ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals are nearing the halfway point of their 2026 season, a period that has reportedly gone better than many predicted. FOX 2 went out to find out how fans are feeling about the energy at Busch Stadium and whether attendance is starting to tick back up.
Visible enthusiasm was evident outside Busch Stadium on Friday night before a game against the Marlins, with long lines of Cardinal fans waiting to enter. However, the team’s overall home attendance figures remain modest, showing only a slight increase compared to last year.
While fans are showing up, the number of tickets sold has not significantly changed. The Cardinals currently rank 18th out of 30 teams in terms of home attendance this season, a small improvement from their 19th-place ranking last year. The team is averaging just under 28,000 fans per game so far this season at Busch.
Mary Hofman, a Cardinal fan and season ticket holder, described the previous year as “depressing,” noting the sparse attendance at games. “But this year, the excitement’s back, the fans are back,” Hofman said. John Hofman, also a Cardinal fan, expressed enthusiasm for the current atmosphere, stating, “It’s so much fun, it’s just an absolute blast in the stadium.”Sinkhole-like riverfront washout forms in downtown St. Louis
Stephen Gray, a longtime ticket broker, indicated that the franchise faces challenges in attracting new supporters. Gray stated, “The “golden goose” is dead. They were the ticket in town. They no longer are.” He emphasized the importance of engaging younger generations, adding, “This is a new generation of fans. The old generation has moved on, some of them have passed-on, and now you’ve got to incite these younger people to come downtown and come to the game.” The team set an all-time low for tickets sold at Busch Stadium in a non-pandemic season at the end of last year, a scene that now “looks much different” with more visible crowds, despite attendance numbers remaining relatively stable.
Despite the persistent presence of open seats at Busch Stadium, fans believe the support for the team endures.
Terrie Johnson, a Cardinal fan, highlighted the impact of performance on attendance. “Well when you’re winning games, that brings the people in!” Johnson said.
Tim and Roxy Seifert, both Cardinals fans, shared their positive outlook on the current team, “They’re a young team and I thought we’d have another average year, but they’re starting to gel and it’s good. They’re gelling at a good time,” the Seiferts said.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.