Are Cardinals’ fans justified in record low Busch Stadium attendance figures?

If fans fuel the game, is this best way to prove a point to an owner who won’t change his ways?

I respect the heck out of Greg Amsinger. The St. Louis native and MLB Network host is a reputable baseball mind who shows an energy for the sport that most national media can’t fathom, and dishes honest takes on the Cardinals wherever he sits and speaks. While he visited 101.1 ESPN this week, Amsinger wasn’t pleased with Cardinals’ fans who aren’t showing up at Busch Stadium for home games as the team descends to a .500-type finish.

Amsinger compared the performance of fan support to a sub-.200 batting average for a hitter, which matches the record low (for Busch 3) attendance in the past few weeks of games. A national baseball commentator’s shocked comments just about went viral when the Padres visited St. Louis this week. He couldn’t believe how empty Busch was, a sentiment shared by Amsinger.

Are they right: the fans for not showing up to hopefully prove a point, and Amsinger for scolding them? Yes and no, in that order. I won’t lead you down a Fansided rabbit hole to get an immediate answer, because I already have the click. But keep on reading, because I’ll explain what is happening and what it has to lead to.

Amsinger isn’t way off. The attendance went from alright to sometimes more full to downright sandbox empty in a matter of weeks, and the national broadcast alert most likely got his attention. He isn’t alone in shaking his shoulders at fans, but let’s add the Cardinal context here to sharpen the gaze.

It’s long been known that the DeWitts will not change their ways if the fans keep showing up. The team has a chance of missing the playoffs five out of eight seasons, and their comments have always carried a “we’re not just a team with a good record, we’re a playoff team” mantra. This current team isn’t a playoff team-unless a bunch of teams around them start playing .500 ball. That’s where the Cards have lived for most of the season, with slight upticks and downturns due to streaky play. Is that something you’re investing your time in during the heat of the summer?

Yes, the high temps have something to do with it, but the fans weren’t showing up recently when the temps were quite lovely. The 95 degrees-plus days just slice off a few more thousand people from the actual attendance figures. But they’re merely a portion of the problem, and a yearly reality for a STL resident. Temps adjust here like your GPS does crossing over the Poplar Bridge on the way to Chicago.

Oh, the Cubs just acquired Shawn Armstrong, the lone player in the Dylan Carlson dump trade that was put on waivers last week, along with Tommy Pham (who went to the Royals). The moves make sense in some way, but still leave a peculiar glance towards a club that was once near the top in the league in wins, attendance, and front office smarts.

This front office can’t even get on the same page with their top prospect, Jordan Walker, and his playing time. He is one of few Cardinals prospects that hasn’t gotten away to produce for another team yet. Don’t kid yourself and think the current slate of fans (young and old) don’t read all the crap written about the descent of this club. They read it all! The inability to develop prospects. The low hanging fruit starter pickings, even though they spend high on corner infielders. The acquisition of Sonny Gray was promising, but the initial inclusion of overmatched Steven Matz wasn’t wise. The almost there but not enough efforts get old. Spend less and better, and see what happens.

It’s true that fans around St. Louis are spoiled due to an insanely long run of success that began in 1996, hit a roid speed bump for a few years, and sustained it from 2000-2025 before starting to hit speed bumps on the way to middle of the pack complacency. It’s not like fans stopped showing up in 2016-18 when the Cardinals stopped being a perennial playoff hotel guest. They’re doing it nearly decade after they stopped being serious and smart with their product. It’s a statement, the only one fans can make.

It’s not the price of tickets, especially when a friend of mine bought three open bleacher seats just so she could have plenty of room. You can bring in food and drink now, so you don’t have to get gouged by concession stands. The product on the field is what’s causing the change. After producing three million strong for so long, Cardinal Nation is restless and tired of being happy with a hopeful playoff chase; they want the full ride. Spoil a kid with truffle oil and then show up with a half bottle of peanut oil, and there will be a look of discontentment.

Look around the league at attendance figures for the non-notable coast franchises. It’s not exactly a new trend, even if the Cardinals prefer to be behind trends these days. The inability to be honest with fans and also plot a course for the next 10-15 years contributes to seasons without a serious playoff run, and it culminates in disinterest. They’re not hitting .200, Greg. They’re refusing to stand at the plate, and there’s a reason for it that I think is justified.

Bill DeWitt III can laugh at fans who think the best way to prove to him and his dad that the product on the field isn’t up to standards is by not showing up, but what is the other way? Does Amsinger think that the owners will reroute their ways if fans keep showing up in droves as the team attempts to finish with a respectable record and edge into the playoffs? They’re in different leagues when it comes to contention, and nothing has shifted.

The Cardinals are in third place in the division, and about seventh in the wildcard. A big winning streak can change things, but this team hasn’t been able to win more than four in a row since June 24. What changes in the next month? Once again, if nothing to little changes, the Cardinals will miss the playoffs for the fifth time in the past eight seasons, with one series win during the past ten years.

No one wants to see their team lose, but a purpose would be nice. Hearing that John Mozeliak will finish out his contract only makes the skeptical portion of the fan base, which is growing by the week, more unlikely to make the trip out to the stadium. Love or hate the notion, but fans don’t want what Mo is serving.

Think of it like a movie studio and a director that keeps putting out the same product with the same mishaps each season with the hope of striking gold. The fans don’t want director Mozeliak to keep putting out the same movie, one with diminishing box office returns. The hits dried up, front office.

What are they prepared to do in order to prove to fans that they’re a product worth watching? After all, baseball is a form of entertainment to fans, something to do with their night or day.

Fans are justified in staying home, as long as the stay isn’t long enough to disable interest completely. If we’re still not going in late 2025 or 2026, then the problem has worsened. But this is one way to see if the owners will back up what they say. There’s a difference between being a decent team with a good record and a true playoff team, but the St. Louis Cardinals are neither right now. Time for a change.