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St. Louis Cardinals team president William (Bill) DeWitt III is part of a generational lineage that stretches back to the immortal Branch Rickey when he gave a young Bill DeWitt Sr. a job in his front office.
Much like his grandfather and current team owner/father Bill DeWitt Jr., Bill III assumed a leadership role becoming team president back in 2008 and is now at the forefront of organizational affairs.
On the heels of an April 17 Riverfront Times (RFT) article that shed light on what author Eric Berger wrote as the Cardinals’ plan to seek public funding for proposed upgrades to Busch Stadium, DeWitt III was prompted to address the now-viral editorial, which he described as a “lie.”
Bill DeWitt III: Stadium Conversation Is a ‘Few Years Premature’
The Riverfront Times, a progressive publication in St. Louis, is no stranger to local politics and affairs, and they’re not shy about running stories that challenge civic and fiscal narratives that may impact the city.
The recent RFT article now in the spotlight stated, “Cardinals owners hope to make significant renovations to Busch Stadium in the next five years – and will likely seek public funding for the project, which they say is necessary to keep the stadium viable.”
Berger then tacked on, “The team president compares the potential scale of the project to two other franchises that each obtained more than $500 million in public funding for stadium upgrades.”
Bill DeWitt III joined local sports personality Martin Kilcoyne on a May 11 episode of “The Kilcoyne Conversation,” where he vigorously denied the assertion.
“This conversation is probably a few years premature because the RFT did this article {that said}… ‘Cardinals Seeking Public Funding” which was just a lie. We’re not seeking anything. I don’t know what the full project even looks like. We’re just embarking on the process of determining [potential upgrade scenarios].”
When pressed further by Kilcoyne for a rough timeline, he added, “I would say in a year we’ll have a plan. At that point, we’ll figure out a way to enact that plan.”
Although DeWitt challenges the premise outlined in the report, his response confirming the organization will be in the process of formulating a strategy in the coming months has fueled speculation the article may have merit.
Why Busch Stadium Is Part of a ‘Cycle’ of Ballparks Approaching Needed Upgrades
How they overlap:
GIF courtesy: @StadiumSites
Busch Stadium III was constructed in 2006, and with the team mired in a downturn and emotions running high, it was a you-have-to-be-kidding-me moment for many when the RFT declaration began to circulate.
Focusing on inferred stadium renovation challenges that lie ahead, DeWitt articulated, “When you look at where we are, it started with Camden Yards,… and probably 2/3s of the teams have stadiums in this cycle when you get up on 20 years, it starts to get where some big things need to happen.”
“Things like replacing all the seats, HVAC system, concessions, lights, technology (such as WiFi) and office renovations.”
“When you’re talking big ticket items, when you’ve got a building that’s a million square feet, just replacing the light bulbs is a million dollars.”
Current Condition & Long-Term Plans for Busch Stadium
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Regarding the current status of the 46,000-seat structure, DeWitt said, “I’d say the current health is good. We’re certainly better than the average stadium at 18 ½ years (of age), for sure.”
On the prospect of keeping up with inevitable maintenance, he added, “We really believe in the long-term need to stay ahead of that curve. We don’t want to fall behind on anything so much that the cost of repairing it gets out of control.”
Looking toward the future, DeWitt expressed, “Our philosophy is that we want to make sure this stadium is around forever.” We don’t want to ever have to replace it — at least in my lifetime,” said the 56-year-old Ivy League graduate.
When asked about the family’s commitment to staying in St Louis, DeWitt III stated, “Yeah, we’re at status quo.” We’re excited about holding long term, turning this ship back around, and we think we have a plan to do it.”
“We remain very excited and enthusiastic about Cardinals’ baseball and in particular this great franchise.”