Consistently having a competitive ball club is why the attendance is so good. When the team was lame in the early to mid 90s, the attendance wasn't as good. I remember lots of empty seats at old Busch when I was a kid. Bill DeWitt has been a good owner, and has given us many years of .500 or better ball. The Rams attendance was great when they were competitive, too. Having the worst 10 year record in NFL history is what led to bad football attendance.
Their lame excuse was that the Dome "lacked amenities." Yet it was perfectly designed for football. The Rams smeared the stadium because they needed an excuse for a taxpayer-funded, billion-dollar welfare payment, even though there was nothing wrong with the Dome.
@@davidlafleche1142 I'm not sure. the atmosphere at the Dome felt weird. it felt more like a loud conference room than a football stadium when I went to 2 Rams games (one was a MNF game against the Niners and the second was their final game at the Dome) and the Real Madrid-Inter Milan game. plus, parking was difficult and there was no good spot outside the Dome to tailgate.
@@djtrankilo231 So what? You're supposed to go to a stadium, watch a game, then go home. Fenway Park has even fewer "amenities" than that, but sports fans pack it out.
To be honest I'm a Cardinals fan, but the Cardinals should've never won that series. The Tigers committed so many errors in that series that they gave it to the Cardinals. I'd say that series had some of the worst Defense played in World Series History. Had the Tigers played like they had all year the Cardinals wouldn't have stood a chance.
@@jaredrichmond929 what people forget is that the field was sogging wet for the St. Louis game of that series and that was a big reason for the poor defense on both sides for that series
@@jaredrichmond929 Hi Jared I agree the Tigers defense forgot to show up especially the pitching fielders, but to the Cardinals credit they capitalized on all the Tigers mistakes and pounded them in 5 game's
@@williamwilkinson381 Absolutely the Cardinal's do it the right way through the draft and farm system and timely free agent signings. The Tigers are finally trying to build the team this way and even though they took a step backwards this season it's still the best way to build a team
The St. Louis browns used to be the first Milwaukee brewers for one season. Also Busch stadium hosted the nhl winter classic between the blues and blackhawks.
@@ossoduro7794 Lol! My dad bought his buddy's "football" Cardinals season tickets in 1975. I was 15 and remember warming my hands in the bathroom air dryer at halftime. Memories 😄
Consistent winning makes it easy to have great attendance. No matter what size market it is, if u are winning the fans will show up..... except the Tampa Rays😅
@@dmoran1093 The Yankees own the territorial rights to Tampa, and will never allow the Rays to play there. The Rays should move to Omaha, which already has a nice baseball-only stadium.
@@dmoran1093 No, it would be different if the people in Florida with the most money actually lived there during most of baseball season. The Marlins have also always had the same problem, even during the rare seasons that they have a good team.
The reason it’s well attended is because the cardinals are objectively a well run organization that is among the most important franchises in the entire sport.
Saw the Red Sox finally win the World Series in '04. Wonderful experience at the old Busch Stadium. Great baseball town. The fans are excellent, knowledgeable and welcoming.
@derbagger I've never been to either the old or new Busch Stadium, but I'd like to someday. I'm sure their fans and the stadium employees are especially nice and courteous. 😀
@@oldiesgeek454 that night the Red Sox celebrated on the field, went into the clubhouse to spray champagne and came back out to celebrate with all us fans. There were maybe 8-10,000 Red Sox fans there. The stadium crew let us stay for maybe 2.5 hours after the game as the entire organization partied. The stadium employees were very gracious.
I attended that game as well.. my cousin gave his tickets to a roommate from Boston. Watching those 2 gentlemen enjoy that moment was priceless... what cardinals fans stuck around cheered w/u guys. 100 years no WS, I was honored to be there for that
Die hard cardinal fan my whole life. Born in Bridgeton MO. Lived in Atlanta for 6 years. Went to every cardinal game at turner field. It was great. Had a ton of people come up to me and told me being the fact I live in Atlanta I need to braves a fan. I couldn't do it. I bleed cardinal red and proud of it. Haven't been to the new Busch Stadium but one day I will make it there
This was a great video. I was just in St. Louis on vacation and got to walk around the park and the village area. Really well done by the Cardinals. Thanks for sharing!
Great video! St. Louis is the best baseball city in America. Busch Stadium the third is a beautiful venue. Great, knowledgable baseball fans in St. Louis, great tradition and a storied baseball franchise!
Being a lifelong Cards fan, I'd watch them in a shoe box. Busch 3 is nice though. I watched Sosa and Mac save baseball in Busch 2 so I will always have a soft spot for that place. I met Pujols his rookie season there too.
St. Louis is a lot bigger than people think. Like you said, the metro area is almost 3 million. Plus the Cardinals have a huge fan base outside of the metro too. Most of Missouri, and Southern Illinois and many other places in the Midwest are majority cardinal fans, and there are tons more outside that. They're like the NLs Yankees
I grew up in Western Kentucky and going to a Cardinals game was the highlight of our summers. Our cousins lived there and our town didnt have any large malls so mom and sis happily went too. Great memories.
Really would love to see one of these for Dodger Stadium. People don't think of Los Angeles as a baseball town but the Dodgers have a huge and loyal fanbase, and arguably the best stadium in baseball. Plus, you wouldn't know it by looking at it bur it's the 3rd oldest stadium in the MLB (after Fenway and Wrigley). Great channel.
Wtf do you mean that we aren’t a baseball town, we have a loyal fan base that supports the Dodgers even during the though times and are consistently high in league attendance, (and not just because we have the biggest stadium). If we aren’t a baseball town, then NYC has no idea what baseball is.
he should. LA despite its population have a lot of fairweather fans. It's amazing how much Angelinos love the Dodgers even if they aren't a dynasty yet. he should also do a video on the Lakers, Galaxy and LAFC while he's at it, since both Galaxy and LAFC do really well in attendance also
You nailed it. The biggest reason is winning. The one thing I would add is the historical cardinal footprint. The Cards draw from S. Ill, Indiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Part of this is bc of old KMOX huge radio tower and part bc originally teams didn’t exist in Texas and elsewhere.
In my mid-sixties now. As a youngster growing up in Chicago, I was a die-hard Cubs fan, but my uncle and his sons loved the Cardinals. We would drive down to St. Louis sometimes when the Cubs were on the road there. I would be the only one of us out of five who had on a Cubs cap. I truly miss those days.
Grew up in the '80s in STL as a Cards fan. But back then I also followed the Cubs because they almost always had day games (lights didn't come until '88) and were televised on WGN. So I'd get home from school and catch the games. I saw more Cubs games than Cards games b/c home Cards games were blacked out unless complete sellout. So I'd have to listen on the radio in my parents' bedroom, to Jack Buck. Anyway we were in Chicago on vacation and went to a Cubs-Astros game. I wore a mix of Cubs/Cards gear. I didn't realize we were supposed to hate each other. We hated Mets more at that time. I remember my Dad and brother telling me I shouldn't wear both but my mom let me lol. Nobody said anything. We saw Harry Caray (also a Cards legend) switch booths late in the game, everyone was cheering as he walked across the catwalk. He smiled and waved and I remember my dad joking he was probably drunk. As we were leaving I saw Jose Cruz rip a triple to center-field. When we got to our car we were stuck. Lol. Chicago was a big city compared to STL.
@@robloxvids2233 Great story. I could imagine you with Cubs jersey and a Cards cap. They were my favorite teams from the late sixties until...well, they are still my favorite MLB teams. I was around when Jack Brickhouse (look him up youngster) was calling the games. I had my little pocket AM FM radio with me every day. Thanks for the memories.
@@FATillery I was gonna ask you if you ever went to Sportsman's Park in STL. I think that era ended in 1965 and Busch opened in '65 or '66. You may have. My dad is 71 and used to sell scorecards at Sportsman's Park for his first job.
My blood runs St. Louis Cardinal RED. Tomorrow is opening day in St. Louis. Sure hope it doesn't rain so they get the game in. It's the day for the horses pulling the wagon, all the famous Cardinal greats out on the field. Can hardly wait.
St. Louis back in the day had some of the strongest radio signals in the country. Combined with mostly flat midwest and Cardinal games were broadcasted deep into several states. Even now, it has the largest affiliate radio network in Major League Baseball. At night I could listen to KMOX even here in North Carolina 800 miles away.
I’m the old days, the Cardinals were the furthest West team for people to attach to. With the powerhouse KMOX radio station broadcasting games far and wide, many people in all the states surrounding Missouri became die hard fans.
You're leaving out the impact of KMOX. Much like TBS and WGN have spread Braves and Cubs (respectively) games to large audiences, resulting in a geographically distributed fan base in the past couple of decades, KMOX did that for the Cards on the radio in the pre-TV era.
it's successful because any Cardinals fan in that area is a diehard fan, and since the Cardinals are a consistent playoff team, they draw massive crowds. I went to Opening Day there, and there wasnt much breathing room outside the stadium
1:35 yes, people wouldn't go to Rams games However the TV viewership numbers for the Rams here were very solid, and despite being so much smaller, the Rams averaged more viewers per game when they were in St. Louis than the entire time they've been in LA
You should do Providence Park in Portland. Originally built in the 20s it has hosted soccer, American football, baseball and greyhound racing to name a few. It has gone through several name changes such as Multnomah stadium, Civic stadium, PGE Park, Jen weld field and Providence park.
Having lived in St. Louis all my life the fact is marketing also helps. They have always reached out to fans outside of St. Louis. Even before cable TV they had a vast radio and TV network, they still have a large radio network today and the flagship station is now as it almost always has been a 50,000 watt clear channel station that at night reaches 44 states and parts of Canada. I remember in the 70's and 80's that Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Texas, Pittsburgh and others also had similar stations. Most have moved to FM or 1000 watt sports only stations.
I live in St. Louis and in fairness it's not the fans' fault that the Rams didn't draw. The fact is that when they were winning and had an owner that was trying to win they drew, Stan Kroenke the owner that moved them to L.A. not only made no effort to win but intentionally ran the team into the ground and the owners rewarded him by giving him Los Angeles. The fact is that prior to co-vid the city's USFL team had the highest attendance in the league.
@@fyrf0x8910 St. Louis is getting a mls team next year, for nfl the Cardinals and rams have both come and gone and for nba the hawks were there until 1968 before moving to Atlanta
@@anthony_rivera4735 St. Louis is a football town, no matter what Stan Kroenke says. He was just running the team into the ground so attendance would drop and we'd look like we weren't football fans. The only reason we dont have a team is because of stupid business; just about evey NFL owner only care about money and not the fanbase, so in their eyes, adding a St. Louis team would be a financial failure when its exactly the opposite if you'd look at it the other way. Basketball is also way more popular than you think, especially in the north parts of the city, and we've had lots of young basketball talent come out of St. Louis throughout the years. Again, stupid business is the only reason we dont have a team.
Parents and their friends were season ticket holders few years back. Didn’t go to every game but drove 3 hours for a few days of baseball when they went
The atmosphere. Its loose. When you get there its a breath of fresh air. Once you are inside you cant help but be in a good mood and its addictive. Most ppl at games get along w ppl sitting around them. Ppl tend to be in great moods when at Busch. Even just walking around outiside you see all the kids and elders alike just smiling ear to ear.
The thing is that St. Louis is larger than ever. The City of St. Louis is a small collection of neighborhoods and the downtown area in a smaller landmass than the City of Columbia, MO (Pop. 140,000 est.) The St. Louis Metropolitan Area is almost 3 Million strong and the 21st largest media market in the US. Its cultural amenities are world class and it is vastly underrated.
The public only had to pay for 20%, 80% privately funded. Compare that to most other stadiums where owners threaten to move if they have to pay for a new stadium.
People always talk about the Cardinals Radio Network on KMOX 1120. Big 50,000 watt clear channel AM station right in the middle of the dial and in the middle of the country. Also the soil helps improve signal conductivity too. I don’t know how much that helps these days, but historically it would have helped to grow the fan base. Especially in central Illinois where they would be competing for market with the Cubs on WGN 720 and to a lesser extent the White Sox on WMAQ 670. The Sox also changed stations over the years a lot more than the Cubs or Cards ever did.
I'm a diehard Cubs fan (and to a lesser extent, a Reds fan since I live in Cincinnati) and I absolutely loathe the Cardinals. Nothing but respect for the franchise. You can't argue with their success. But I love to see them fail. Rare as it is. I finally went to Busch this past September on a cool Friday evening and it was a great experience. Everything about that stadium just "works". I even got heat from a few ushers for wearing my Cubs hat. 😆
As a lifelong Cardinals fan, one of my favorite pastimes has been watching the Cubs lose. Watching the Reds lose is my second favorite. You're still welcome at Busch though. And if you do ever feel the need to repent and become a Cards fan, I'd be more than happy to get you a hat.
One thing about playing the reds over the last 10 to 15 years is that no matter how much the reds are down they are never out of a game. Most resilient team in the mlb. Home or away
cardinals fans come from all over the Midwest, the South, the North, ,i live in Arkansas, i grew up listening to Jack Buck and Harry Carey on 1120 K.M O X in S t Louis in the mid 60's i am 65 now, and i think this is the reason they draw so well from around surrounding states was because of K M .O. X radio , and of course of the history and tradition of the Cardinals .
The original Busch stadium was located where Disneyworld was supposed to be. Walt Disney didn’t want beer sold at his amusement park so he took it to Orlando Florida. Thank you Aunheiser Busch!
Also for the longest time they were the team located furthest to the west, and even when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California it didn't affect them much. Plus games broadcast on clear-channel KMOX radio. So many states around Missouri have large numbers of Cardinals fans.
Busch hosted my personal all-time favourite game, #6 of the 2011 World Series. Twice the Rangers were one strike away from the Championship. (Freese won it in the 11th.) Belated notes on a single eighties attendance: A kid who threw the first pitch arrived in a helicopter. A dumpy guy wearing t-shirt and shorts had the number picked from his programme. He was handed a glove and stood in deep centre between the later innings. A machine located near home plate lofted a high fly which he caught to win his prize. The Buffalo fans really, really cheered for him. Pilot Field: BIG TIME memories from a truly magnificent minor league ballpark! ⚾️
The Cardinals do not date back to 1876 with the NL's founding. The team started as the STL Brown Stockings, a barnstorming team purchased by saloon owner Chris von der Ahe as a charter member in the rival American Association in 1881. The franchise was eventually bought out and merged into the NL in 1892 along with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Brooklyn (now LA).
St. Louis isn't just a baseball city like people say. Its a sports city in general. The Blues have one of the best fanbases in hockey, St. Louis CITY SC is projected to be one of the most supported franchises in MLS history, and the St. Louis BattleHawks, a MINOR LEAGUE football team, consistently *sells out* the Dome at America's Center, which, may I remind you, is an outdated and heavily criticized venue, yet St. Louisans still long to attend the games. By far the most underrated sports market in the United States and more leagues (NFL and NBA? 👀) need to capitalize on the city's fanbase.
Good video. And appreciate the attention to our often unfairly maligned town. I take one issue. The Rams poor attendance was not an implication that the city wasn’t supportive. It was a result of the owner intentionally tanking the team to drive down attendance. The Rams had the worst 5 years stretch in NFL history at the end here. This is no conspiracy theory. There is undeniable proof. Which is why Kroenke eventually had to pay 3/4 of a billion dollars to the region earlier this year.
I just attended two games this week and some things that aren't mentioned. It is affordable with great views. I had bleacher seats that cost around $10 including taxes and service fees. It was close to the family pavilion and Ford Plaza. In short Busch is all about family entertainment. Sunday was an Ice Cream Social in Ford Plaza and the place was packed. It is the only stadium that has a Build-A-Bear store. Team Fred Bird is also in the plaza entertaining the kids before the game. Let's face it, that is smart marketing. For a hundred bucks you can take the entire family to a ballgame, if the kids get bored go let them play in a picnic area, wander around and then go back to your seats. If you don't want to spend money on overpriced food and drinks, bring small coolers with sandwiches and water.
Because st Louis city and St. Louis county are separated statistically, unlike most cities, St. Louis gets a bad rap when it comes to population and decline. Although St. Louis city is losing large amounts of people the county surrounding is continually growing, and these are the people heading to the ballpark
Funny enough, St Louis has actually become much more of a hockey town than a baseball town in recent years. The Cardinals have a warm place in St Louis residents like myself, but if you walk around the city you’ll find more Blues gear than Cards gear. The Cardinals also didn’t even come close to selling out some their playoff games the last time they were in the playoffs. I went to Game 4 of the 2019 NLDS at Busch and while the ballpark is solid, it was barely 3/4 full…for a playoff game! The city still loves baseball, but at the same time, like most of America, it’s still in decline overall in the city relative to NHL hockey and even NFL football with the Chiefs eating up the Rams’ former supporters with their success
Baseball is still #1, but the Blues FINALLY winning the Cup got them the notice they needed. They will both have to compete with MLS next year. Soccer is St.Louis' Sleeping Giant sport!!!!
Though they are winning now Busch 2 drew large crowds as well when not winning. I went to games in the 90s on a regular basis and even day games where I was allowed to miss school, the place was far from empty lol.
It also needs to be mentioned the ballpark doesn't have the gimmick of different sized walls and dimensions. 335 down the lines 375 in the alleys 400 to center with 8 foot walls all around.
we LOVE sports in St Louis… football too… tickets always sell out for the blues and cardinals and the battle hawks too when we had them.. the rams didn’t care about the city, winning or improving… they didn’t care until they moved to LA but if they did they would’ve always sold out here
100%. When the Rams were good the Dome sold out every game. Frankly our attendance wasn't bad by percentage. It was typically 90% to 93%. I would bet more actual "Rams" fans attended the bad years in St. Louis than do in the good years in LA.
The Cardinals are intertwined with the identity of the city. The Cards were formed in 1882 when St. Louis was the very tip of western American Civilization, rivaled only by San Francisco. There were only 38 states at this time, Wyatt Earp and his crew had his famous showdown at the O.K. Corral the year before. They were the only MLB team west of the Mississippi until 1958 which brought legitimacy to the city. Busch Stadium is successful because the Cards are an essential part of St. Louis.
I live in Kansas City and go to Cardinals games every other year give or take. I have found that the food and beer are cheaper at bush stadium. I have also at times found cheaper or more reasonable priced tickets for cardinals games as well. Its frustrating because it seems like the Royals make up for bad baseball by killing you on there prices and I am sure there not the only team that does this. The Cardinals are never really bad but I kind of feel like they get the best of both worlds. Great Prices and Great Baseball. When someone tells me they don't like baseball I tell them to go see some games in STL bc the experience and atmosphere are so much better.
Also, the cards put on some killer ticket promos (for e.g., im going to a game on Tuesday night and I got my tickets for $3.14 each for 314 day (the area code for all of stl) and the cards frequently give out free jerseys and other useful actually desirable items for the first few thousand in attendance. That and our newfound hatred of the nfl, many I know won’t even watch it now that they betrayed us. Also the stadiums location on the metro line and right off i64 helps (and the fact that less going on downtown means easier parking).
I live in Atlanta, Ga now and they have a newer stadium obviously than busch...and it just doesnt feel right when I go to the games there. Im like theres something missing.
As one born in 1943 and reared on Cardinal baseball as "the only real sport in the world". may I respectfully suggest the Cardinals owe their fan base, and therefore their success, to fans being taught how to be fans by the radio voices of Gabby Street, Harry Carry, and Jack Buck. Without radio to draw people from all over the region there would never have been the money to build great teams, much less stadiums.
another thing is that tickets are pretty cheap. i remember that when i lived there i went to several games where i could purchase tickets for a group of 8 and eat and drink only spending like 60 dollars and you’re almost guaranteed a win
sometimes I wonder how it'd be like if St. Louis had an AL team, despite St. Louis not being large enough to have 2 ball teams. everyone loves the Cardinals, yet how would it be like if the Browns were still around?? then again, there were rumors of the White Sox moving away from Chicago not that long ago, so there's that.
St. Louis used to be the 4th largest city in the United States before the trend of "living in the suburbs" came round in the 50s. Now the city is practically dead, with only 300,000 people, mostly in poverty, living in city limits, yet 2.1 million people live in the Greater St. Louis Metro Area. If the Sox can survive and succeed in the 3rd largest city in America, then the Browns could survive back in St. Louis's heyday.
The stadium works because they're baseball fans with the knowledge of the game. St Louis is a mid size market, but it covers a large portion of the mid west.
Consistently having a competitive ball club is why the attendance is so good. When the team was lame in the early to mid 90s, the attendance wasn't as good. I remember lots of empty seats at old Busch when I was a kid. Bill DeWitt has been a good owner, and has given us many years of .500 or better ball. The Rams attendance was great when they were competitive, too. Having the worst 10 year record in NFL history is what led to bad football attendance.
Their lame excuse was that the Dome "lacked amenities." Yet it was perfectly designed for football. The Rams smeared the stadium because they needed an excuse for a taxpayer-funded, billion-dollar welfare payment, even though there was nothing wrong with the Dome.
Rays ?
@@davidlafleche1142 I'm not sure. the atmosphere at the Dome felt weird. it felt more like a loud conference room than a football stadium when I went to 2 Rams games (one was a MNF game against the Niners and the second was their final game at the Dome) and the Real Madrid-Inter Milan game. plus, parking was difficult and there was no good spot outside the Dome to tailgate.
@@djtrankilo231 So what? You're supposed to go to a stadium, watch a game, then go home. Fenway Park has even fewer "amenities" than that, but sports fans pack it out.
I realized how good the card's fan base is in 3rd grade I got tickets to an April noon game and it was easily 80% full.
The Cardinals amaze me with their consistency yearly. They broke my heart in 06 beating my Tigers, but I have much respect.
@Lions fan. A big part of it is their farm team system
To be honest I'm a Cardinals fan, but the Cardinals should've never won that series. The Tigers committed so many errors in that series that they gave it to the Cardinals. I'd say that series had some of the worst Defense played in World Series History. Had the Tigers played like they had all year the Cardinals wouldn't have stood a chance.
@@jaredrichmond929 what people forget is that the field was sogging wet for the St. Louis game of that series and that was a big reason for the poor defense on both sides for that series
@@jaredrichmond929 Hi Jared I agree the Tigers defense forgot to show up especially the pitching fielders, but to the Cardinals credit they capitalized on all the Tigers mistakes and pounded them in 5 game's
@@williamwilkinson381 Absolutely the Cardinal's do it the right way through the draft and farm system and timely free agent signings. The Tigers are finally trying to build the team this way and even though they took a step backwards this season it's still the best way to build a team
The St. Louis browns used to be the first Milwaukee brewers for one season. Also Busch stadium hosted the nhl winter classic between the blues and blackhawks.
Great video. You nailed it with the STL Cardinals. You can never ever count them out at any time.
I grew up in St Louis in the 70's. Lou Brock, Ted Simmons and Bob Gibson. The old Busch Stadium was Classic!
Superjam! The old Busch Stadium was better! Although they sucked, and I'm not a football fan, even seeing the 'Big Red' there was a blast.
@@ossoduro7794 Lol! My dad bought his buddy's "football" Cardinals season tickets in 1975. I was 15 and remember warming my hands in the bathroom air dryer at halftime. Memories 😄
@@debbiemullen2574 It was freezing the time I went, too.
Consistent winning makes it easy to have great attendance. No matter what size market it is, if u are winning the fans will show up..... except the Tampa Rays😅
To be fare tampa's stadium Is located in a bad location. It would be different if they were actually in Tampa.
@@dmoran1093 The Yankees own the territorial rights to Tampa, and will never allow the Rays to play there. The Rays should move to Omaha, which already has a nice baseball-only stadium.
Yep
@@dmoran1093 No, it would be different if the people in Florida with the most money actually lived there during most of baseball season. The Marlins have also always had the same problem, even during the rare seasons that they have a good team.
The Expos should return.
The reason it’s well attended is because the cardinals are objectively a well run organization that is among the most important franchises in the entire sport.
Lol yeah try working for them. 2.5 billion dollar organization that treats front office employees like worker ants
Saw the Red Sox finally win the World Series in '04. Wonderful experience at the old Busch Stadium. Great baseball town. The fans are excellent, knowledgeable and welcoming.
@derbagger I've never been to either the old or new Busch Stadium, but I'd like to someday. I'm sure their fans and the stadium employees are especially nice and courteous. 😀
@@oldiesgeek454 that night the Red Sox celebrated on the field, went into the clubhouse to spray champagne and came back out to celebrate with all us fans. There were maybe 8-10,000 Red Sox fans there. The stadium crew let us stay for maybe 2.5 hours after the game as the entire organization partied. The stadium employees were very gracious.
@@derbagger22 Thanks for sharing that, great story. 😊
@@derbagger22 ..f the Red Sox and F Boston
I attended that game as well.. my cousin gave his tickets to a roommate from Boston. Watching those 2 gentlemen enjoy that moment was priceless... what cardinals fans stuck around cheered w/u guys. 100 years no WS, I was honored to be there for that
I saw my 1st MLB game at Busch Stadium the 2nd back in 89. I got to see Ozzie Smith play.
I remember my first game at Busch Stadium 2 in 1969
Both of those were in the old Busch Stadium. Classic!
I remember my first game at Busch Stadium 2 + 1967 I saw Lou Brock and Curt flood Bob Gibson play
@@mikekeeler6362 I'm a Phillies fan. My parents took me to old Busch Stadium on my way to Iowa to visit family
@@jonpike9991 cool
Die hard cardinal fan my whole life. Born in Bridgeton MO. Lived in Atlanta for 6 years. Went to every cardinal game at turner field. It was great. Had a ton of people come up to me and told me being the fact I live in Atlanta I need to braves a fan. I couldn't do it. I bleed cardinal red and proud of it. Haven't been to the new Busch Stadium but one day I will make it there
This was a great video. I was just in St. Louis on vacation and got to walk around the park and the village area. Really well done by the Cardinals. Thanks for sharing!
Was there in January. Didn't go by the stadium, but saw it from the Arch. It looks like it also fits with the city.
Great video! St. Louis is the best baseball city in America. Busch Stadium the third is a beautiful venue. Great, knowledgable baseball fans in St. Louis, great tradition and a storied baseball franchise!
Why on earth would you come here on vacation?
Being a lifelong Cards fan, I'd watch them in a shoe box. Busch 3 is nice though. I watched Sosa and Mac save baseball in Busch 2 so I will always have a soft spot for that place. I met Pujols his rookie season there too.
St. Louis is a lot bigger than people think. Like you said, the metro area is almost 3 million. Plus the Cardinals have a huge fan base outside of the metro too. Most of Missouri, and Southern Illinois and many other places in the Midwest are majority cardinal fans, and there are tons more outside that. They're like the NLs Yankees
I grew up in Western Kentucky and going to a Cardinals game was the highlight of our summers.
Our cousins lived there and our town didnt have any large malls so mom and sis happily went too.
Great memories.
Really would love to see one of these for Dodger Stadium. People don't think of Los Angeles as a baseball town but the Dodgers have a huge and loyal fanbase, and arguably the best stadium in baseball. Plus, you wouldn't know it by looking at it bur it's the 3rd oldest stadium in the MLB (after Fenway and Wrigley).
Great channel.
Wtf do you mean that we aren’t a baseball town, we have a loyal fan base that supports the Dodgers even during the though times and are consistently high in league attendance, (and not just because we have the biggest stadium). If we aren’t a baseball town, then NYC has no idea what baseball is.
I think he'll gonna cover the Battle of Chavez Ravine when he's talking about them later
Dodgers and Yankees have all money and the Commissioner in their hip pocket. That is what matters to baseball is money not a loyal fanbase.
@@bigj6143 yes, but he's talking about their attendance.
he should. LA despite its population have a lot of fairweather fans. It's amazing how much Angelinos love the Dodgers even if they aren't a dynasty yet. he should also do a video on the Lakers, Galaxy and LAFC while he's at it, since both Galaxy and LAFC do really well in attendance also
You nailed it. The biggest reason is winning. The one thing I would add is the historical cardinal footprint. The Cards draw from S. Ill, Indiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Part of this is bc of old KMOX huge radio tower and part bc originally teams didn’t exist in Texas and elsewhere.
Kansas and Illinois are Cardinal states. Chicago fans are trickled in there but most are STL fans.
Boston is a great Red Sox town, St Louis is a great baseball town. There’s a difference.
Cardinals are better though Cardinal Nation
I travel from Wyoming to see my Cardinals!!! I can also pick them up on KMOX here too! Unbelievable! Go CARDS!!!!
Got to visit this stadium to see my Twins play. Awesome stadium, great setting, and terrific fans. That's why it works.
In my mid-sixties now. As a youngster growing up in Chicago, I was a die-hard Cubs fan, but my uncle and his sons loved the Cardinals. We would drive down to St. Louis sometimes when the Cubs were on the road there. I would be the only one of us out of five who had on a Cubs cap. I truly miss those days.
Grew up in the '80s in STL as a Cards fan. But back then I also followed the Cubs because they almost always had day games (lights didn't come until '88) and were televised on WGN. So I'd get home from school and catch the games. I saw more Cubs games than Cards games b/c home Cards games were blacked out unless complete sellout. So I'd have to listen on the radio in my parents' bedroom, to Jack Buck. Anyway we were in Chicago on vacation and went to a Cubs-Astros game. I wore a mix of Cubs/Cards gear. I didn't realize we were supposed to hate each other. We hated Mets more at that time. I remember my Dad and brother telling me I shouldn't wear both but my mom let me lol. Nobody said anything. We saw Harry Caray (also a Cards legend) switch booths late in the game, everyone was cheering as he walked across the catwalk. He smiled and waved and I remember my dad joking he was probably drunk. As we were leaving I saw Jose Cruz rip a triple to center-field. When we got to our car we were stuck. Lol. Chicago was a big city compared to STL.
@@robloxvids2233 Great story. I could imagine you with Cubs jersey and a Cards cap. They were my favorite teams from the late sixties until...well, they are still my favorite MLB teams. I was around when Jack Brickhouse (look him up youngster) was calling the games. I had my little pocket AM FM radio with me every day. Thanks for the memories.
@@FATillery I was gonna ask you if you ever went to Sportsman's Park in STL. I think that era ended in 1965 and Busch opened in '65 or '66. You may have. My dad is 71 and used to sell scorecards at Sportsman's Park for his first job.
@@robloxvids2233 No, I do not recall ever going there. I turned ten in 1968 and my cousins were even younger, so we were not making those treks yet.
My blood runs St. Louis Cardinal RED. Tomorrow is opening day in St. Louis. Sure hope it doesn't rain so they get the game in. It's the day for the horses pulling the wagon, all the famous Cardinal greats out on the field. Can hardly wait.
To me when I think of St. Louis it is baseball.
And beer.
St. Louis back in the day had some of the strongest radio signals in the country. Combined with mostly flat midwest and Cardinal games were broadcasted deep into several states. Even now, it has the largest affiliate radio network in Major League Baseball. At night I could listen to KMOX even here in North Carolina 800 miles away.
I’m the old days, the Cardinals were the furthest West team for people to attach to. With the powerhouse KMOX radio station broadcasting games far and wide, many people in all the states surrounding Missouri became die hard fans.
Yep, my grandpa was a Cards fan before the Rangers finally came to North Texas.
You're leaving out the impact of KMOX. Much like TBS and WGN have spread Braves and Cubs (respectively) games to large audiences, resulting in a geographically distributed fan base in the past couple of decades, KMOX did that for the Cards on the radio in the pre-TV era.
I’ve seen concerts,soccer,hockey and of course plenty of baseball at Bush and it all works! The stadium itself has a great atmosphere.
it's successful because any Cardinals fan in that area is a diehard fan, and since the Cardinals are a consistent playoff team, they draw massive crowds. I went to Opening Day there, and there wasnt much breathing room outside the stadium
Beautiful stadium, great tradition, passionate fanbase built over generations.
1:35 yes, people wouldn't go to Rams games
However the TV viewership numbers for the Rams here were very solid, and despite being so much smaller, the Rams averaged more viewers per game when they were in St. Louis than the entire time they've been in LA
EXACTLY
You should do Providence Park in Portland. Originally built in the 20s it has hosted soccer, American football, baseball and greyhound racing to name a few. It has gone through several name changes such as Multnomah stadium, Civic stadium, PGE Park, Jen weld field and Providence park.
MLS's oldest stadium even though the league is fairly recent in the 1990s.
@@12KevinPower Yeah, the Portland Timbers joined the MLS in 2010 but they were also in the NASL
Having lived in St. Louis all my life the fact is marketing also helps. They have always reached out to fans outside of St. Louis. Even before cable TV they had a vast radio and TV network, they still have a large radio network today and the flagship station is now as it almost always has been a 50,000 watt clear channel station that at night reaches 44 states and parts of Canada. I remember in the 70's and 80's that Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Texas, Pittsburgh and others also had similar stations. Most have moved to FM or 1000 watt sports only stations.
I live in St. Louis and in fairness it's not the fans' fault that the Rams didn't draw. The fact is that when they were winning and had an owner that was trying to win they drew, Stan Kroenke the owner that moved them to L.A. not only made no effort to win but intentionally ran the team into the ground and the owners rewarded him by giving him Los Angeles. The fact is that prior to co-vid the city's USFL team had the highest attendance in the league.
Not only did Kroenke make no effort to win, he did everything he could to make going to the games a horrible experience.
St. Louis is also a hockey town because the blues have a loyal fanbase
Former players love it there too. Many have stuck around in retirement
And a soccer town. And a football town. And a basketball town believe it or not.
@@fyrf0x8910 St. Louis is getting a mls team next year, for nfl the Cardinals and rams have both come and gone and for nba the hawks were there until 1968 before moving to Atlanta
@@anthony_rivera4735 St. Louis is a football town, no matter what Stan Kroenke says. He was just running the team into the ground so attendance would drop and we'd look like we weren't football fans. The only reason we dont have a team is because of stupid business; just about evey NFL owner only care about money and not the fanbase, so in their eyes, adding a St. Louis team would be a financial failure when its exactly the opposite if you'd look at it the other way. Basketball is also way more popular than you think, especially in the north parts of the city, and we've had lots of young basketball talent come out of St. Louis throughout the years. Again, stupid business is the only reason we dont have a team.
Parents and their friends were season ticket holders few years back. Didn’t go to every game but drove 3 hours for a few days of baseball when they went
The atmosphere. Its loose. When you get there its a breath of fresh air. Once you are inside you cant help but be in a good mood and its addictive. Most ppl at games get along w ppl sitting around them. Ppl tend to be in great moods when at Busch. Even just walking around outiside you see all the kids and elders alike just smiling ear to ear.
The thing is that St. Louis is larger than ever. The City of St. Louis is a small collection of neighborhoods and the downtown area in a smaller landmass than the City of Columbia, MO (Pop. 140,000 est.) The St. Louis Metropolitan Area is almost 3 Million strong and the 21st largest media market in the US. Its cultural amenities are world class and it is vastly underrated.
The public only had to pay for 20%, 80% privately funded. Compare that to most other stadiums where owners threaten to move if they have to pay for a new stadium.
People always talk about the Cardinals Radio Network on KMOX 1120. Big 50,000 watt clear channel AM station right in the middle of the dial and in the middle of the country. Also the soil helps improve signal conductivity too. I don’t know how much that helps these days, but historically it would have helped to grow the fan base. Especially in central Illinois where they would be competing for market with the Cubs on WGN 720 and to a lesser extent the White Sox on WMAQ 670. The Sox also changed stations over the years a lot more than the Cubs or Cards ever did.
Even as a Cubs fan, I have to say that Busch Stadium is a beautiful place to catch a ball game.
I'm a diehard Cubs fan (and to a lesser extent, a Reds fan since I live in Cincinnati) and I absolutely loathe the Cardinals.
Nothing but respect for the franchise. You can't argue with their success. But I love to see them fail. Rare as it is.
I finally went to Busch this past September on a cool Friday evening and it was a great experience. Everything about that stadium just "works".
I even got heat from a few ushers for wearing my Cubs hat. 😆
One of the best rivalries in baseball 👍
Cardinals > Cubs 🤣
As a lifelong Cardinals fan, one of my favorite pastimes has been watching the Cubs lose. Watching the Reds lose is my second favorite.
You're still welcome at Busch though. And if you do ever feel the need to repent and become a Cards fan, I'd be more than happy to get you a hat.
One thing about playing the reds over the last 10 to 15 years is that no matter how much the reds are down they are never out of a game.
Most resilient team in the mlb. Home or away
cardinals fans come from all over the Midwest, the South, the North, ,i live in Arkansas, i grew up listening to Jack Buck and Harry Carey on 1120 K.M O X in S t Louis in the mid 60's i am 65 now, and i think this is the reason they draw so well from around surrounding states was because of K M .O. X radio , and of course of the history and tradition of the Cardinals
.
The original Busch stadium was located where Disneyworld was supposed to be. Walt Disney didn’t want beer sold at his amusement park so he took it to Orlando Florida. Thank you Aunheiser Busch!
I just can’t imagine St. Louis having enough space for Walt Disney World 😳
I can't find anything to substantiate this. Walt Disney checked out his "Florida" project as early as 1963. Where did you get your info?
@@howie9751 I’m wondering the same thing Disney world in that downtown location doesn’t make a lot of sense
@@stlouislord28 Probably an urban legend,
Also for the longest time they were the team located furthest to the west, and even when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California it didn't affect them much. Plus games broadcast on clear-channel KMOX radio. So many states around Missouri have large numbers of Cardinals fans.
And i hope it stays alive for generations to come. I ❤️ love ❤️ Saint Louis.
Busch hosted my personal all-time favourite game, #6 of the 2011 World Series. Twice the Rangers were one strike away from the Championship. (Freese won it in the 11th.)
Belated notes on a single eighties attendance:
A kid who threw the first pitch arrived in a helicopter. A dumpy guy wearing t-shirt and shorts had the number picked from his programme. He was handed a glove and stood in deep centre between the later innings. A machine located near home plate lofted a high fly which he caught to win his prize. The Buffalo fans really, really cheered for him. Pilot Field: BIG TIME memories from a truly magnificent minor league ballpark! ⚾️
What an amazing night that was. I was at game 7 that year. That game 6 was ELECTRIC.
We do not discuss that game at our house. (I'm a native Texan, partner is from STL)
@@reedermh Mike Napoli had a great Series.
The Cardinals do not date back to 1876 with the NL's founding. The team started as the STL Brown Stockings, a barnstorming team purchased by saloon owner Chris von der Ahe as a charter member in the rival American Association in 1881. The franchise was eventually bought out and merged into the NL in 1892 along with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Brooklyn (now LA).
This vid is a pleasant surprise
Don't forget KMOX.. still a primary reason for record-breaking Cardinals attendance, even so many years after AM radio's importance
Being one of the newer, baseball-specific ballparks certainly helps.
St. Louis isn't just a baseball city like people say. Its a sports city in general. The Blues have one of the best fanbases in hockey, St. Louis CITY SC is projected to be one of the most supported franchises in MLS history, and the St. Louis BattleHawks, a MINOR LEAGUE football team, consistently *sells out* the Dome at America's Center, which, may I remind you, is an outdated and heavily criticized venue, yet St. Louisans still long to attend the games. By far the most underrated sports market in the United States and more leagues (NFL and NBA? 👀) need to capitalize on the city's fanbase.
The rams pretty much burned the bridge for the nfl to return to STL and the fact K.C is had a few really good seasons my delay that possibility
@@Vaas109 ik and I'm pissed 😭
Good video. And appreciate the attention to our often unfairly maligned town. I take one issue. The Rams poor attendance was not an implication that the city wasn’t supportive. It was a result of the owner intentionally tanking the team to drive down attendance. The Rams had the worst 5 years stretch in NFL history at the end here. This is no conspiracy theory. There is undeniable proof. Which is why Kroenke eventually had to pay 3/4 of a billion dollars to the region earlier this year.
Busch Stadium is also a great venue for concerts as well.
I just attended two games this week and some things that aren't mentioned. It is affordable with great views. I had bleacher seats that cost around $10 including taxes and service fees. It was close to the family pavilion and Ford Plaza. In short Busch is all about family entertainment. Sunday was an Ice Cream Social in Ford Plaza and the place was packed. It is the only stadium that has a Build-A-Bear store. Team Fred Bird is also in the plaza entertaining the kids before the game. Let's face it, that is smart marketing. For a hundred bucks you can take the entire family to a ballgame, if the kids get bored go let them play in a picnic area, wander around and then go back to your seats. If you don't want to spend money on overpriced food and drinks, bring small coolers with sandwiches and water.
Because st Louis city and St. Louis county are separated statistically, unlike most cities, St. Louis gets a bad rap when it comes to population and decline. Although St. Louis city is losing large amounts of people the county surrounding is continually growing, and these are the people heading to the ballpark
Funny enough, St Louis has actually become much more of a hockey town than a baseball town in recent years. The Cardinals have a warm place in St Louis residents like myself, but if you walk around the city you’ll find more Blues gear than Cards gear. The Cardinals also didn’t even come close to selling out some their playoff games the last time they were in the playoffs. I went to Game 4 of the 2019 NLDS at Busch and while the ballpark is solid, it was barely 3/4 full…for a playoff game! The city still loves baseball, but at the same time, like most of America, it’s still in decline overall in the city relative to NHL hockey and even NFL football with the Chiefs eating up the Rams’ former supporters with their success
Baseball is still #1, but the Blues FINALLY winning the Cup got them the notice they needed. They will both have to compete with MLS next year. Soccer is St.Louis' Sleeping Giant sport!!!!
The Braves definitely used some of this, along with the neighborhood environments of Fenway and Wrigley
I liked Busch Stadium II. Seemed like great views from all around.
Though they are winning now Busch 2 drew large crowds as well when not winning. I went to games in the 90s on a regular basis and even day games where I was allowed to miss school, the place was far from empty lol.
This newest version of Busch looks far better than that crap the White Sox call home.
This along with Wrigley are probably the 2 best in baseball.
I also like how they have been building things around bush like ballpark village
The city of St. Louis is very special indeed
I still wish we had mlb in Nashville
It also needs to be mentioned the ballpark doesn't have the gimmick of different sized walls and dimensions. 335 down the lines 375 in the alleys 400 to center with 8 foot walls all around.
0:26 Constructed 2004-2006
Great ticket sales
Great ball Club
2:42 1 losing season
3:35 Heartland historical baseball tradition
1. winning team. 2. heritage. 3. nice new well-designed venue. in that order. #3 is waaaay off pace from the top 2.
@James I've never been there, but I'll bet the fans and stadium employees are especially nice and courteous.
we LOVE sports in St Louis… football too… tickets always sell out for the blues and cardinals and the battle hawks too when we had them.. the rams didn’t care about the city, winning or improving… they didn’t care until they moved to LA but if they did they would’ve always sold out here
The Rams didn't sell tickets because the owner was clearly tanking on purpose.
This cannot be stressed enough. The Rams committed fraud to leave St.Louis.
100%. When the Rams were good the Dome sold out every game. Frankly our attendance wasn't bad by percentage. It was typically 90% to 93%. I would bet more actual "Rams" fans attended the bad years in St. Louis than do in the good years in LA.
The Cardinals are intertwined with the identity of the city. The Cards were formed in 1882 when St. Louis was the very tip of western American Civilization, rivaled only by San Francisco. There were only 38 states at this time, Wyatt Earp and his crew had his famous showdown at the O.K. Corral the year before. They were the only MLB team west of the Mississippi until 1958 which brought legitimacy to the city. Busch Stadium is successful because the Cards are an essential part of St. Louis.
I live in Kansas City and go to Cardinals games every other year give or take. I have found that the food and beer are cheaper at bush stadium. I have also at times found cheaper or more reasonable priced tickets for cardinals games as well. Its frustrating because it seems like the Royals make up for bad baseball by killing you on there prices and I am sure there not the only team that does this. The Cardinals are never really bad but I kind of feel like they get the best of both worlds. Great Prices and Great Baseball. When someone tells me they don't like baseball I tell them to go see some games in STL bc the experience and atmosphere are so much better.
Strange fact about the Cardinals. They're third in most NL pennants, but second only to the Yankees in World Series titles.
Also, the cards put on some killer ticket promos (for e.g., im going to a game on Tuesday night and I got my tickets for $3.14 each for 314 day (the area code for all of stl) and the cards frequently give out free jerseys and other useful actually desirable items for the first few thousand in attendance.
That and our newfound hatred of the nfl, many I know won’t even watch it now that they betrayed us.
Also the stadiums location on the metro line and right off i64 helps (and the fact that less going on downtown means easier parking).
Metro STL continues to grow, always has. Fans live in the burbs too.
I seen busch 3 in person the location is the best plus its has an entertainment area that is one of the best
I live in Atlanta, Ga now and they have a newer stadium obviously than busch...and it just doesnt feel right when I go to the games there. Im like theres something missing.
Because Cardinal Fans are the best Fans Ever as a Cardinals Fan I'm a Proud member of Cardinal Nation
I travel from mid Missouri to watch baseball games
As one born in 1943 and reared on Cardinal baseball as "the only real sport in the world". may I respectfully suggest the Cardinals owe their fan base, and therefore their success, to fans being taught how to be fans by the radio voices of Gabby Street, Harry Carry, and Jack Buck. Without radio to draw people from all over the region there would never have been the money to build great teams, much less stadiums.
another thing is that tickets are pretty cheap. i remember that when i lived there i went to several games where i could purchase tickets for a group of 8 and eat and drink only spending like 60 dollars and you’re almost guaranteed a win
You forgot one of the most important reasons the Cardinals draw: KMOX Radio which broadcasts into about 20 states!
Kinda miss the playoff vibe of the toilet bowl Busch. It was so loud. The new one is objectively better though
Since it was April Fools, I thought you would do a video saying how the Trop or Oakland Coliseum works
You make solid vids.
Because we have the best fans in baseball
The Cards away fans are great
I wish wealth prosperity and unconditional love to all commentz under m3.
Of the final 8 seasons the Rams had in St. Louis, they had 0 winning seasons. That might explain the drop in attendance.
Welcome to baseball heaven!
My only complaint is the damn golf cart that zoom up and down the walk ways.
I know what you mean the guy drives at golf cart fast
How are they still able to maintain regular sell outs during current inflation rise and increase prices for tickets, hotdogs, beers, etc...?
Easy. It’s because the team is always contending.
sometimes I wonder how it'd be like if St. Louis had an AL team, despite St. Louis not being large enough to have 2 ball teams. everyone loves the Cardinals, yet how would it be like if the Browns were still around?? then again, there were rumors of the White Sox moving away from Chicago not that long ago, so there's that.
St. Louis used to be the 4th largest city in the United States before the trend of "living in the suburbs" came round in the 50s. Now the city is practically dead, with only 300,000 people, mostly in poverty, living in city limits, yet 2.1 million people live in the Greater St. Louis Metro Area. If the Sox can survive and succeed in the 3rd largest city in America, then the Browns could survive back in St. Louis's heyday.
Well when you’re the only thing to do in town it helps.
The stadium works because they're baseball fans with the knowledge of the game. St Louis is a mid size market, but it covers a large portion of the mid west.
The Cardinals Are Definitely The Most Popular Team In St. Louis. The Blues Being In Second
So the orioles used to be the browns and the ravens used to be the browns. Both Baltimore franchises at one point were the browns before they moved.
And they call the Cardinals a “small market team”.
they just $pend, like a small market team.
You either hate em or you love em….the Cards will reign as a MLB classic Legendary team forever!! …BIRDSONTHEBATORITSWACK…..
It should also say a lot that many former players of St. Louis teams make the city their home after their playing days are over.
16 years ?
Nice video.
Cardinal Nation are the greatest sports fans