A St. Louis Cardinals promotional program new to some has them strangely angry.
This is the time of the year when the well of story ideas becomes driest, just before players report to spring training and actual news on the field of play becomes available to report and discuss.
I guess I am guilty of the same, writing about such a storyline here. Yet in a way, I feel the need to defend those who do not defend themselves and those of us who happen to like the term “Cardinal Nation” in whatever derivative used.
The other day, Alvin Reid of the Globe-Democrat launched off into a long editorial, expressing his disgust with the St. Louis Cardinals organization’s promotional offering to provide perks to fans for a fee. Apparently, Reid just discovered the existence of “Cardinals Nation”, a program which has been in place for several years now and is a duplicate of ones in a number of other major league cities.
I was prepared to let it pass until I read a second reaction piece, even stronger than the first. Reid’s column spawned a profanity-laced rant from AT Hooks at insidestl.com, in which he declared “’Cardinal Nation’ is Dead”. I guess some think swearing is a necessary part of being considered edgy. Putting that aside, why Hooks feels he can make this declaration on behalf of everyone based on an ongoing and relatively minor team promotion is beyond me.
In terms of full disclosure, I once actually signed up for “Cardinals Nation” a few years back simply to get MLB Gameday Audio at a reduced rate. It gave me what I wanted from it. Others might like the special ticket offers. Whatever.
Whether or not people choose to pay their money for the program is certainly up to them, but the thought of somehow trying to tie this to one’s fandom level is a pretty ridiculous concept, even when there is apparently nothing else to write about.
Both Reid and Hooks were sloppy in their use of the terminology, confusing the variations on the words “Cardinals Nation”. Given this blog’s name and its parent are turns of the phrase (for the record, with the latter’s URL and site active long before the Cardinals introduced their offering), as a public service I thought I should clarify some of its uses.
- “Cardinals Nation”: A promotional program offered by the St. Louis Cardinals for $19.95 per season. (logo above)
- “Wings of Hope – Cardinal Nation”: A Sunday in-season television program on KSDK Channel 5. (Why Hooks chose that completely unrelated graphic for his diatribe totally escapes me.)
- “The Cardinal Nation”: The main site at Scout.com.
- “The Cardinal Nation Blog”: Right here. It’s our name and we’re sticking to it!
- “Cardinal Nation”: A generic term to characterize the team’s fan base shared by all.
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to see posts that are profanity-laced like his are absolutely disgusting. especially when they are posted on a major site like the inside stl/1380 am. there are better writers available to fill the position and could do a much better job of covering the cardinals (i could name quite a few). keep this junk to your blog, don’t bring it to the mainstream! but again the inside stl boys are not all to bright either. they continue to question every single cards, ex-cards, or cards management guest on the show on mcgwire. IT’S OLD NEWS, GET OVER IT! if this is all you have to bring to an interview, maybe it’s time to go back to school and learn some new useful tools.
i really have a bad feeling about this alvin reid character, just reminds me of someone i don’t like in the newspapers…..make a guess.
ok enough ranting.
I am not trying to pick a fight with anyone personally or with their sites. Most of us who write on a regular basis accept that not everyone is going to agree with everything we write. Such is the case here. I happen to disagree with the position the two writers have taken and I believe I did it in a professional manner. The Cardinals Nation offering isn’t new, unique or mandatory. What’s to get so upset about?
I don’t frequent insidestl, so I don’t know if that kind of language is par for the course for them or not. I stumbled across the post when I was looking for something else. Personally, it seems way over the top, but some others may like it. Obviously, it is their site, so they can do as they please, but I did feel I should warn folks here who might be offended before they clicked on the link I provided above. If someone made a comment like that here, it would never see the light of day, not because of what was said, but how it was said. To each his own, I guess.
Still, it’s nice to frequent a site where even the fan commentary is conducted much more respectfully and intelligently than some other sites’ main content.
Having said that, WC does stress the filter here sometimes!
WCBW may be becoming less stressful than in days bygone. I am looking forward to WCBW having a big, breakout season in 2010! He has the energy and raw talent. If he puts it together, look out.
That doctoral thesis he was discussing the other day has all kinds of interesting potential!
Its a common occurrence for “instinctive individuals” to resent modern marketing techniques Brian. Some seek a heighten sense of individual awareness as they approach their sanctuaries.
Busch stadium is a model of social privilege and access granted to those that can purchase it. It’s designed to restrict or grant access, inferring a higher state of participation or player recognition to the privileged. This is a negative experience for some. The writers of linked articles were expressing there resentment I guess to this reality. Its always been that way.
I remember one fellas in particular that became so resentful of what he felt had been lost in commercial programs similar to these, that he walked up and turned over the tables of the money changers and attempted to ridicule and embarrass them.
The lesson there is, you don’t have to agree with those writers or there style, but you really should be very respectful of their freedom of expression, least it be denied a righteous man.
Some writers feel like they have to criticize everything. I don’t mind profanity when it is spoken to me but that article by Mr/Ms Hooks that was linked to above, the profanity is offensive(to me)
But it is people’s right to write as they want–wright on!
Obviously this person doesn’t know much about anything and feels that written profanity makes up for ignorance. Further down in the article the writer complains about Mardis Gras being held too early in rainy cold weather with no acknowledgement that Mardis Gras Day is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and so is based on Easter as far as when it is celebrated. Which is why the Holiday always changes.
Rock on The Cardinal Nation Blog !