St. Louis Cardinals, commonly referred to as Cardinals or simply Cards, is one of the most iconic and successful baseball teams in the world. Founded in 1882 as St. Louis Brown Stockings, it changed its name to St. Louis Cardinals in 1900. The team is based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and plays its home matches at the famous Busch Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 45,000.
The Cardinals has a rich history, boasting 11 World Series titles, 19 National League pennants, and numerous other division and league titles. The team enjoyed its most successful era under legendary manager Whitey Herzog, who led the Cardinals to three National League pennants and one World Series victory between 1980 and 1990.
Known for its balanced style of play, the team has nurtured some of baseball’s greatest talents, including Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, and Albert Pujols. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, St. Louis Cardinals remains one of the world’s most valuable baseball teams, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence American and world baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals is one of the most popular baseball clubs in the world, with one of the highest average home attendances in Major League Baseball. The club states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the St. Louis Cardinals Supporters Club (SLCSC), in at least 24 countries. The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that St. Louis Cardinals has 75 million fans worldwide. The club has the third highest social media following in the world among sports teams (after New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers), with over 82 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that St. Louis Cardinals had the loudest fans in the MLB.
St. Louis Cardinals was formed in 1882 as St. Louis Brown Stockings by businessman Chris Von der Ahe to compete in the American Association. The team initially played games against other American Association teams, but on 20 April 1882, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colors of the team's original logo—brown and white—they were defeated 9–7 by Chicago White Stockings' team.
In February 1953, the impending resumption of baseball after the war led to the managerial appointment of Eddie Stanky, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Stanky led the team to second-place league finishes in 1953, 1954, and 1955, and to World Series victory in 1964. In 1967, the club won the National League, its first league title for 18 years.
On 8 May 1996, August Busch III announced that he was to retire as manager at the end of the baseball season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. He retired as the most decorated manager in baseball history. The club announced the next day that Milwaukee Brewers manager Phil Garner would replace him from 1 July, having signed a six-year contract. Jim Edmonds took over as interim player-manager 10 months later, on 22 March 1997, when Garner was sacked after a poor season in which the club failed to defend their National League title and failed to qualify for the World Series for the first time since 1987.
Originally funded by the St. Louis Streetcar Company, the Cardinals became a limited company in 1892 and sold shares to local supporters for $1 via an application form. In 1902, majority ownership passed to four local businessmen who invested $700 to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Sam Breadon. After his death in 1939, the club faced bankruptcy yet again but was saved in December 1942 by Robert Hannegan, who assumed control of the club after an investment of $3,000. Hannegan promoted his son, Bill, to the board in 1948, but died three years later; the Hannegan family retained ownership of the club through Robert's wife, Mary, but the position of chairman passed to former player Stan Musial.
Promoted to the board a few days after the World War II, August A. Busch Jr., a friend of Eddie Stanky, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately $50,000, he accumulated a 54 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1954. When Mary Hannegan died in January 1961, her shares passed to Bill Hannegan, who sold a percentage of his shares to August A. Busch Jr.'s son, August A. Busch III, in 1978; August A. Busch III went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1980. Media tycoon Ted Turner attempted to buy the club in 1984, but did not meet Busch's asking price. In 1989, chairman August A. Busch III attempted to sell the club to Bill DeWitt Jr. for $20 million, but the sale fell through and DeWitt joined the board of directors instead.
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball in terms of championships won. The team's first championship was the American Association pennant, which they won as the St. Louis Browns in 1885. In 1926, the Cardinals won their first World Series and have since gone on to win a total of 11 World Series Championships—the second most in the history of baseball. In addition, the Cardinals have won 19 National League pennants and 14 division titles.
Domestic
St. Louis Cardinals Official Website: Comprehensive history, facts, and statistics about the St. Louis Cardinals. https://www.mlb.com/cardinals
Baseball-Reference: Detailed statistics and records of the St. Louis Cardinals. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/
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