Section 435 An Atlanta Braves blog. From the upper deck at Turner Field.

Oakland Athletics: White Elephants

Here’s the story on the elephant on the Oakland Athletic’s jersey:

After New York Giants’ manager John McGraw told reporters that Philadelphia manufacturer Benjamin Shibe, who owned the controlling interest in the new team, had a “white elephant on his hands,” [Connie] Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team mascot, and presented McGraw with a stuffed toy elephant at the start of the 1905 World Series. McGraw and Mack had known each other for years, and McGraw accepted it graciously. By 1909, the A’s were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters, and in 1918 it turned up on the regular uniform jersey for the first time.

I’ve always liked that story. I wondered for many years about two things in regard to the “A’s”
1) What exactly is an “Athletic”? Shouldn’t it be an “Athlete”?
2) What do elephants have to do with “Athletics”?

Thanks for clearing that up for us ignorant baseball historians.

I never really knew that story. I always wondered but usually get sidetracked before I could look that up. Thanks.