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It turns out St. Louis Cardinals fans only have interest in their team if they're winning.
Over the majority of my life, that hasn't been a problem. For decades, St. Louis was the toast of the National League Central and a model franchise. But coming off its first losing season since 2007, the Redbirds have seen decreased fan interest and ticket sales this year - and it's taken center stage of late, even drawing the ire of the Padres broadcast team.
The poor on-field product, paired with sweltering temperatures across much of the Midwest, led to one of the worst attendance figures in Busch Stadium III history this week.
A new low of 27,224 was the announced ticket sold crowd at Busch Stadium.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) August 28, 2024
The actual turnstile attendance?
It was slightly less than 13,000, multiple sources told the Post-Dispatch.
As reported and more here … https://t.co/S8ICOfDXzL
In 2022, the Cardinals put lipstick on a pig, painting over the roster's faults with a heralded reunion tour for Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. They caught lightning in a bottle, even winning the NL Central before promptly getting bounced by the Phillies in the Wild Card Series. But last year was an altogether different story, with St. Louis going 71-91 and finishing last in the division.
Cubs fans have repeatedly proven their loyalty, through thick and thin
Discontent and fatigue over a non-competitive team has taken hold with the fanbase, one that so often calls itself 'The Best Fans in Baseball.' Meanwhile, even amidst a disappointing season on the North Side, Wrigley Field continues to be packed, with the Cubs neck-and-neck with the Cardinals in average home attendance, despite Busch holding 46,000 fans to Wrigley's 41,000.
The Cubs fanbase has long been known for showing up, regardless of the team's record, especially on summer weekends, when the bleachers are always standing room only. Seeing Cardinals fans abandon their team in droves this summer just confirms what we in Chicago have known for some time: it's easy to support your team when you're winning - but real fans show up, win or lose.
Things in St. Louis are bad right now. A completely botched handling of top prospect Jordan Walker. Remaining loyal to a fault to aging players has taken the team's future off at the knees. Fans staying home is just the latest proof that the Cardinals aren't what they once were.