For the team that played in the American Association 1882-1891, see Philadelphia Athletics (American Association). The American Association (AA) was a professional baseball league from 1882 to 1891. ... For the baseball team that played in the National Association 1871-1875 and in the National League in 1876, see: Athletic of Philadelphia. ...

For the American League baseball team see: Oakland Athletics. The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ... This article is about the baseball team currently active in the American League. ...

In the prologue to his 1999 work, The Athletics of Philadelphia, author David M. Jordan states that Philadelphia “had been a baseball town from the earliest days of the game," fielding amateur teams since at least the early 1830s. In 1860, James N. Kerns formed a club called simply “Athletic,” which soon dominated amateur play in the area. Contemporaneous editions of Harper's Weekly chronicled the match between Athletic and the Brooklyn Atlantics for the baseball championship in 1866. A famous illustration published in Harper’s Weekly shows the Athletic players dressed in uniforms with the familiar Old English “A” on the front. Harpers Weekly Inauguration Number 1897 Harpers Weekly (A Journal of Civilization) was an American political magazine published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916. ...

The Athletic club later turned professional, and were a charter member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, baseball's first major league, which began play in 1871. Other teams were the Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Forest City of Cleveland, Forest City of Rockford (IL), Kekionga of Fort Wayne, New York Mutuals, Olympic of Washington, and Troy (NY) Haymakers. Similar to several of the other teams, the actual team name was the singular Athletic of Philadelphia, though more often than not the team is referred to by the more contemporary name, Philadelphia Athletics. In league standings they were listed as "Athletic" rather than "Philadelphia." Home grounds for the team was Jefferson Street Grounds. The National Association of Professional Baseball Players, or simply the National Association, was founded in 1871 and lasted through the 1875 season, after which its stronger teams created the National League. ... MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ... The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... Rockford Forest Citys was one of the first professional baseball clubs, playing for one season during the National Association inaugural year of 1871. ... The Mutual baseball club of New York City was a 19th century ball club. ... Jefferson Street Grounds is a former Baseball ground located in Philadelphia, PA. The ground was home to the Philadelphia Athletics of the National Association from 1871 - 1875, for the National League for the 1876 season, and the American Association from 1883 to 1890. ...

The original A's were one of the most successful of the National Association teams, winning the first-ever major league pennant in 1871 with a record of 21 wins and 7 losses (.750), finishing two games ahead of the Chicago White Stockings, and finishing second another two times. Their stars included Al Reach, Cap Anson(starting in 1872) and Dick McBride. Anson, who would become a Major League hall-of-famer, hit .415 in 1872 and .398 in 1873. Despite 53 wins, 20 losses and a .726 winning percentage in 1875, the team finished 15 games behind one of the great teams in baseball history, the Boston Red Stockings, who finished that year at 71 and 8 for a .899 winning percentage. Al Reach (May 25, 1840 – January 14, 1928), born in London, England, was one of the early stars of baseball playing in the National Association. ... Adrian Constantine Cap Anson (April 17, 1852, Marshalltown, Iowa - April 14, 1922, Chicago, Illinois) was a professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball for the Rockford Forest Citys, Philadelphia Athletics, and Chicago White Stockings. ...

After the 1875 season, six National Association teams withdrew from the league to form the new National League of Professional Baseball Clubs: Athletic, Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, New York Mutuals, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. The Cincinnati Reds and Louisville Grays also joined the new eight-team league. This article refers to the American baseball league. ... The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Hartford Dark Blues were a 19th century baseball team. ... The Mutual baseball club of New York City was a 19th century ball club. ... The Louisville Grays were a 19th century baseball team and charter member of the National League, based in Louisville, Kentucky. ...

Though the Athletic were one of the dominant teams in the old National Association, they did not fare so well in the new league, finishing seventh in the inaugural year with a record of 14-45 (.237), 34½ games behind the champion Chicago White Stockings. Toward the end of the inaugural season, the financially-troubled team refused to make a western road trip, and were expelled from the National League, which contracted to six teams for the 1877 season.