ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals fell short of postseason for the third straight year in 2025, a season marked by the team’s worst full-season attendance in three decades.
The Cardinals finished with a regular-season attendance of 2,250,007, averaging fewer than 28,000 tickets sold per home game. That ranked 19th (out of 30 teams) in Major League Baseball and fifth-worst in the National League.
For comparison, in nearly every season of the 21st century (excluding pandemic years), the Cardinals surpassed 3 million in attendance. This past year, Busch Stadium often struggled to reach even half capacity.
It’s a development that certainly matters. According to Forbes estimates, gate receipts (which include ticket sales) made up around one-third of the Cardinals’ revenue during the 2024 season, raising concerns over the financial impacts of 2025’s attendance drop and ultimately how the Cardinals win back fans.
Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III addressed attendance trends and challenges Tuesday while introducing new top front-office executive Chaim Bloom.
“We’ve all seen it. The [attendance] numbers are down. It’s something we’re not happy about. If to the extent that that’s a message, the message has been received,” said DeWitt.
The remarks come more than a year after DeWitt dismissed the idea that fans staying away from Busch Stadium could send a message to ownership, calling it “illogical reasoning” and saying “I chuckle” at that notion, sparking backlash among some fans.
Revisiting the attendance topic, DeWitt said Tuesday, “We know that a winning team on the field is the most important thing relative to attendance,” but also pointed to several attendance factors based on business and operations.
“We’ve listened to our fans. They want value. Prices for tickets, concessions and parking is something they have expressed issue with,” said DeWitt.
This past season, the Cardinals lowered or kept flat standard ticket prices for around one-third of seats, while raising costs in some sections, according to DeWitt. He noted the Cardinals are also reviewing concession pricing with vendor Delaware North and aim to keep rates low for one parking lot it controls near Busch Stadium with 1,300 spaces.
Additionally, DeWitt noted that the Cardinals are exploring ways to make games feel different depending on the day, offering unique experiences on Friday nights compared to Sunday afternoon, for example.
DeWitt also acknowledged that safety plays a key role in improving attendance. He pointed to Department of Homeland Security certification at Busch Stadium and new state legislation that designates Downtown St. Louis as an entertainment district, thus providing additional funding for public safety.
“It’s really addressing all of those things we can control on the business side,” said DeWitt.
Still, as DeWitt also noted Tuesday, performance looms largest.
The Cardinals have missed the playoffs in six of its last 10 seasons and have won only on postseason series in that stretch. The Cardinals have also refrained from spending on nine-figure free agents in recent years and made significant cuts to team payroll last season, drawing sharp criticism from fans and questions about the ownership’s commitment to winning.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said Tuesday there have not yet been payroll discussions with Bloom, who emphasized that any upcoming free agent moves must align with building the franchise for the long-term.
Asked about fan frustrations and attendance concerns, DeWitt Jr. offered the following remarks.
“Well, none of us were happy with the results we had. Our goal is always to get into playoffs. We’ve done it for many years. So our goals have been reached a great majority of the time. We’re not there not and we haven’t been for a couple years. I understand their frustration. They love the Cardinals, they love the Cardinals winning, and you know, as I said, we have a history of winning. We’re going to make every effort to get back to that.”