Missouri- The Baseball State

CG91 · PostJan 02, 2022#12022-01-02T03:53+00:00

Not exactly sure where to post this but after watching the Winter Classic and seeing all of the “State of Hockey” branding for the Minnesota Wild, I had an idea. If Minnesota is the hockey state, Indiana is the basketball state, and Texas is the football state, Missouri/St. Louis should go all in as the baseball state. I think Missouri has a pretty neutral image right now, there isn’t much of a state identity, so I think that being the state of baseball would be a good thing to claim. I’ve always thought Beer, Baseball, and Biking is what Missouri should be known for. Lots of craft breweries, 2 MLB teams (one being the premier franchise of the National League), and solid biking with things like the Katy Trail (though STL needs to up our bike infrastructure throughout the city).

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npav · PostJan 03, 2022#22022-01-03T15:26+00:00

CG91 wrote: ↑
Jan 02, 2022
Not exactly sure where to post this but after watching the Winter Classic and seeing all of the “State of Hockey” branding for the Minnesota Wild, I had an idea. If Minnesota is the hockey state, Indiana is the basketball state, and Texas is the football state, Missouri/St. Louis should go all in as the baseball state. I think Missouri has a pretty neutral image right now, there isn’t much of a state identity, so I think that being the state of baseball would be a good thing to claim. I’ve always thought Beer, Baseball, and Biking is what Missouri should be known for. Lots of craft breweries, 2 MLB teams (one being the premier franchise of the National League), and solid biking with things like the Katy Trail (though STL needs to up our bike infrastructure throughout the city).

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The Blues ran a "Heartland of Hockey" campaign for a few years that I'm pretty sure was inspired by the Wild's "State of Hockey" branding.

Never really caught on with the public but it was an attempt.

I agree Baseball would be a great thing to push for Missouri as a whole. Two MLB teams, Cardinals obviously being a premier cornerstone MLB team along with Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers. The Royals are no slouch either with a long history and good fan support when they are competitive. Negro League Museum is in KC as well I believe, add the Cardinals HoF, Ballpark Village, and the history of the St. Louis Stars and KC Monarch's and you have a wealth of baseball history.

Any ideas for what MO could do to capitalize / improve on this? New museum? Just better advertising of the baseball history?

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJan 03, 2022#32022-01-03T20:14+00:00

Missouri has the most baseball teams per capita

Laife Fulk · PostJan 03, 2022#42022-01-03T20:26+00:00

Well… technically DC, with a population of ~700k has the most per capita. If we’re going to go by state / territory / district boundaries here.

CG91 · PostJan 03, 2022#52022-01-03T22:48+00:00

I think obviously the pipe dream idea would be to move the national baseball hall of fame to St. Louis. It’ll never happen so it isn’t worth talking about too much but St. Louis is a much more accessible place than Cooperstown for the majority of the country and would just simply be a better location for the museum. Aside for that, there’s certainly enough history to create a Missouri Baseball History Museum. I also think the Cardinals and Royals should come together with VisitMO to create a national “State of Baseball” marketing campaign. With 2 pro teams (both with lots of history, but especially the Cardinals), 4 D1 schools, the negro leagues Museum, the Springfield Cardinals, and the KC Monarchs, I think Missouri should definitely be regarded as a Baseball Mecca for fans throughout the country

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gary kreie · PostJan 04, 2022#62022-01-04T00:00+00:00

I think America can stand a 2nd baseball museum. Like when Seattle built a 2nd Rock museum. Maybe call it The National Museum of Baseball.

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UrbanPlanner2022 · PostJan 04, 2022#72022-01-04T01:04+00:00

State of Baseball doesn’t work here, what’s different is state of hockey started when the Wild were awarded a team and it was more than just the Wild because the state has a long history with hockey and produced some of the best US players. So with that in mind, State of Soccer might be a better play because we do have the history of producing talent and 2 mls teams but really one since Sporting KC plays in a corn field in Kansas

Trololzilla · PostJan 04, 2022#82022-01-04T08:12+00:00

Don't forget the Orioles used to be St. Louis' 2nd baseball team, plus the Athletics played in KC between their time in Philly and Oakland.

gone corporate · PostJan 04, 2022#92022-01-04T20:57+00:00

Superman is a Royals fan, certainly not a Mets fan... Which is nice.

Don't think we need to compete heads-up with Cooperstown. But, I think there could be given serious consideration to STL being home to something that celebrates sports broadcasting: the Bucks, Joe Garagiola, Harry Caray, Bob Costas, Dan Kelly, Dan Dierdorff, even Kurt Warner's doing broadcasting today. It's not directly baseball, but it certainly includes our history with some of the best. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to get more positive national media attention on STL.

Edit: The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame exists and is run out of NYC. But, I'm not certain if there's a physical HOF. The website shows an address for Sports Video Group as the primary contact. The 2020-21 ceremony was held in December at the NYC Hilton Midtown Ballroom. I've been through this hotel enough to know that there is no HOF on site.

The National Sports Media Association also exists (formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association) and is based in Winston-Salem, NC.

symphonicpoet · PostJan 04, 2022#102022-01-04T23:55+00:00

^The Bowling Hall of Fame moved. (Sadly.) Maybe The Sporting News could be conned into aiding an effort to drag the broadcasters to St. Louis.

UrbanPlanner2022 · PostJan 05, 2022#112022-01-05T00:31+00:00

There are 13 year olds running around STL that have been here their whole life without the bowling hall of fame here (closed Nov 2008 and reopened in Arlington TX 2010)

symphonicpoet · PostJan 05, 2022#122022-01-05T04:11+00:00

^That was basically my point. Private museums sometimes move, if there's a compelling enough reason. (Which is most likely usually a monetary reason.) I'm guessing the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is such a private organization, ergo we could potentially lure it out of New York. (Make it turnabout for the AKC Dog Museum.) We've got some potential local sponsors and we can probably come up with some great museum space. I could get behind this idea. Maybe get the J. School in Columbia to get onboard as well.

Laife Fulk · PostJan 05, 2022#132022-01-05T04:24+00:00

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑
Jan 04, 2022
^The Bowling Hall of Fame moved. (Sadly.) Maybe The Sporting News could be conned into aiding an effort to drag the broadcasters to St. Louis.

Not sure they would be a huge help as they're now based out of Charlotte, NC.

PostJan 05, 2022#142022-01-05T04:28+00:00

While I'm all for trying to highlight baseball, I don't think a new museum is going to do much in the way of increasing tourism. Especially if we're talking about a Sports Broadcasting HOF. The low hanging fruit would be if Rawlings would open their version of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory - have a Gold Glove HOF, history of Rawlings gloves and baseballs, a small on site glove manufacturing operation to highlight how gloves are made, etc. That would definitely draw more than any broadcasting museum IMO.

CG91 · PostJan 05, 2022#152022-01-05T05:27+00:00

^ this. Rawlings was supposed to be a part of phase 2 of Ballpark Village in some capacity, but unfortunately that plan got shelved for some reason. Hopefully that can be resurrected for phase 3 soon and they can move their offices downtown along with a gold glove museum. With the Cardinals great history of gold glovers and outstanding defensive teams and Rawlings just happening to have their headquarters in St. Louis, it’s a perfect fit and would instantly be a huge attraction to visiting fans

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Laife Fulk · PostJan 05, 2022#162022-01-05T14:29+00:00

There were renderings with Rawlings name on the side of the building, including an event flier that was sent out by CBRE, but a signed lease was never actually reported. So there were probably discussions between Cordish and Rawlings, and obviously some renderings to try and market the space to them, but was never an actual done deal.

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJan 05, 2022#172022-01-05T15:25+00:00

It's a shame because Rawlings brand could become synonymous with the St. Louis identity so easily with a presence like that in BPV. Nearly to the level of Louisville and Louisville Sluggers.

RockChalkSTL · PostJan 05, 2022#182022-01-05T18:01+00:00

It really would be wonderful if Rawlings could move down by the stadium and create a flagship corporate experience for fans.

You would have to think that every time in the Cardinals played on national television, you would get sweeping camera views of the development and brand. Also, local and visiting fans would no doubt spend tons of money there on game days, be it for a new glove or some other baseball apparel. Plus, it would kind of complement what Ballpark Village already has with Baseballism and Arch Apparel.

I don't know why, but I keep picturing a giant glove that can be seen from Busch Stadium - something similar to the giant glove at San Francisco's Oracle Park, except across Clark from the stadium and not in the actual stands.

gone corporate · PostJan 05, 2022#192022-01-05T20:20+00:00

Positioning BPV as a place for fans to have a "brand experience" should be a major draw for filling up the retail spaces and attracting Class A Office tenants, even amidst this pandemic. STL continues to have locally-based consumer services products that can and should be positioning themselves at BPV. Rawlings as mentioned here is an exceptional idea, and it would certainly be to that company's benefit to establish what's proposed above. Same time, AB certainly gets it. I'm thinking of how Build-A-Bear moved its HQ to adjacent to Union Station with a full experiential retail presence, where it should certainly piggyback the patrons of Union Station and the new soccer stadium.

More on thread point: Rawlings at BPV would certainly fuel MO as the Baseball State. I'd say that's more powerful an argument than the sports broadcasting idea (especially as the NFL would fight any relocation to a viable open market that's forever enraged at StanK).

Ebsy · PostJan 06, 2022#202022-01-06T02:33+00:00

Just what I want out of going to the Cardinals game, a "brand experience."

gone corporate · PostJan 06, 2022#212022-01-06T20:00+00:00

^Rephrase...
If Build-A-Bear had their new HQ at PBV instead of next to Union Station, and they built their giant retail center inside BPV, would people that go to Cardinals games appreciate it? Would people go here even in the off-season?

That's what I meant by "brand experience".
Basically, get the big consumer brands to put big and immersive stores at PBV as retail.

The Budweiser Brew House already is exactly this.
A big Nike Store would be another. (no, I've heard nothing to think one's on its way)

I'd like to see plenty of this by STL's biggest consumer brands. We have AB; we also could have Rawlings as written about above.