We’re About to Find Out Who the Real St. Louis Cardinals Fans Are

It's easy to love a team when they're winning. Not so much when they're struggling which is why I believe we're going to find out very soon who the real St. Louis Cardinals fans are.

I will assume since you're obviously reading this that you are a St. Louis Cardinals fan at some level. It's entirely possible that you didn't jump on the bandwagon until the 2000's when players like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright made sure that the Cardinals were either in the playoffs and/or winning championships. If that's the case, the past couple of years have likely been jarring with the team having a losing record in 2023 and not making the playoffs in 2024 either.

I was born into a St. Louis Cardinals family and can remember games in the 1970's which is when my dad first took me to a game. The Cardinals were OK then. We'd occasionally threaten to win their division, but didn't really become a contender until Whitey Herzog took over the team in the late 70's into the early 1980's. 1982 was the first St. Louis Cardinals championship I was old enough to enjoy.

After the Cardinals made it to the World Series in 1987, the team took another dive into mediocrity until the mid-1990's. I remember going to a double-header in 1995 when the Cardinals lost a double-header to the Astros by double digits in both games. It was embarrassing. We were bad, but me and my fellow Cardinals fans went to games and cheered them on none the less.

I won't retrace all of St. Louis Cardinals history, but all of this brings me to my point. Will you continue to cheer on the Cardinals and go to games even if they're not expected to contend? Many are very vocal that they will not which is their right, but I would argue that reveals they're not really St. Louis Cardinals fans. If you only support the team when they win championships, you're not really a fan. You're a bandwagon jumper and that's fine. Your choice.

Am I frustrated by the last few years of Cardinals mismanagement? You bet. Do I think they may have taken fans like me for granted? Perhaps. Will I still be a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan. Absolutely.

As the St. Louis Cardinals begin a transition by rebuilding their minor league system and overall organizational structure, I plan to cheer them on like I always have. When you see others like me, you will see the real St. Louis Cardinals fanbase. Care to join me?

Oh, and we might be better than you think we'll be this year. Maybe.