St. Louis Blues: Good To See Blues And Cardinals Work Together

The St. Louis Blues and their crosstown cousins have never had a bad relationship. Over the last few years, they have really banded together to form a solid bond that has helped out both.

When it comes to the St. Louis sports landscape, St. Louis Blues fans have often felt like second class citizens. We get less coverage, the games often got bumped for Cardinals broadcasts and the newspaper would often have Cardinals headlines in the middle of winter when hockey should take precedence.

Fans have never disliked each other, since there was so much crossover. Many Blues fans are Cardinals fans and vice versa.

There has been some discord bred by the media, unintentionally of course. Blues fans are simply tired of being bombarded by Cardinals news when we would like hockey coverage. Some of us do not care about hot stove talk on sports radio when the season is in full swing.

Fortunately, none of that ever crept in between the actual teams.

The Blues and Cardinals have never been at odds, at least publicly. At worst, they were neighbors that had little to do with each other. At best, they’ve been quite friendly and helped the other grow.

In the past, there may have been a little more disconnect when the Blues were over on Oakland Avenue in the St. Louis Arena. When the Blues moved to what is currently Scottrade Center, the relationship took a turn for the better.

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Now, both teams have entered into a mutually beneficial partnership. While there is a part of it that came out of the embarrassment of the Rams being stripped from the city, the teams realize that they can help the other.

The clearest way they have joined is with pregame jersey giveaways and batting practice jerseys. The past few years the Cardinals have worn Blues themed batting practice jerseys and the Blues will later wear Cardinals themed pregame jerseys.

The teams relationship have also benefitted everyone involved in ventures like the Winter Classic. The Cardinals could very well have said they did not want their field to be used for anything but baseball. That has been the case in the past.

Without that partnership being so great, St. Louis would have missed out. The Blues would not have had the honor of hosting one of the NHL’s premier events. The Cardinals would have missed out on extra revenue since they got a piece of the gate.

Additionally, if nothing else, their working partnership is just good for the city. Beyond the events, having the teams actually acknowledge the other and help the other is just good for city bonding.

You get Cardinals players attending Blues games or Blues players showing up at Cardinals games. That’s good publicity. It is not a publicity stunt either. It is a mutual interest.

It makes millionaires relatable too. They become kids again and almost look up to the guys who are on their level, just in a different sport.

These connections make us feel more at home, more connected to our sports heroes. We don’t feel like we are choosing between the Blues or Cardinals when they are not playing tug of war with us.

It gives fans a piece of mind that their beloved teams are interested in helping the other and we won’t have another Rams situation.

It is also a good way to keep one franchise in the mind of the other’s fans without being overbearing. As a Blues fan first, I don’t mind seeing the baseball warmups. I thought Carter Hutton’s baseball mask was fantastic during the Winter Classic. I’d much prefer that to being bashed over the head.

It’s good to see our city’s teams working together. Especially with what is going on in the world and our area, any kind of bonding is good.

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