ST. LOUIS — For the first time since 2019, the St. Louis Cardinals will begin their season with full capacity at Busch Stadium. That’s expected to produce an economic impact of more than $300 million for the St. Louis region, according to an analysis published Monday.
The Cardinals this year are projected to generate $302.1 million in economic activity in St. Louis this summer, according to the analysis produced by economic development group Greater St. Louis Inc., tourism agency Explore St. Louis and the Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative. That includes an estimated $141 million in direct spending from fans, with that leading to an additional $161.1 million in related dining, lodging and shopping expenses from visitors. Out-of-town visitors are projected to account for more than 40% of fans at Cardinals games, according to the analysis.
“Albert Pujols is back. (Yadier Molina) and (Adam Wainwright) are back. And most importantly for Downtown and the St. Louis metro, the fans are coming back,” Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc., said in a news release. “The Cardinals are one of St. Louis’ great corporate citizens and unifying forces of our metro. Beyond the economic impact they provide for the region, they have been one of the key drivers in the effort to make Downtown the vibrant, safe, dynamic neighborhood the entire metro can enjoy.”
In addition to the economic impact, the three groups that released Monday's analysis said the upcoming Cardinals' season "will promote public safety by increasing the number of feet on the street" in downtown St. Louis.
The analysis released Monday projects the Cardinals will draw more than 3 million fans to Busch Stadium this season for the team’s 81 home games. That would mark a return to the Cardinals’ pre-pandemic attendance figures. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cardinals began the 2021 season with limited attendance at Busch Stadium and ended up drawing 2.1 million fans to Busch Stadium for the entire season. The 2020 MLB regular season was staged without fans in the stands, which forced downtown business to navigate a summer without baseball crowds. Prior to 2020, the Cardinals had drawn at least 3 million fans to Busch Stadium for 16 consecutive seasons.
Read the full story on the St. Louis Business Journal website.