Inside The Cardinals

Bill DeWitt III Drops Message For Cardinals Fans On Attendance Woes

The St. Louis Cardinals had a rough year...
Patrick McAvoy|
Jul 4, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, United States; A view of empty seats during workouts at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Jul 4, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, United States; A view of empty seats during workouts at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had a rough season from a standings and crowd perspective.

Overall, the Cardinals finished the season with a 78-84 record. That was fourth in the National League Central standings behind the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds. On top of that, the Cardinals saw a significant drop in attendance in 2025. In 2024, the Cardinals' reported attendance number for the season at Busch Stadium was 2,878,115. In 2025, it was over 600,000 less at 2,250,007. In 2023, the number was at 3,241,091 and it was at 3,320,551 in 2022. The average attendance per game from 2024 to 2025 plummeted from over 35,000 per home game to under 28,000 per game.

This was the Cardinals' lowest-attended season -- not including COVID-impacted campaigns -- dating back to 1995.

That's a real issue. The attendance issues were a major talking point all season. This is in large part because as the numbers dwindled, Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III's comments from before the season continued to resurface about how attendance would be a message to the front office.

The Cardinals didn't have the season they wanted

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker
Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) reacts after striking out against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"The thing I chuckle about is when I see comments (like) we gotta not show up to send a message that this (here, he laughs) isn't acceptable to the owners," DeWitt said among other comments previously. "I find that somewhat illogical reasoning because we turn this revenue machine into a payroll machine."

Well, now that the season is over it does seem as though it did make an impact. On Tuesday, DeWitt commented on the attendance and made it clear the message has been received, as transcribed by Brandon Kiley of "BK & Ferrario."

"If that's a message (from the fans), the message has been received," DeWitt said. "We've listened to our fans, and they want value. Prices for tickets, concessions and parking is something they've expressed issue with. We hear you on that."

What that means for 2026 is up in the air. The Cardinals now have Chaim Bloom leading the charge. But, will enough change happen to get fans back in the seats?

More MLB: Chaim Bloom Hints At Upcoming Cardinals Offseason Addition

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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