Bernie Show: Cardinals must motivate the fans.

The Bernie Miklasz Show

It was a big week for the St. Louis Cardinals. On Tuesday, Missouri voters approved a ballot initiative that legalizes sportsbook wagering in Missouri. The Cardinals -- and their Ballpark Village -- will clearly benefit from that. On Thursday, the Cardinals announced the launching of a direct-to-consumer streaming package that will deliver the games -- with no blackouts -- to laptops, TV monitors, tablets and smart phones. Not only that, but the Cardinals solidified their current TV arrangement with Diamond Sports in a deal that eases ownership's anxiety. Even though the Cardinals will be paid 23 percent less than scheduled after renegotiating with Diamond Sports, they'll make up for that (and then some) by selling streaming packages and having another entertainment venue (sportsbook) on the way.

It's a win--win for Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III. But it's also a win-win for the fans, who have more ways to hold ownership accountable. The fans don't have to buy tickets to home games, and they don't have to buy the streaming service to see Cardinals games. It is up to the Cardinals to motivate the fans to invest their money in the club -- and the DeWitts can do that by first showing a commitment to invest more payroll dollars to build a better a better team after the moderate rebuild of 2025.