Full disclaimer here, I am not affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, Budweiser, or any company affiliated with either of them. That being said, with the addition of the Budweiser Terrace to Busch Stadium this season, I’ve bit the bullet and become a Cardinals season ticket holder…sort of. Why would someone from Iowa do this? It’s quite simple, it’s too darn good of a deal to pass up.
So how did I come to this revelation? I was going to be in town for some rock concert (you might have heard of the band U2?) at the Scottrade Center on Friday night anyway, so my friend and I decided why not make a weekend out of it and hit up the Cards game the next day. So what does any MLB fan do in that situation? Gotta check out StubHub and see what ticket prices are going for Saturday. On Tuesday night, Standing Room only tickets were going for $39.99 plus fees. $39.99 for one game, without a seat? Why on Earth would anyone pay that when you could buy the Budweiser Ballpark Pass for $29.99 plus a $5 fee? What is the Budweiser Ballpark Pass you ask? Probably the best deal you’re going to get on Cardinals tickets this year.
From the Cardinals website, they describe the Budweiser Ballpark Pass below:
- Guaranteed Standing Room ticket to every game*, including high-demand and weekend games
- Ease of delivery via the MLB Ballpark app – scan your ticket at the gate directly from your phone
- Auto-renews each month – no need to make monthly purchases
In addition to general Standing Room areas, Pass holders can enjoy the game, pregame activities and ballpark atmosphere from various social gathering places in Busch Stadium, including the new Budweiser Terrace in right field.
Have you seen the new Budweiser Terrace? It looks pretty awesome, not to mention the Cardinals took an area of the stadium that isn’t the most desirable location and turned it into a spot that really makes the Budweiser Ballpark Pass an even better deal.
The Cardinals describe this new area below:
Exciting features of this new area include:
- Multi-level social space that includes two full-service bars, social standing areas and lounge seating with a great view of the field, cozy cabana seating with urban garden accents on the concourse, plus an open air BBQ grill and a newly constructed covered performance stage.
- Full views of the playing field from each of the bar areas within Budweiser Terrace, allowing friends to mix and mingle all while taking in a Cardinals baseball game.
- Fans do NOT need a special ticket to access the Budweiser Terrace. There are no assigned seats. The seating and standing areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- A perfect destination for pre-game and in-game entertainment with live bands and DJs taking the performance stage before the game as well as other special games and activities.
- Main activation area for Cardinals Theme Ticket events, plus pre-game performances including poms, dance groups, Battle at Busch band competition, and more.
So far this season, this section has special $5 Budweiser product pricing before the game starts. With rising beer prices across baseball and at Ballpark Village, this is quite a deal for beer.
Don’t want to stand all game? Not a problem.
Of course there are fans that have been vocal about their displeasure for this new area.
“Fans should be coming to watch the game and pay attention at all times!”
“This is taking seats away from the stadium.”
“Why are the Cardinals catering to the casual fan?”
The bottom line is that for baseball to continue to thrive, it needs to continue to bring new fans into the game. Many teams are making their games much more than a game, and have made certain areas of the park more of a social event at a game. I like what the Cardinals are doing here by creating an area for a more social atmosphere where fans don’t really have to worry about getting drilled with a foul ball, while not impacting the experience for the rest of the fan base. For me, this is the best of both worlds. I like going to games, and quite frankly I don’t think there really is a bad seat at Busch Stadium. The Budweiser Ballpark Pass provides me a cost effective way to get in the stadium and experience Cardinals baseball a lot more than I normally would be able to do in a summer. I can’t wait to get an “ice cold frosty” Budweiser and watch the Cardinals face off against the Cubs Saturday afternoon. Heck, I’m already planning how to make it out to another series this month.
