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Cardinals' season ticket holders speak on the state of the organization
I caught up with five season ticket holders. These stakeholders gave me their thoughts on the state of the organization.
The state of the St. Louis Cardinals organization appears to be in flux. Long-time front office member John Mozeliak is on his way out, the 2023 season featured the team losing its most games since 1990, and fan opinions on the historical franchise have begun to sway in the wrong direction.
Attendance numbers are down. A quick glance at social media will bring to light fan frustration. Rather than focus on the changing of the guard at the top of the team's hierarchy, I wanted to dive deep. I wanted to see what the fans, the stakeholders, thought about the organization. There's a group of fans present with every sports team that is the largest of stakeholders in a team: season ticket holders.
These are some of the most dedicated fans; they're willing to make a financial commitment prior to any results on the season. Some season ticket holders have had tickets passed down through generations while others are newcomers to the tradition. Some of these loyal patrons are now boycotting games to send a message to management, and a noticeable portion has canceled their season tickets altogether.
I set out on a goal to get a pulse on the fanbase. Oftentimes, what is said and heard in the cacophonous echo chamber that is social media can present a false image of reality. By putting my boots on the ground, so to speak, I thought I could get a diverse picture of the fanbase and its loyal (or no longer financially loyal) followers. My conversations with these fans would hopefully shed light on the state of the organization through their eyes.
I was able to speak with five different individuals of a variety of backgrounds. I'll share each person's general background and responses to the questions on each slide. For context, these are the questions I asked:
1. How long have you had season tickets?
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
4. Have you ever considered cancelling your season tickets? If so, why? OR Why did you choose to cancel your season tickets?
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
Through my conversations with these season ticket holders, I was able to see that the St. Louis Cardinals' franchise is as beloved as it is storied. Some fans touched on the recent malaise in my conversations, but they also spoke fondly on the history of the team during their respective lifetimes. They expressed hesitancy about the future, but they also expressed a love for the team and game regardless of the on-field performance.
Fan #1
1. How long have you had season tickets?
I've had season tickets since 2013.
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
My initial interest happened on Christmas Day 2012. My dad was a professional Santa Claus and Dan McLaughlin was one of his clients. That Christmas I went with my dad to introduce myself to Danny Mac. After I talked with him he offered me an internship to send him statistics and tidbits during games. He also said that he would let us in the booth from time to time, so we figured if we bought season tickets it would give us more opportunities to go in the booth. Dan was great to us.
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
I’m kind of in limbo on the state of the organization. I don’t think it’s in a better situation than it was say 10 years ago. I like our pool of prospects; I’m just worried about how they can develop into big-league players. I think the next era of people in charge should help improve the situation in the coming years.
4. Have you ever considered cancelling your season tickets? If so, why?
I first considered ending my season tickets during Covid and right after Covid. I felt like it wouldn’t be the same experience post-Covid, wearing masks, limited capacity, etc. I still got season tickets in 2021, but I didn’t go to every game. I considered it this year too with how 2023 went, but I thought I would miss it too much. Going to a ball game means more to me than whether or not the Cardinals are competitive.
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
I’ve witnessed some memorable moments. It’s hard to choose one, but I would have to go with Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols playing their last home game. It was hard not to cry during their speeches and when they walked off the field with Waino. It was like a storybook and something I’ll never forget.
Fan #2
1. How long have you had season tickets?
My family had season tickets for nearly 10 years up until 2008. I became a season ticket holder for the first time this season.
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
I go to at least 10 games a year and I figured I'd spend my money up front rather than frantically looking for games to go to last minute.
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
There should be a leadership change in the front office soon, as Mozeliak's voice has grown somewhat stale, and fans are growing increasingly tired of him despite his successful track record. My hope is that Bill DeWitt III is willing to spend a bit more than his father and that a new president of baseball operations will continue to build upon a model of sustainable success while also spending money WISELY when it needs to be spent (free agency, extensions, etc.). All in all, I cannot complain. No championships since 2011 is somewhat tough to swallow, but you can't argue with sustained success and the success of player development up until the last few seasons.
4. Have you ever considered cancelling your season tickets? If so, why?
Baseball in general is simply the greatest sport there is. I would never drop my season tickets. The worst-case scenario is they become the White Sox and tank for years. Only then would I slightly consider it.
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
The MV3 years were absolutely the best all-around baseball I've ever seen, and within that time I saw over 30 games of Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds in the same lineup. It was a beautiful time to be a young Cardinals fan, and I'm forever grateful.
Fan #3
1. How long have you had season tickets?
I think my wife and I have been a part of a group of ticket holders for 7 years or so.
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
My in-laws have a group of season ticket holders. I've been a Cardinals fan my entire life, and I finally had a full-time job, so we decided to buy in.
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
I feel confident that they're heading in the right direction. I see some young players they are building around with the potential for some payroll flexibility over the next couple of years to retain those players and bring in new free agents. I'm definitely concerned about the future of pitching. We have to start developing high-end pitching talent.
4. Have you ever considered cancelling your season tickets? If so, why?
I have not. We only buy in to five tickets in the group, so the cost isn't that much. Plus, I'd end up going to five games anyway.
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
In college, my friends and I would walk to the stadium for games, especially during the 2013 playoff run. During the World Series, when we could no longer afford the tickets, we'd stand outside the stadium on the empty lot that is now Ballpark Village and watch the game with a ton of other fans.
Fan #4
1. How long did you have season tickets?
My husband and I were season ticket holders from 2006 through 2015.
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
The Cardinals were a fun team to watch during this time period. Also, Busch Stadium III was brand new, so we wanted to experience it at the time. Lastly, I was confident we could get some re-sale value on tickets throughout the season.
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
I'm not sure what the direction is, but I think it's to stay in contention, make the playoffs, then ride the unpredictability of postseason baseball. This actually seems to be the reality for most teams right now.
4. Why did you cancel your season tickets in 2015?
Having season tickets started to feel like an obligation rather than a choice of entertainment spending. For me, what I would call annoyance factors started to add up. In-stadium fan engagement prompts were getting a bit heavy-handed, some of the ushers began getting crankier in my opinion, and the combination of high costs and low-quality parking became cumbersome.
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
My favorite memory as a Cardinal fan was being downtown with my husband and sons, outside the stadium, when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series.
Fan #5
1. How long have you had season tickets?
I first bought season tickets in 1983.
2. What was your initial interest in getting season tickets?
After the 1982 World Series Championship, I bought season tickets with a group. I was excited about the direction of the team at the time; it was good to be a Cardinals fan in the 1980's.
3. As a stakeholder in the team, what are your thoughts and feelings on the current direction of the franchise and organization?
I am concerned about the leaders in the front office, the field manager and his staff, and how we have managed players in the organization both as prospects and major leaguers. We've seen a lot of stars who are traded away for little to nothing in return. It's felt like we've been on the wrong side of a handful of Lou Brock-type trades recently.
4. Have you ever considered cancelling your season tickets? If so, why?
I have considered canceling my season tickets before. I'm a part of a group of people with the season tickets, and when the team is struggling, it's hard to keep people in the group.
5. What's your favorite memory as a Cardinal fan?
I have two favorite memories as a Cardinal fan. My first was the 1982 World Series Game 7. Seeing Keith Hernandez and George Hendrick lead the offense that day was amazing. My second favorite memory would be David Freese's home run in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers.
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