Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by Belgium-based InBev is unlikely to impact the signature name of the club’s downtown ballpark and that he’s eager to discuss the team’s relationship with the new player in the St. Louis market, Post-Dispatch baseball writer Joe Strauss reports after talking with DeWitt today.
“We wouldn’t expect any change (of Busch Stadium’s name),” DeWitt told Strauss in an interview Monday. “We have a long-term contract for naming rights and sponsorship. … I don’t know the details of the proposed transaction. I know InBev has said St. Louis will continue as a headquarters and would assume that would be good for the Cardinals.”
The Cardinals have had a relationship with Anheuser-Busch that dates back well into last century. August A. Busch Jr., whose “number” 85 is retired by the club, purchased the club in February 1953 when he was president of the brewery. Under his ownership, the club flourished in the 1960s and won three World Series championships (1964, 1967 and then again in 1982).
The Budweiser Clydesdales became stars of the Cardinals’ renowned Opening Day festivities, a tradition that continues today.
Three ballparks have carried the name Busch Stadium, including old Sportsmans Park, the multi-purpose, arch-crownded circle that became synonymous with Whiteyball and the early success of the Tony La Russa era and the new, brick-styled downtown ballpark. It, technically, is Busch III.
“A-B’s association with the Cardinals has been very important for over 50 years and we would expect it to continue to be a terrific relationship and remain very important to the franchise,” DeWitt told Strauss on Monday. “Obviously, once the ownership and management structure becomes clear, we’ll want to sit down with the new group and talk to them about the relationship with the Cardinals.”
A group of investors led by DeWitt and several St. Louisans purchased the team from the brewery in March 1996.
Still, Busch is part of the mortar of the franchise and its home.
Advertising for Anheuser-Busch products is ubiquitous at the downtown ballpark. Many advertisements for A-B products have also included the Cardinals logo and played on the shared history as St. Louis institutions. Executives from both organizations have long had a hand-in-fielder’s glove relationship when it comes to marketing.
“It’s premature to talk about what InBev might want to do with the Cardinal relationship or other products at the ballpark,” DeWitt told Strauss. “The term ‘pouring rights’ is a misnomer. We have a variety of products that we sell. But we obviously favor the local brands. I wouldn’t expect any of that to change.”
More on the InBev takeover and how it relates to St. Louis and the Cardinals available all day today on StlToday.com and in Tuesday’s edition of the paper.
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