The Cardinals are in London for their big two-game series with the Cubs which will be played Saturday and Sunday. Both teams have had less than impressive seasons but that doesn’t stop some fans from following them.
Sports has the incredible power to unite people from different backgrounds and cultures, forging a bond that goes beyond geographic boundaries, and the partnerships that MLB has spill into other countries and are a good example of this. From the huge interest in the World Baseball Classic to this London game, Cardinals fans are showing they will follow their team to all parts of the U.S. and now even another country.
Beth Oziek is one of the Cardinals fans who is headed across the pond. She is an usher at Busch Stadium as well as she works at Spring Training as a guard in the players parking lot.
“We are here in London!” she told STLSportsPage.com. “I’m having a great time so far, and will send photos.”
It will be interesting to see how many Cardinals jerseys there are as earlier in the year we took a road trip to Seattle and there were Cardinals fans everywhere. We heard similar stories from Boston and even the recent Washington, D.C. trip. Even when the team is where they are right now, the fans are still traveling– because they love their team.
Aimee Speight of Time2Play –who is from London herself– told us about a study that was done on the phenomenon of fandom. For more on the study CLICK HERE.
“A new study reveals how far fans will go to show their love for their favorite sports team,” she said. “One in five fans would name their child or pet after their favorite team or player.”
Aimee gave us some insight into the stadium that is being transformed from a soccer stadium to a baseball field.
“The London Stadium is the UK’s Olympic Stadium from when we hosted the 2012 games,” she said, “It is the home to West Ham United football team (soccer). The stadium and Olympic Park is, as you’d expect, a huge deal in the UK. ”
The stadium is located in Stratford– East London.
“It’s not the prettiest part of London,” she added. “It’s not walking distance to the usual tourist stops like Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Trafalgar Square etc but the transport links are excellent and you can hop on the Central or Jubilee tube lines that will take you into the City.
“For Cardinals fans who traveled to London and want to see the city, it’s about twenty minutes by Tube out of the heart of the city, so not a very long journey at all and you get to experience the London Underground in all it’s glory.”
Fans who make the trip all the way to England have a special love for their team.
The study by Time2Play delves into the fascinating world of sports fandom and explore the extraordinary levels of dedication displayed by fans– which of course would include traveling to another country. From traveling across state lines– or the ocean– to support their favorite teams, to collecting memorabilia and even naming children after sports icons, the statistics from the study reveal the deep-rooted passion that fans possess.
For many sports fans, planning a vacation often goes hand in hand with catching a game that their favorite team is playing in. For this reason, STLSportsPage.com has partnered with the Drury Hotels since we know how many of their hotels are around the country and are convenient to many of the ballparks where the Cardinals are playing throughout the year– as well as hotels along the road while taking the roadtrip to the destination.
The study showed 61% of respondents confessing their willingness to structure their vacation plans around attending a game. This trend highlights the desire to intertwine leisure and fandom, creating unforgettable memories at both their dream destinations and in the stands of their cherished sports arenas.
Some of the destinations for Cardinals fans don’t even involve seeing their team play; many take trips to the Field of Dreams movie set, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and of course minor league baseball.
A fun vacation can involve going to Memphis to see the Redbirds or Springfield or Peoria where fans will see Cardinals of the future.
From booking tickets well in advance to coordinating travel arrangements, these passionate fans prioritize their favorite teams in crafting their vacation experiences.
