When Mr. William Dexter Fowler signed his name on the dotted line and became a St. Louis Cardinal on December 9th, 2016 to the tune of a five-year, $82.5 million dollar contract, it made an immediate impact on not only his new team, but also his former club as well.
Immediately, the King of #FowlersHowlers, a group of fans that follow the Cardinals new Centerfielder on the field and off, most commonly Twitter, began to shift from the Cubs fans that watched Fowler play a key role in breaking the drought of 108 years without a World Championship for the Chicago Cubs, to their chief rival St. Louis Cardinals’ fan base that have yearned for a significant free agent signing after watching the Cardinals front office strike out in recent years.
Fowler looks to become the new leadoff hitter in St. Louis, while a former Cardinals centerfielder, Jon Jay, who was a part of the most recent Championship ball club in St. Louis back in 2011, appears to be Fowler’s replacement for the ball club on the North Side of Chicago.
The impact of Fowler’s transition has already been felt by Cardinals fans who frequent the social media app, Twitter. Already, Mr. Fowler has engaged the fan base and though his twitter handle @DexterFowler, to promote multiple giveaways. The first of which he tweeted out on December 18th, 2016:
Dexter Fowler on Twitter
Hey guys, send me your pics in your Fowler Cardinals jersey & you might win tickets to opening day! Tag #fowlershowlers
After making a boy named Henry’s 8th birthday unforgettable by awarding him opening day Cardinals tickets, Fowler wasn’t done with endearing himself to his new fan base. On December 29th, 2016, Fowler tweeted the following in two tweets:
Dexter Fowler on Twitter
My wife had a decent point. Not everyone can afford a Fowler shirt or jersey, why don’t you give some away? So that’s my next giveaway. Lol
As if Fowler had to explain his generosity, he followed up with the following tweet coupled with a shrugging Elmo GIF:
Dexter Fowler on Twitter
I’m not a guy with a PR team. This is just me & my wife trying to interact with fans. Excuse the super random giveaways. https://t.co/j6tLUXAXaz
As Mark Saxon of ESPN.com wrote about in his article. “To St. Louis, Dexter Fowler is more than a baseball player,” Fowler’s impact to the Cardinals organization is as big off the field as it is on the field Cardinals.
This was made clear in Cardinals GM John Mozaliek’s comments in Saxon’s article, “One of the things we think was very important about Dexter Fowler besides the baseball side of what he brought to the Cardinals was his understanding of social issues,” Mozeliak said. “He is very active in understanding what’s happening around him. He’s a very bright and intelligent person and doesn’t shy away from what’s happening in communities.”
The impact of Fowler’s signing would seem to be more than walks, hits, fielding percentage, and on-base percentage. These are all things that Dexter Fowler, the baseball player, brings the St. Louis Cardinals on the field, to help the Cardinals on a quest to win a twelfth championship. However, more importantly, it would seem Dexter Fowler, the person, the man, brings someone that is willing to interact with the fan base, to help bring the St. Louis community together, in a time that would seem be ideal for the Cardinals team, organization, and it’s fan base. Dexter Fowler would seem to be on pace for the team lead in setting the table for fan engagement in the community. Dexter Fowler, the baseball player has many accomplishments including being a Champion, but perhaps no better accomplishment than the things he brings to the organization as Dexter Fowler, the man, the leader, and the extraordinary human being, championing in a new era for the St. Louis Cardinals.
