St.Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals

Most St. Louisans know the Cardinals as an 11-time World Champion baseball team with the “Sea of Red” filling Busch Stadium on those steamy St. Louis summer nights chanting “Yadi! Yadi! Yadi!”. But what most fans may not know is that behind the scenes there’s another team working hard to bring Cardinals baseball to our community. In recent years, the organization has become increasingly diligent and focused on making Cardinals baseball available and accessible to all members of our community, especially within our growing Hispanic fanbase. Here’s a peek inside some of those efforts.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The St. Louis Cardinals are committed to cultivating an organization that embraces and respects all ethnic, cultural, and individual differences, and fosters mutual respect and open communication among all its members. The Cardinals celebrate diversity on and off the field, in the front office, and the community. Founded in late 2018, the employee led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is a group of diverse front office members, focused on leading internal and supporting external DEI efforts. The committee produces monthly and quarterly content including newsletters, podcasts, and Lunch & Learn presentations The focus of this educational content centers around various topics such as Black History Month, Juneteenth, Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. In addition to creating educational content, members of the DEI committee are challenged with fostering open, and sometimes difficult, conversations among the front office. SPANISH LANGUAGE BROADCAST AND OUTREACH

Cardinals Nation is represented in St. Louis, the United States, and across the world. In 2016, the organization began its commitment to reach our Spanish-speaking fans across all platforms with the creation of our Spanish language play-by-play broadcast. Cardinals fans can

enjoy every home game in Spanish with announcers Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina. Spanish broadcasts broadcast locally on La Tremenda 880AM and online via MLB Audio at cardinals.com or on the MLB app (subscription required). When Bengie and Polo aren’t on air, they are regularly out serving as ambassadors to the Hispanic community. This season, Polo is sponsoring ‘Los Pajaritos de Polo’—a ticket program dedicated to bringing young Hispanic fans to the ballpark. During each program, the group gets to stand on the field during Cardinals batting practice, interact with players, ask questions and receive autographs before watching the game. Bengie and Polo have also been known to visit area Spanish-speaking schools where they provide a oneof-kind, memorable experience for students. Seeing Bengie and Polo at these events allows kids to picture themselves as part of the game—and reinforces the idea that representation matters. The Cardinals continue to incorporate Bengie and Polo into more of their annual events and community outreach opportunities with the goal of building interest in the Hispanic community and bringing the Spanish language to the whole fanbase. Last year, Polo recorded a special virtual experience for all our Cardinals Kids Club members to teach them baseball terms in Spanish. As important as it is to make the Spanish-speaking community feel included in Cardinals baseball, it is equally important to bring the passion and joy of Hispanic culture to our English-speaking fan base to help promote and embrace the diversity throughout the Major Leagues with so many Latin countries represented. Fans can follow and interact with @cardenales on all social platforms and Spanish pocket schedules are available as well.

FIESTA CARDENALES

The Cardinals Theme Tickets program is a unique ticket sales initiative targeted towards niche markets and groups while celebrating multiple community and heritage events each year. Fiesta Cardenales, a Hispanic Heritage event, has been a mainstay of the Theme Ticket Program since its inception in 2016. Through the years, Fiesta Cardenales has featured Latin dancers, performances by Orquestra Chevere, Q&A sessions in Spanish with current Cardinals players, and autographs from Bengie Molina and Polo Ascencio, a festival of countries, and more. Each event features an exclusive promotional item and in the past years, we have seen Cardenales hats, t-shirts, and jerseys. A portion of each ticket benefits the Hispanic Educational, Cultural, and Scholarship Fund, which has raised close to $5,000 since 2016. The 6th annual Fiesta Cardenales is scheduled on August 28, 2022, and will feature a pregame heritage ceremony, plus a Sugar Skull Bobblehead for all Theme Ticket buyers! Fans can purchase Theme Tickets at cardinals.com/fiesta.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HCCSTL) has been integral in the Cardinals organization’s outreach to the Hispanic community in St. Louis. HCCSTL staff and members have provided essential support in growing the Spanish Broadcast by connecting community businesses and organizations with the Cardenales. Together we’ve hosted the High School Hispanic Leadership Institute Class at Busch Stadium focused on promoting and developing student leadership and community involvement. Members of the HCCSTL have played an important role in making Fiesta Cardenales a community event with their volunteers and support. The partnership has also worked together in efforts to bring young Latino’s to their first Major League baseball games providing invaluable experiences and memories for these individuals. HCCSTL has been and continues to be an ambassador and a strategic partner of the Cardenales. Together we are making a difference in the Hispanic community of Metro St. Louis.

Someone once asked me what my biggest professional accomplishment was, and I can proudly say it is being part of the St. Louis Cardinals Spanish Broadcast. I can only imagine how proud my abuelito, Miguel Luna, would have been. Papá Mike wasn’t much of a baseball fan; my abuelo was a hard-working, proud Mexican who you never saw sitting in front of a TV — that is, until Fernando Valenzuela took the mound. Miguel was so proud of his heritage that he made sure we always watched when El Mexicano, El Toro, took the spotlight and made Mexico proud. Today we see many Hispanic and Latino players on the field. The Cardinals want to see the Hispanic and Latino representation among the fans, as well; the Spanish Radio Broadcast is a growing Cardinals initiative that is bound to make that happen. Melissa Tull and Anne Carroll began the broadcast in 2016. The idea was brought to them by the Garcia Family, who at the time owned a radio station in St. Louis. They broadcast the first two games in Spanish in 2016, on September 29 and 30. The two-night broadcast was part of our St. Louis Cardinals Hispanic Heritage Month. The St. Louis Cardinals wanted to celebrate the Hispanic Community, and what better way than with a broadcast in our own Spanish language. During the September 29 game, I remember that Yadier Molina hit a home run, and when he touched home plate he pointed up to the booth. When he was interviewed after the game, Yadier said he couldn’t wait to listen to the call by Polo and Bengie. That’s when I knew this was going to be greater than just a twoday broadcast. Soon after those first two broadcasts, the St. Louis Cardinals also created a new twitter account, @cardenales, and a Los Cardenales website, followed by Cardenales de San Luis Facebook and @stlcardenales Instragram. Since then, the Spanish Broadcast has grown to all 81 home games and all post-season games. I am thankful that the Cardinals organization listens to ideas like working with our retail partners to bring in more Hispanic-related merchandise. I’ve encouraged pregame announcements to be read in Spanish, as well as English. Plus, pre-recorded messages, such as “Bienvenidos a Busch Stadium” now play as fans enter the stadium. With the Cardinals support, I hope to help cultivate a love for the Cardinals, and the game of baseball, among our local Hispanic youth by partnering with St. Louis Hispanic Organizations to bring kids to their first Cardenals beisbol game. Baseball unites communities; I want to unite my baseball community and my Hispanic community, bringing over-all Hispanic pride to St. Louis and the St. Louis Cardinals.

CELINA ALLEN

The St. Louis Cardinals recognize the importance, value, and contributions of companies owned by individuals from diverse communities. For the past several years, I have attended the annual Supplier Diversity Summit, hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) during the Winter Meetings. This event allows team purchasing representatives like myself to meet with and learn about all the goods and services offered by diverse businesses.

It is always captivating when an owner shares their personal background with you, as well as their motivation to start a business. One of the regular attendees of the Supplier Diversity Summit is the St. Louis-based company Success Brands, Inc. They provide many of the wearable promotional items fans receive as they walk through the gates at Busch Stadium, and the business owner, Diana Castro-Everett, is a native of Colombia.

Through our partnership, the Cardinals and Success Brands managed the recent turbulent period involving limited fan attendance, supply chain logistics, and restructured promotional purchase orders. Their professionalism and positivity throughout the process resulted in the St. Louis Cardinals awarding Success Brands the 2022 MLB Jackie Robinson Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner Award. Nearly ten years ago, I moved from the East Coast to take a job with the St. Louis Cardinals. I immediately learned how passionate Cardinals fans are and just how far across the Midwest, United States, and world Cardinals Nation spreads. I have since discovered what a uniquely wonderful and diverse city St. Louis is. The fabric of St. Louis has shaped our franchise since its founding in 1882. In my time with the Cardinals, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and celebrate St. Louis’ different communities through my full-time role as Manager, Theme Tickets, and my involvement as a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. My favorite Theme Nights to plan each year are community and heritage events like Fiesta Cardenales, Pride Night, and African American Heritage Day. These events bring groups together to celebrate and honor their cultures while cheering on the Cards at Busch Stadium! The Cardinals commitment to the St. Louis community is unmatched—and seeing the growth of our connection with the Hispanic community over the last few years, through programs like the Spanish Radio Broadcast, Fiesta Cardenales, membership in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and more, has been special. It has been a privilege to play a small role in that!

CHRIS MOLINA BETHANY WHITE