Hello Shibe Sports Fans!
Festivals are back and we are coming to you! We are excited to announce that we will be at various festivals around the Greater Philadelphia area over the next two months.
We will have a popup shop displaying our throwback designs by local artists, celebrating our Philadelphia sports teams!
Come chat about Philly Sports history and check out the best shirts in town, honoring the best teams in town!
Visit us at these upcoming events:
Come and join us to support our local communities, enjoy great food, great music, and check out our Shibe products! See you there!
The Anderson Monarchs are widely acknowledged as the best little league baseball program in our city (and arguably in the country). Their tireless dedication to keeping the sport of baseball alive in Philly’s inner city over the past 25 years is nothing short of inspirational.
This year, during our annual Jackie Robinson Celebration, 30% of all in-store and online sales from April 15-18 went to the Monarchs program. Through this fundraiser, we were able to raise over $3,200.
That donation will pay for two weeks of summer baseball camp for 30 Philly kids aged 8-12, providing uniforms, equipment, and instruction. The camps will begin on August 2nd and run through August 13th.
"For years Shibe Vintage Sports has been one of our most committed supporters," says Monarchs executive director Amos Huron, "And in 2021 they have continued to step up to the plate for Philadelphia youth."
Monarch coaches and former Monarch players will teach kids how to hit, catch and play America's Pastime...all at no cost to the participants.
At Shibe Sports, we firmly believe in Jackie Robinson’s credo: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other people’s lives." The Anderson Monarchs are the living embodiment of that quote. We appreciate the opportunity to help them with their mission, and we’re thankful for customers like yourselves who allow us to do so.
Want to help with the Monarchs' mission? Tax deductible donations can be made on their website.
I've got a confession to make; before we opened Shibe Sports in 2014, I did not really know the difference between a good shirt and a bad one, I just bought whichever one was on sale. Boy did I have a lot to learn.
The education came quickly. The first shirts we ordered were by a cheaper brand and they weren't very comfortable. Neither Brian nor myself felt good about selling a crappy product, so we looked into higher quality tees. We started ordering Next Level and Bella Canvas tees, and soon noticed customers all saying the same thing, "These shirts are EXTREMELY comfortable." We were on to something.
Another lesson that I learned took a bit longer...that these shirts weren't just comfortable, but they lasted a long time. Like, a really long time, years longer than the parking lot tees I had bought before opening Shibe. I've got shirts in my wardrobe from the first year we opened, and they still look and feel the exact same they did in 2014.
One thing we DID know when we opened: we believed in keeping things local, and in being not just a store but part of the community. Our first screenprinter, Alex, operated out of his South Philly basement. We've spent as much time talking to our Chief Artist, Keni, about the Eagles QB situation as we have about t-shirt design. Our brand ambassador, Reef, has lived here his entire life. We've raised thousands of dollars through the years for local youth sports programs like the South Philly Sharks and Anderson Monarchs.
So when you purchase a shirt from us, you're not just buying a t-shirt, you're buying into Philadelphia. It's a responsibility we take seriously, and in the spirit of the town we call home, it's one we work hard to earn.
Thank you for your patronage, and thank you for supporting not just us but the city of Philadelphia.
Sincerely, 
Johnny Goodtimes
Co-owner, Shibe Vintage Sports
Want to show some Sixers love? Here’s where to get the best jerseys, tees, hats, and other gear in the Philly area.
Philadelphia Inquirer
by Damichael Cole
Walk around Philadelphia throughout a day and you’re bound to see someone in Sixers gear. Whether it’s shorts, hoodies, jerseys or accessories, the Sixers have a large presence in the city.
Buying team apparel is a must for many fans, but it's also become ingrained in the city’s culture. Allen Iverson items, for example, sell more than everything else. It’s not because he’s an NBA Hall of Famer; it’s because of his cultural impact on basketball that extends beyond Sixers fans. And a lot of vintage-style clothing has become so popular, it’s often worn by people who weren’t even born when that actual style (or player) was part of the game.
And you shouldn’t have any problem finding cool gear here in Philly. There are plenty of great stores, from big national brands (with one headquartered here) to some nice local spots.
Here are the best Philly stores to get Sixers gear:
Shibe Vintage Sports
Shibe Vintage Sports on South 13th Street is a great local option for cool vintage-style gear. Shibe is there for the real nostalgia nerds, with throwback historical styles dating back to the Spectrum days. Think: a shirt with Dr. J dunking on Larry Bird, another with the Philly basketball logo, and one for Philadelphia Spectrum fans.
📍137 S 13th St.,
📞 215-909-9396,
🌐 shibevintagesports.com,
🕑 Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Rosemary Haas, of Chesterbrook, Pa., looks through the variety of sports T-shirts at Shibe Vintage Sports. TYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
Continue reading "The best places to buy Sixers gear in Philly" at Inquirer.com
On Thursday Reef and Johnny sat down with Phillies legendary PA announcer Dan Baker to discuss what it was like calling games at the Vet, and how excited he is to be back behind the mic at Citizens Bank Park this season.
We've decided to call it curtains on our store at the King of Prussia Mall.
It's been a fun two years, but it goes without saying that the events of the past year have made operating a mall store exceptionally challenging. And quite frankly, we've done so much better at online sales over the past year that we would rather focus our attention there than on hoping for a turnaround at the mall. So we've decided to readjust our game plan, and put our energy into further improving the online experience.
One of the things that was keeping us at KOP was how much we liked our manager, Glenn, and we're thrilled to report that he's going to be coming to work for us in Center City.
We are not giving up on the suburbs by any stretch of the imagination. We have already started to look at other potential landing spots, so who knows what the future holds.
But we want to say thank you to everyone who has shopped with us over the past two years at KOP, and remind you that all of our unique products will still be available at our store at 13th & Walnut in Center City and online at shibesports.com (we'll also handle any exchanges and honor any gift cards through both). Our final day of operation at the KOP Mall will be today, April 30th.
Thanks, and we hope to see you at our Center City store soon!
- Johnny and Brian
Today is a special day on the baseball calendar.
On April 15th, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball and stepped onto a Major League ball field for the first time.
To honor his legacy, 30% of all sales between today and Sunday will go toward a series of Summer Camps run by the Anderson Monarchs in North Philly, South Philly, and Kensington, as they reach out to communities that may not otherwise have access to America's Pastime.
Camps will be led by local coaches and players, and by buying a Shibe product, you will help send a child for free.
We'll also spend the next few days honoring an important part of Philadelphia Sports history, the Negro League era, through an interview with a Negro League historian, a spoken word piece from our brand ambassador Reef the Lost Cauze, and by bringing back a popular Philadelphia Stars tee.
We hope you join us in supporting this mission we firmly believe in and are proud to support.
The United States of America is a country that captures the imaginations of many travellers, and with so many things to see and do when you go there, it is easy to understand why. If you are planning a trip to America, you should definitely consider going to watch some live sports. The sports of America are an important part of the culture, and often unique to the nation. Here are five live sports we think you should check out on a trip to the US.
American Football
This game is a lot different from its European namesake. Funnily enough, the ball is kicked very rarely and spends most of its time in the hands of players as they storm across the field, gaining yard after yard until they reach the end-zone to score. The scores often run into high numbers in this sport, and the teams use a high number of players, as a whole different line-up is used for offensive and defensive plays. This game is a lot of fun to watch and lasts a long time, giving you value for money and a full day out.
Basketball
This sport is fast-paced, fun to watch, and played all across the country, so wherever you go in the USA, you will never be far from a basketball game. Watching basketball live can be thrilling, with the play taking the teams from end to end. The team that has the upper hand can switch in an instant, and games can go right to the buzzer, with the final throw of the ball often deciding the victor in these close games.
Ice Hockey
This sport is probably as well known for its fights between players as it is for the speed and skill it takes to succeed on the ice. Players are often sent to the ‘sin bin’ for fisticuffs between members of opposing teams and even for in-fighting between players on the same side! This game is a lot of fun to watch live and the crowds often give the arenas a great atmosphere. Scores are low but the sport keeps you entertained throughout the game.
NASCAR Racing
A National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) race is a lot more fun and thrilling to watch than you may think. NASCAR races are often overlooked as the cars mostly race on simple oval tracks, turning on steeply banked left turns just twice per lap. The simple oval tracks allow the cars to hit huge top speeds and maintain that speed as they attempt to overtake one another at up to 200 miles per hour. These races can be thrilling, and the atmosphere that crowds at NASCAR races create is legendary.
Poker
Poker is one of the fastest-growing sports in the USA. You probably wouldn’t think that watching a professionally played card game could be that interesting, but the huge sums of money on the table often grab people’s imaginations and seeing the risks that players take can be nail-biting. Professional games and competitions are played across the country, but for the biggest games, there is only one destination - Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watching some of these live sports on a trip to the United States is a fantastic experience that you will remember for a lifetime, and a great way to enjoy some of the best of American culture.
On an absurdly cold April Fools Day of 2011, the juggernaut Phillies, the most talked about team in baseball, were down 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth against an eventual 100 loss team in the Houston Astros. Roy Halladay, who was deemed the team’s ace of aces, surrendered only one earned run on an RBI groundout through six innings.
Former Phillies Opening Day starter Brett Myers surprisingly bested Halladay as the Astros’ first man out and even laid down a bunt to set up two runners in scoring position who eventually crossed home plate to score in the top of the seventh.
Fast forward to the dramatic finish. All Jimmy Rollins had to do in the bottom of the ninth was get on base. He got a pitch from “closer” Brandon Lyon on the hands and hit it through the hole in on the right side for a base hit. And while the conditions were right for Ryan Howard to hit a game-tying home run (the wind was blowing to the right), the big man grinded out a tough at-bat and lined a single up the middle.
Two batters later, Ben Francisco registered the third single of the inning for the Phillies, scoring Rollins. Next up was Carlos Ruiz and after nearly winning the game on what would have been a double that was rightly called foul, Chooch fought off a 1-2 count and got a ball to the outfield. The bases were loaded for Wilson Valdez.
You guessed it, he singled. Unlike the hitters who came before, Valdez jumped on a high pitch. Since the ball was hit hard, only one runner could score. That meant pinch hitter John Mayberry Jr. had the chance to win it with the bases loaded and one out.
On a 2-2 count, Mayberry smoked a ball over the center fielder Michael Bourn's head to claim the Phillies’ first victory. Only 101 more to go.
On Saturday October 15, 1966, fans embraced the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Billy Cunningham as the Sixers came out of the tunnel for their final Opening Night at the Philadelphia Civic Center. This would be the last year the Sixers played at the Civic Center, as the Spectrum was opened less than a year later. What fans did not know was that they were about to witness one of the best teams the city of Philadelphia has ever had to offer.
This 1966-1967 76ers team was coached by Alex Hannum, his first year at the helm. Hannum, who would go on to be a Hall of Fame coach himself, said in an interview in 2001:
''That was the greatest team in the history of basketball… I'm talking about all kinds of basketball, including the Dream Teams.''
This team started the year with a bang, winning 46 of their first 50 games, setting the tone for what ended up being a magical year in 76ers history. Led by a pair of 30 year old future Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer, this Sixers team dominated on both sides of the ball. Ranking 1st in point per game and 3rd in points allowed, these Sixers decimated the rest of the league to the tune of 68 wins and 13 loses.
Finding themselves at the top of the league was a surprise to everyone throughout the basketball world. While they had great players like Wilt (who averaged 24 points and 24 REBOUNDS per game), the Boston Celtics had run the league the previous decade. Winning 9 of the last 10 NBA Championships, the Bill Russell led Celtics had finally met their match.
Cruising through the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Sixers dethroned the Cincinnati Royals, winning the series 3-1 (first round series were only five games back then). The team was led by its two man wrecking crew, Chamberlain and Greer each had two 30-point games in the series.
Next came the daunting Celtics. Going up 3-1 in the series, the Sixers had the luxury of playing Game 6 in Philadelphia. On April 11, 1967, with an overflowing crowd of 10,000+ strong (capacity was 9,600), the 76ers had five players score 20 or more points. Led by a 29 point, 36 rebound game from The Big Dipper himself, the Sixers were able to eliminate their arch rivals 140-116, sending them to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in team history.
After reaching the Finals, the Sixers made quick work of their opponents, the San Francisco Warriors, winning the series 4-2. Despite a masterful performance in Game 6 by the Warriors Rick Barry, the depth of the Sixers was too much for San Francisco to handle.
More recently, in an article from 2020, Bleacher Report ranked these Sixers as the 14th best team of all time. While we can agree to disagree on that ranking, we will always remember the 1966-67 Sixers as one of the best in Philadelphia history.
You can vote for the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers basketball team in the third round of our Philly's Greatest Team bracket!
When our stores closed around this time last year due to the pandemic, we were 100% online for several weeks. To encourage safe and easy shopping we temporarily got rid of shipping fees. Despite the stores reopening last summer, we kept free shipping through the holiday season and into 2021.
As we (hopefully) return to some semblance of normal, we need to re-calibrate our shipping practices. We hope you understand that as a small business, we simply cannot afford to ship everything free forever. But we want to ease back into that practice gently, so we're instituting the following changes on April 1:
We're committed to producing original vintage designs and providing a great shopping experience however you connect with us. We hope this balanced approach fits best for our customers, partners and staff.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for continuing to support small local business.
- Brian & Johnny
Thirty-three years ago, John Chaney's Temple Owls were at the center of the college basketball universe. The 18-1 Owls were named the No. 1 team in the country on Feb. 8, 1988 becoming the first Big 5 team since the 1954-55 La Salle Explorers to earn the honor. The timing was impeccable as the Owls were set to take on their nationally ranked neighbors from the Main Line in what was billed as the most highly anticipated Big 5 matchup of the decade.
An overflow crowd of over 4,500 packed McGonigle Hall for the Owls’ only matchup of the season against Villanova. Rollie Massimino’s Wildcats had the upper hand early with an 8-0 run, but Temple’s prolific offensive prevailed in the end. Temple sealed the game late, outscoring the Wildcats 7-2 in the final three minutes and burying 14-consecutive free throws.
Owls freshman guard Mark Macon, who went on to become Temple’s all-time leading scorer, had a career-high 31 points. Teammate Howie Evans finished with 20 assists, two shy of the NCAA’s single-game record.
The Wildcats did all they could to match their Big 5 counterparts. They shot 51.7 percent from the floor. Point guard Kenny Wilson finished with 25 points, but they didn’t have much left to match Temple’s late onslaught.
More than a quarter of the century later, the game still holds up as one of the greatest 40 minutes of Big 5 basketball. Paradoxically, the two teams managed to play tight defense while giving up a combined 184 points. Both Massimino and Chaney cooked up a variety of defensive schemes but in the end, nine players combined to reach double figures in points. The intensity of the rivalry was amplified by the national spotlight and the players rose to the occasion.
"I thought it was one of the best basketball games played in this city in a lot of years, a lot of years," Massimino told the Inquirer after the game. "You can go back to whenever and you won’t find a basketball game played the way this one was."
Chaney, who couldn’t care less about what the polls said about his team, recognized that what transpired was worthy enough to be remembered by Philadelphia basketball fans for generations.
"Rollie and I could have stood on Broad Street and ate peanuts; this was a game for the players," Chaney said. "I don’t think I ever had control of it. It was nothing I orchestrated. The players played themselves into a win."
The Owls' performance that night secured their #1 ranking for at least another day. Chaney’s team would remain at the top for the remainder of the season, winning the next 13 games before falling to Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
You can vote for the 1988 Temple Owls men's basketball team in the first round of our Philly's Greatest Teams bracket.
