Celebrate Jackie Robinson This Week
There may be no baseball this April, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t honor one of our greatest American heroes. Jackie Robinson Day is April 15th, and our friends at Shibe Vintage Sports plan to celebrate the groundbreaking Dodger.
“Jackie Robinson was one of the most important figures in American history. He was crucial to baseball because he helped to finally make America’s pastime all of America’s pastime.”
– Anderson Monarchs founder Steve Bandura
To honor Robinson and to assist in the mission he inspired at Anderson, Shibe Sports will be donating 40% of all sales from Wednesday to Saturday to the Monarch baseball program. Set to celebrate their 25th year this year, the team isn’t currently playing games but the program is offering Instagram coaching to their players, Q&A sessions with mentors, meal delivery, and online tutoring.
Fans can find great deals on Shibe baseball products including new Spring Phillies gear, sports history books, and shirts honoring the Negro League’s Philadelphia Stars.
In addition to the donation, Shibe will also be running a series of live interviews on its Facebook page each day at noon, including interviews with:
- Mo’ne Davis – former Anderson phenom
- Sean Gibson – grandson of legendary slugger Josh Gibson
- Steve Bandura – Anderson Monarchs founder and coach
- Dan Baker – Phillies PA announcer
Formed in 1995, the Anderson Monarchs are a sports-based youth development organization based in South Philadelphia. In the ensuing years, Monarchs programs have provided athletic and educational opportunities to thousands of underserved youth in Philadelphia.
“Jackie Robinson is the foundation on which the Anderson Monarchs program is built. With or without baseball, we are thrilled to honor Jackie, along with the great Negro League players who came before him, for their invaluable contributions to our country,’ says Bandura.
Shibe Sports, founded in 2014 and locally owned, typically has a store in Center City and one at the King of Prussia Mall. Those are both closed for the time being, but their online store remains open at ShibeSports.com.
