Cardinals mascot 'Fredbird' is in the running for national enshrinement

The St. Louis Cardinals are putting together an exciting team on the field, even if offseason promises have not yet come to fruition. Baseball is more fun when the Cardinals win, and it's even better to watch in person in the friendly home of the best fans in baseball, Busch Stadium III.

Even if the front office and management do not seem to be connected to the fans, the gameday operations team always delivers a quality product for fans of all ages. In my experience, the giveaway promotions are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, as the team hands out useful team gear, including jerseys, hats, purses, water bottles, bobbleheads, shirts, and more to the crowd. From Ballpark Village to the concourse beyond the outfield, there is always something going on that centers around Cardinal baseball.

Synonymous with the fan experience is one of the most fun and recognizable mascots in the league: the one and only Fredbird. First introduced to Cardinal Nation in 1979, Fredbird now has the opportunity to be honored at the national level.

Cardinals mascot Fredbird is on the ballot for the 2025 Mascot Hall of Fame class.

Since Fredbird's introduction to fans, he has appeared in more than 3,600 regular season games and been to over seven World Series, including the 1982, 2006, and 2011 World Series champion Cardinal teams. Beyond hyping up the crowd and taking endless pictures with young fans, Fredbird also appears on Cardinals Kids with Brad Thompson on FanDuel Sports Network Midwest. Fredbird has already been enshrined in St. Louis lore, being nominated to the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, but now looks for national recognition.

This year, Fredbird hits the ballot alongside 27 other nominees, with the top vote-getters receiving the honor of being named to the 2025 Mascot Hall of Fame class. The Cardinal mascot is one of five MLB nominees, with the other hopefuls coming from the NCAA, NFL, NHL, and NBA, along with a handful of others from minor league hockey and baseball teams. Traditionally, between two and four mascots have been inducted, and any nominee who receives 60% or more of the vote will be elected into the Hall of Fame. There are two different votes taken into consideration, the first from the Mascot Hall of Fame Executive Committee, whose votes are worth six times more than the second group, the general public. That's where you all come in! Starting now until May 24, the general public can vote once per day following this link, and the 2025 inductees will be announced in June.

The Mascot Hall of Fame was created in a virtual space in 2005 by David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic. Since its inception, nominated mascots were put up for a vote to see who would be put into the Hall. Eligibility criteria for nomination are 10 years of existence, sport and community impact, fan engagement, and performance. In 2014, the Hall was given another push towards recognition when the virtual company made an agreement with the City of Whiting, Indiana to create a physical Mascot Hall of Fame right off of Lake Michigan. The museum was officially opened in 2018 but closed its doors in September of 2024. The online space remains open, and the mascot organization looks for another opportunity to create a brick-and-mortar museum.