The St. Louis Cardinals are not – repeat, are not – a small-market team. The cries of economic hard times based on the size of the region and the high cost of fielding a top-flight team that fans sometimes hear from Cardinals ownership should be totally ignored.
First, the franchise is ranked 10th in value among 30 Major League teams by Forbes magazine. Its $350 million current value is up 18 percent over last year, although the team’s operating income is down 3.9 percent. (Now, how that could be is hard to fathom, because Busch Stadium was totally neglected during the offseason. But, back to the loot in the bank.) Keep in mind, these current value figures will skyrocket next year when the new Busch Stadium is unveiled and ticket, beer, food, souvenir and parking costs all soar.
In other words, the Cardinals have plenty of cash.
Speaking of cash, the annual Fan Cost Index by Team Marketing Report of Chicago tabulates that it costs a family of four about $177.66 (4.2 percent more than in 2004) to take in a Cardinals game. While that seems a staggering amount, it does include purchases that most fans would avoid, including buying a cap at inflated stadium prices.
The average cost includes two adult averageprice tickets, two child average-price tickets, four small soft drinks, two small beers, four hot dogs, two
programs, parking and two adult-size caps.
That total of $177.66 is $13.23 more than the national average of $164.43. The total price ranks St. Louis ninth among the 30 teams and the average ticket price, which will go up next year, is $25.29. That is sixth among all 30 teams. Less than four hours to the west is the least expensive market in Kansas City. It cost just less than $120, about $57 less than in St. Louis, to take a family of four to a game there.