Redbird Rapture: Celebrating the Spirit of Cardinals Nation

In one of the best sports cities in the country, St. Louis Cardinals fans stand out. The Cardinals are one of the most successful franchises in North American sports, and their fans come out in droves despite being a mid-market team. These aren’t just fans who showed up to Busch Stadium during the magical 1998 summer, when Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. These fans have been coming out to support the Cardinals since they were the St. Louis Browns way back in 1892.

From Bob Gibson to Stan Musial to Lou Brock to Albert Pujols, Cardinals fans have been lucky enough to watch some of the greatest players in MLB history suit up for their team. The fans have shown up to support the teams through good times and bad. The bad times haven’t been plentiful, as the Cardinals consistently put forth a winning product for fans to cheer on. No matter where the Cardinals go, fans show up in their cardinal red, navy blue, yellow, and white. Because that’s what Cardinal Nation does.

What it Means to be a St. Louis Cardinals Super Fan

When you think of a St. Louis Cardinals fan, you think of someone passionate about the game and a person who keeps up with the team, no matter how they are doing. St. Louis ranks sixth in attendance across the league, and it has finished in the top four in each of the past three seasons. Cardinal Nation, also known as Redbird Nation, is what the fans are called, dating all the way back to the 1930s. You can find Cardinals fans all over the Midwest and as far out as Colorado – Coors Field is routinely taken over by Redbird fans whenever the team plays the Rockies. The fans typically support Cardinals Care, the team’s charitable foundation, by attending events in and around the St. Louis area throughout the year.

St. Louis Cardinals Fans on Gameday

Cardinals fans typically start gameday in Ballpark Village, the area surrounding the stadium. There is even a restaurant named after them, Cardinals Nation, which is a premium meet-up spot before and after games since no tailgating is allowed around the stadium. St. Louis has turned Ballpark Village into a visit-worthy location all year long, thanks to the plethora of venues that support all local teams like STL City SC, the St. Louis Battlehawks, and more.

If you’re heading into Busch Stadium for a game, you’ll see Fredbird, the Cardinals mascot since 1979. He is a large cardinal and wears a Cardinals jersey. He may be leading chants for the team, such as “Let’s Go Cardinals” or doing a rendition of “Time to Fly,” the ode to St. Louis written by former pitcher Adam Wainwright. Cardinals fans pack the stadium from one side of the St. Louis arch, easily seen from behind home plate, to the other.

Memorable Moments in St. Louis Cardinals Fandom

One of the most iconic moments in recent baseball history came from a Cardinals player. David Freese’s walk off home run in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series – which he hit after tying the game with a two-out triple in the ninth inning – landed on the grassy hill over the centerfield wall, causing members of Cardinal Nation to pour in from the bleachers to try and grab the ball. The Cardinals have given their fans a lot of exciting moments to cheer for over the years in all four stadiums the team has played in. The team has won 11 World Series titles and 19 National League pennants. From the “Gashouse Gang” in 1934 to Bob Gibson’s dominance over the New York Yankees in 1964, there have been memorable games for the Redbird faithful.

Arguably, no Cardinals moment is as memorable as the day McGwire hit the record-breaking home run number 62 down the left-field line in 1998 to send the raucous crowd into a frenzy. The game was stopped to commemorate the moment, and he received a multi-minute standing ovation from Cardinal Nation. Since then, the team won it all in 2006 and 2011, with a cavalcade of stars like Pujols, Yadier Molina, Lance Berkman, Chris Carpenter and Jim Edmonds leading the team to victories.

The team, despite its penchant for big-name stars, always features scrappy players who help embody the spirit of the city. David Eckstein, Fernando Vina, Edgar Renteria, So Taguchi, Tom Herr, and others have carried that mantle for the team.

Famous St. Louis Cardinals Fans

Jon Hamm might be the most recognizable Cardinals fan, as the St. Louis sports fanatic has been seen frequently at Busch Stadium and St. Louis Blues games. Nelly has been spotted at games for decades. Billy Bob Thornton narrated the 2006 St. Louis World Series DVD and is an outspoken fan of the Redbirds. Busch Stadium dedicated a night to John Goodman in 2016 as the Missouri native has been a fan for a long time. President Bill Clinton grew up listening to Cardinals games in Arkansas and has been a fan since then.