Cardinals manager Oli Marmol shows appreciation for fans during weekend series

In his postgame press conference after his St. Louis Cardinals finished their series against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Oliver Marmol spoke glowingly about the support he's seen from fans recently at Busch Stadium.

"I appreciate it, the players appreciate it because they feed off of that," said Marmol of the fan support during the series against the Dodgers, a series the Cardinals won 2-1, placing them in a tie at the top of the National League Central. "You can't just ask (the fans) to come out. You have to play a certain way where you earn it. You earn them coming back into the stadium."

Busch Stadium saw a total of 99,054 fans, the highest mark in a home series this year, including the opening series against the Tampa Bay Rays. It is the highest total in a three-game series since the Chicago Cubs visited August 8th-10th last year, a series that drew 104,041 fans. While a series against the Cubs and Dodgers will always draw tens of thousands of fans, the Cardinals' strong start to the season could also be a reason for the resurgence in fans.

The St. Louis Cardinals are proving that winning will bring fans back to Busch Stadium.

Manager Oli Marmol said as much in his postgame interview.

"You can't just ask them to come out. You have to play a certain way where you earn it," said Marmol. "This city is used to seeing a certain style of baseball: You gotta be clean defensively, you gotta run the bases hard, you play the game, play all nine."

"I'm proud of our group for the way they're going about it, and I appreciate people showing up the way they have the last couple of homestands."

After dropping below the three-million fan threshold in a season during the 2024 season, many wondered what it would take to bring fans back to Busch Stadium to the levels that became familiar over the last two decades. Improving the ballpark experience, finding a new superstar, and creating a safe and enjoyable environment in and around Busch were always listed, but winning was the primary way to bring fans back. Three consecutive seasons without a postseason appearance will certainly drive fans away. A long stretch of winning will presumably bring fans back.

Starting the season off with the fifth-best record in the National League certainly won't hurt.

The Cardinals are showing a style of play that fans can get behind. Due to strong defense, an unexpected barrage of home runs, and a willingness to take the extra base, the Cardinals have created a fun style of play. This style, reminiscent of the 1980s Cardinals, is appealing to fans.

The Cardinals rank 18th in baseball in average attendance with 27,669 fans per game. The Cardinals averaged 40,994 fans per game as recently as 2022, good for the second-best mark in all of baseball.

There is still a long way to go this season, and ticket sales will be a lagging indicator of the team's success. However, both the Cardinals and the fans are returning to relevance after several dormant years.

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