The Cardinals used to be great………happened?
When will the Cardinals be great again?
When will the Cardinals be great again? Will it be this year or next? How about the one after that? St. Louis has been know for great baseball and hockey teams, but in the recent years they have been middle of the pack.
Fans still support the teams by buying merchandise and showing up to some of the bigger games but, how long will that last. Cardinals are a young team rebuilding but have yet to establish their major superstar that they will build around. Yes there are flashes of what could be when they are letting the bats fly and the battery is working. This year the bats are not hot like in past years. Cardinals have always been a defensive based team with one or two legit sluggers. The rest were contact hitters that placed the ball well, it made it hard to pitch to the Cardinals due to that. So what is different now. We have a team that if they play like they are capable of then they should at least be playoff contenders this year or next. The recent games have had empty seats and what is worse the Banana League sold out Busch stadium…………..
Two decent back to back playoff runs and you will see the stands packed again. Why do we want to see sports teams do well?
1. It brings attention to the city from another avenue.
2. It brings people to the region, even just for a few hours.
3. People use local goods and services in the area. Think of all those downtown restaurants and shops that used to be there (other underlying issues like crime and homelessness).
4. It gives people in the area a sense of pride (people think the STL region is a dangerous place. It is in certain areas just like any other metro area)
5. Networking opportunities for local businesses.
People think sports is just for entertainment but it is business that helps bring other people to the area. Just think 40,000 thousand people in one area not including workers. This would be a big boom for the local area if it was on a consistent basis. When the Savana Bananas came to town people talked about them for weeks in person and on social media. People bought merchandise and bragged about being one of the lucky ones to get tickets. (Yes we tried getting tickets but were not picked) The cards have tried to pack the stands by doing the old trick of bringing back “stars” for a few games. This only works so many times before fans get tired of it if they are not winning. Bringing back stars and losing is like “jumping the shark” to try and stay relevant. Cardinals feel like they are at that point. Don’t bring back old stars if you are not going to win. It feels cheap and a way to take the fans money with adding little value. It is rare for stars to retire and come back at the same level of play that fans remember. Think Jordan coming back to the Wizards wearing the “Four-Five” It took time for him to be back competitive. Jordan went back to work to show he still had it but was getting roasted those first few times back. He was not still back to his “Airness” but it was enough to keep the fans happy. The Cardinals have done this over the years with varying success.
Remember when the St. Louis Blues went through almost a decade of rebuilding to singing “Gloria” every turn. The fans are back in the Blues corner and now it is time for the Cardinals to get some of that before The City does. STL will soon be one of the best soccer towns at this rate. Maybe that would put pressure on the Cardinals.
