses into reassessing their hiring process. When Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced his New Deal program in 1933,

1715-659: The era. Their rigorous practice schedules and focus on teamwork contributed significantly to their impressive winning record and sustained dominance in women's basketball. They dismissed a common racist idea of the time that black athletes were subpar in performance to white athletes. In addition to their on-court success, the Tribune Girls became pioneers in advocating for equal opportunities in sports, inspiring other African American women to pursue athletics professionally. The team also established strong community ties organizing events and workshops that encouraged youth participation in basketball and promoted healthy lifestyles. Their legacy

1764-520: The first African Americans elected to the Pennsylvania State legislature , the Tribune increased its political activity in the city. In 1921, when the State legislature introduced an Equal Rights Bill, the Tribune reported which representatives opposed it. The paper remained a strong advocate for the bill until 1935, when Pennsylvania passed a state Equal Rights Bill. Also during the 1920s and 1930s,

1813-587: The first black championship series between the east and west was played, as the Philadelphia Giants played the Leland Giants in a "World Series." The series ended with a 3–3 tie; it is not known why the deciding seventh game was not played. In 1909, White broke with Schlichter and left the Giants to take the reins of the Quaker Giants. That year, Spot Poles joined the team, and the Philadelphia Giants won another eastern championship. In 1910, Lloyd also left, and

1862-687: The first organized black professional league of the 20th century, the National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs of the United States and Cuba . Rube Foster, Pete Hill, and three other players left the Giants to join the Leland Giants in Chicago. With young John Henry Lloyd taking over at shortstop, however, the Philadelphia Giants continued to field an excellent team and won their fourth consecutive eastern championship. In October they toured Cuba and went 10–12–1 against Habana and Almendares . In 1908,

1911-492: The founder of The Philadelphia Tribune (formerly The Tribune ). Perry began writing for local Philadelphia newspapers such as the Sunday Mercury . However, in 1884, the Sunday Mercury went bankrupt and Perry was without a job. Later that year on November 27, 1884, Perry began his own newspaper entitled The Philadelphia Tribune . He ran the operation as the owner, reporter, editor, copier, and advertiser. Perry worked on

1960-506: The highest levels. Coach Otto Briggs' involvement with the Tribune Newsgirls was a natural extension of the paper's longstanding support for African American sports. As a key figure in the team's rise to prominence, Briggs helped shift the cultural perception of African American women in competitive sports, challenging the stereotype that Black athletes were inferior to their white counterparts. In addition to their athletic achievements,

2009-499: The mid-1930s, Rhodes introduced new elements to the paper as a way to gain more readers. He added an editorial that showcased African-American achievements and also a comic strip to the weekly paper. However, some argue Rhodes used these new elements to promote middle-class values that reflected the principles of the Republican Party. The rise of women's basketball in Philadelphia came when many young African American women moved to

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2058-508: The migration, Perry and The Tribune served as an outlet to educate and inform black Philadelphians, and it helped the new migrants adjust to their new city. It covered job openings, civic affairs, social events, and church news. Rather than just report the news, the Tribune committed itself to helping to improve the standard of living for African Americans in Philadelphia. The Tribune openly supported and advertised civic groups such as The Armstrong Association, Negro Migration Committee, and

2107-478: The military. The city was crowded and new migrants moved into white neighborhoods, resulting in violent reactions in working-class areas. White mobs formed to intimidate black families. In 1914, a white mob attacked and destroyed the new home of a black woman, but the Philadelphia Department of Public Safety failed to investigate the crime and no white newspapers reported the incident. The managing editor of

2156-462: The national civil rights movement . 39°56′40″N 75°10′08″W  /  39.944450°N 75.168896°W  / 39.944450; -75.168896 Spot Poles Spottswood Poles (December 27, 1887 – September 12, 1962) was an American outfielder in baseball 's Negro leagues . One of the fastest players of his era, Poles was sometimes referred to as "the black Ty Cobb ." According to Negro leagues historian James Riley, Poles' speed

2205-419: The post-war recession. Racial riots broke out in the summer of 1919 in many industrial cities. Since White men appeared more qualified for work, the Tribune spent the 1920s encouraging African Americans to receive an education or learn a trade at an industrial school. By 1920, the Tribune was distributing 20,000 newspapers weekly and had earned a reputation as one of the top African-American newspapers in

2254-505: The reading publics away from basketball and into World War 2 content killed off one of the most successful African American women's basketball team ever. Otto Briggs left his mark on African American women's basketball by using the Philadelphia Tribune to promote sport. The Tribune Girls implemented innovative training techniques that emphasized both physical conditioning and strategic gameplay, setting them apart from other teams of

2303-405: The team's existence, and Smith was the assistant business manager. White played and captained the team on the field. For their first season, the team recruited several star players including catcher Clarence Williams , second baseman Frank Grant , and pitcher John Nelson . The 1902 Philadelphia Giants compiled a win–loss–tie record of 81–43–2. Throughout the season the Giants issued challenges to

2352-439: The team's success highlighted the intersection of race and gender, demonstrating that African American women could excel at the highest levels of competition. The Tribune Newsgirls were not just a team, but also a vehicle for social change, and their success helped pave the way for future generations of Black athletes to gain recognition and opportunities in sports. During the 1920s, after John Asbury and Andrew Stevens became

2401-504: Was said to be comparable to that of Cool Papa Bell , a Negro league star of the 1930s generally considered to be the fastest man in the history of organized baseball. Poles was a left-handed batter with a keen eye who hit for a high batting average . Poles started playing organized Negro ball for the Harrisburg Giants in 1906 and first became a professional for Sol White 's Philadelphia Giants in 1909. Poles soon followed White to

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