The past couple of years it seems like the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals have been increasingly receiving more hate. Deadspin came out with an article tough on their fans in 2013. They have since done several articles on what could be called Cardinal-hating. Balleight.com held a bracket-style competition in which the St. Louis Cardinal fans were voted the most insufferable fans in baseball by a large margin. Red Sox fans? Sure. Yankees fans? Absolutely! Dodgers? You bet. But, Cardinal fans?
So, where is all the hate coming from? Bill McClellan had a few thoughts on where it came from here. While the true origins may never be known it is evident a growing hate exists. So why not ask real fans of the opposing team to find out why they dislike the fans?
I’ve sent out to find some reasons on why disliking the Cardinals has become such a popular thing. In this article, I have interviewed a fan of the Cincinnati Reds. Let it be known that I am not a Red’s fan. The interview came from Josh Dolmage, a passionate Reds fan.
A: I was born around the Seattle area and when I was little, Ken Griffey Jr. was my favorite player. Once he went to Cincy, I became a Reds fan. Â After he retired from the game, I stuck with the Reds.
A: Typically an eye roll because anyone who knows me, knows I’m a Reds fan, so I know I’m about to hear some trash talk.
A: You literally hear the same thing over and over. Whether it’s, “who has more World Series titles”, or “we are the best fans in baseball”, it’s always the same thing. I am all for trash talking, but Cardinals fans need to come up with some new material. Yes, St. Louis has more World Series titles and it’s cute that Cardinals fans take credit for the titles that the players won… But, let’s be honest, you screaming at the TV while wearing a Mark McGwire cut off t-shirt didn’t put ANY runs on the scoreboard for the team. The TEAM won those titles, not the fans. So, please stop taking credit for them. Â Unless you have the World Series Championship ring on your finger, you had nothing to do with the title… And the replica ring doesn’t count.Â
Q: Where do you believe the term “Best Fans In Baseball” came from?
A: This is the most annoying thing about Cardinals “fans”. If you have to self appoint yourself as the “best” at anything, odds are, you’re not really the best. Hell, I can say I’m “the sexiest man in America”, but until Time Magazine comes calling, I’m doing nothing but “tooting my own horn” and even then, it’s still nothing more than an opinion someone has. What makes Cardinals fans better than Cubs fans? It’s easy to be a “fan” when your team is winning, but Cubs fans have stuck with their team even though they haven’t won a title since 1908… As a Reds fan, I would say that Cubs fans are pretty darn good fans.Â
Q: Describe the average Cardinal fan as how you see them
A: The true fans are easy to spot and truthfully, they don’t bother me. True fans realize that sometimes your team just simply isn’t good enough to win games, make the playoffs, or win a title, but they still talk about how they’re excited for the potential the team shows for the future. True fans realize that sometimes organizations have rebuilding years and just because they’re rebuilding, it doesn’t mean the team sucks, but that the team is prepping themselves to be successful in the future. It’s the “fans” that bother me. By “fans”, I mean the people who decide to throw on a Cardinals t-shirt on opening day and say stuff like, “missed my Cardinal baseball”, then you don’t hear from them again unless they make the playoffs. By “fans” I mean those who can’t name 5 players on the roster. By “fans” I mean those who are asking if McGwire and Matheny are hurt because they haven’t played all season. By “fans”, I mean those who love the Cardinals only because “Holliday is hot”, or “Molina is dreamy”.Â
Q: What annoys you the most about Cardinal fans?
A: The self appointed “best fans in baseball” statement is by far the most annoying things about Cardinals fans.Â
Q: Have you been to Busch stadium during a Cardinals-Reds game? If so, what is the environment like for you?
A: I go to Busch every year when the Reds are in town. Â I typically make it to 3 or 4 games. Â You get the typical comments you expect from being a fan of the visiting team. Obviously when the Reds do something good, I’ll cheer and sometimes I’ll get those looks from people. Or, when the Cardinals do something good, it’s clear some of the cheering is aimed in my direction. It’s part of the game though and a part of the rivalry. Honestly, it is entertaining to me when Brandon Phillips comes up to bat and Cardinals fans still “boo” him because Molina is a moron and picked a fight which ultimately caused Jason LaRue to end his career… But that’s another story for another day.Â
23 comments
IIRC, Cardinal fans didn’t give themselves the title “Best Fans in Baseball.” Players over the decades have called them that after being traded away from STL. “Studies” have ranked fanbases and found Cards’ fans at the top (or #2) consistently (based on loyalty, percentage of stadium filled per season, ratings of local broadcast of games, etc). So… don’t hate the fan- hate the truth.
Ummm this guy is not a fan. He’s a groupie. He followed a player not a team. I didn’t desert the cardinals when pujols and freese left.
Most Cardinal fans bristle at the phrase ‘Best fans in baseball’ because we know it isn’t about us. It also wasn’t a self-appointed phrase but rather one given by sportswriters and opposing players as well as by Cardinal players who arrived in St. Louis from elsewhere. I’ve got to say that I don’t value the opinions so much from a fan base that can barely put 20,000 people in the seats in the heat of a pennant race.
Reds fans complaining about best fans in baseball? I get to use my favorite picture again!
http://i.imgur.com/VLMQKgh.jpg
Man, this guy really needs to drink an Ice Cold Budweiser to wash away the taste of those sour grapes. St Louis fans didn’t annoint themselves the best fans in baseball, the media and other players did. I’ve never seen fans in another ballpark stand and cheer an opposing player who makes a great play, but that happens all the time at Busch Stadium. I’ve never seen fans cheer a well executed bunt anywhere else. St Louis got that label because the fans understand the game, and appreciate it even when it doesn’t go our way.
Anyone who would call Molina a moron has just admitted to their ignorance.
What an idiot! I agree with Beth first of all but second we don’t boo Phillips because of a fight with molina, we boo him cause he’s the one who makes ignorant comments about cardinal players….which was pujols at the time. Someone’s bitter 🙂
Brandon Philipps picked the fight and then pussed out when Molina called him on it. No mention of kicker cueto, I can’t wait until he is forgotten by the second best team in Ohio, third if you count the Toledo Mudhens.
“Just because you appoint yourself the “best fans in baseball” doesn’t mean it’s true. However, it’s your opinion and I respect that.”
No he doesn’t respect that, he spent the whole interview bashing that! They guy is a deadbeat…
How did you select this particular person to interview? Did you have to get permission to interview him during recess? I find it unusual that a Middle School would allow you on school premises during the class day.
This guy doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. Saying that our stadium is empty when the team is doing poorly, Busch is always full on the weekends, and there’s even a pretty good crowd on a Tues night playing the Rockies, we’re always there, during the good and bad times. It’s not our fault that it’s been since the early 90’s that we had a such a terrible team that we couldn’t fill the seats. He’s just bitter he was forced to watch crappy Seattle baseball, so then he followed another crappy team like the Red’s.
This guy is mistaken when he says that Cardinals fans are “the self-appointed” best in baseball. How do I know this? Because I live near Chicago + only see the Cardinals when they are on ESPN or FOX. Check this out — every single time, the broadcasters gush (not kidding) about what a great baseball town St. Louis is + how great the fans are. Every single time. Self-appointed my ass.
Yeah… WE are self-appointed! Idiot
I’m just curious, when was it that the name of our St. Louis MLB team was changed from ‘Cardinals’ to “Cardinal”? I’m going to have a hard time warming up to calling my favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinal. I’ve always thought the Stanford University Cardinal sounded kind of silly as the moniker for a sports team. Anyhow, I will probably always think of myself as a Cardinals fan instead of a Cardinal fan. Stanford is certainly a fine institution but I wouldn’t want to be mistaken for as one of its fans.
Yeah, that “Cardinal” reference jarred me too.
What a whining, jealous loser who chose the wrong team to root for. The Cardinal fans are great because as a whole they know the game, they applaud an opposing player making a great play and unless you find a drunk one are usually respectful.
Awww, jealousy is so cute
Define “self-appointed”. I don’t think it means what you think it means.
The term “Greatest Fans in Baseball” is not a self proclaimed title. In the early 90s Jim Leyland the then manager for the Pirates and Sports writer Peter Gammons gave us that title and the rest of the media followed. This is for many reasons. We are more welcoming to visiting teams, are more likely to applaud good plays be opposing players, are more welcoming of new players, and don’t turn our backs on former Cardinals when they leave town. We also have less fair weather fans than most. All teams have the die hard do or die fans but in general only 3 teams have a die hard nationwide fan base the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Cardinals. We also steadily draw top 5 attendance year in year out good season or bad in a small market. So when we are called “The Greatest Fans in Baseball” know that it isn’t a title we gave ourself but one others gave us and we proudly accept.
Reading this comment section makes it VERY, VERY easy to see why Cardinals fans are so hated!
Why does applauding opposing players and welcoming other teams make you a great fan? Surely true fans back their own team while making life harder for the opposition, thus giving the home team the advantage. Of course opposing players don’t like fans of the Phillies, Cubs and Red Sox because they know they’re in for a rough ride, but that’s a compliment (albeit a back-handed one) to those fans. Players like St Louis because it’s an easy ride but they don’t fear playing at Busch stadium because the fans are soft
If we’re so insufferable – how come we win the PLAYER polls for best fans year after year?! And not by a small margin either…
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v28957099/
This is exactly what I’d expect a loser that roots for a losing franchise to say!
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