Philadelphia Stars (baseball)

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The Philadelphia Stars were a Negro league baseball team from Philadelphia. They were founded in 1933 by Ed Bolden, who had earlier run the Hilldale Club. The Stars started as an independent team in 1933, joined the Negro National League in 1934 and stayed with that league until it collapsed after 1948, then played in the Negro American League from 1949 to 1952. They played home games at various ballparks in Philadelphia, including Passon Field (1934–1935) and 44th and Parkside Ballpark (1936–1952), with occasional games at Shibe Park.

In 1934, led by 20-year-old pitcher Slim Jones, the Stars won the Negro National League pennant by defeating the Chicago American Giants in a controversial best-of-seven series that ended 4-3-1. The championship series included disputed plays and protests, but the Stars ultimately prevailed, with Slim Jones delivering the decisive performance in the closing games.

The team featured several stars in the mid-1930s, such as Biz Mackey, Jud Wilson, and Dick Lundy. Satchel Paige even joined the Stars briefly in July 1950 after leaving Cleveland, before returning to the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Browns. The Stars folded after the 1952 season as black baseball leagues declined following integration.

Ownership and finances played a big role in the franchise. Ed Bolden founded and ran the Stars until his death in 1950; afterward his daughter, Hilda Bolden Shorter, took over. The club was financed in part by promoter Eddie Gottlieb, who also owned Philadelphia basketball teams and leased Penmar Park for Stars games. Gottlieb also acted as the booking agent for many Northeastern Negro league teams, taking a share of the gate receipts.

The Stars didn’t have a single official logo in their early years, and their uniforms used red and navy decorations. The 1938 cap most associated with the team featured a navy crown, red brim, and a white star with a red P. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum later created a logo for licensing purposes, but it reflects a modern interpretation rather than a historical emblem.

The team also took part in the East–West All-Star Game, with Stars players appearing on the East team in several years. No Philadelphia Stars player is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Stars cap, though co-owner Eddie Gottlieb is in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his broader promoting work in sports.