ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis Cardinals games are unsurprisingly profitable for the City of St. Louis. But whenever Cardinals Opening Day comes, it tends to take profitability to a whole new level.
With the Cardinals back in St. Louis to begin their home opening series against the Miami Marlins, no matter who wins on the field, the city of St. Louis will be seeing a whole lot of money being spent downtown.
"The Cardinals drive a lot of revenue, I don't think that's breaking news," Explore St. Louis VP of Communnications Cat Neville on Total Information A.M. Thursday. "It's amazing thing for St. Louis to have an iconic team that plays here and it's so beloved."
Explore St. Louis and Greater St. Louis Inc. say they are estimating around $310 million in economic impact from just Cardinals Home Games alone this 2024 season, beginning Thursday with the club's home opener against the Marlins.
"The projected attendance is 3 million people, but the direct economic impact is projected to be $141.3 million while the indirect economic impact is actually larger at $169.8 million," said Neville. "That I think really tells the story of why these types of entities in any Metropolitan region are so critically important to the economic health and wellbeing of a region."
Neville says the impact of the Cardinals games in St. Louis is that it drives in plenty of people from out of town, with the group estimating 35 percent of people that attends Cardinals game are from out of town.
"If you live in Webster Groves and you're driving for, that wonderful, you might spend on beer and go out before and after the games," said Neville. "But if you're coming in from Chicago, or Nashville, Memphis, Jefferson City, etc. you'll staying in a AirBnB, buying gas, renting a car, eating at restaurants, buying a souvenir. There's a multiplier impact when you're bringing people in."
