Kinnick IMO has the Wrigley appeal to it. It's got that nostalgic old school feel to it that you just love. But CyTown has that Busch Stadium's Ballpark Village feel to it, where it's an atmosphere all of its own that is about so much more then just the games. I love the Cubs, but as a guy with a wife and three kids living almost the same distance between the two that their choosing St. Louis all day every day, before I even have a say in it, when it comes to catching a series or a game or two. You're absolutely right and it absolutely sucks that we can't compete with what they're doing and all we can do is watch and wait.
So, I hate BPV (as we locals call Ballpark Village).
-It's terribly expensive.
-Some of the food is gross.
-The ancillary themed bars are totally not my scene.
-I have bad memories there
(a) I-Club game watch there for the 2015 Big 10 Championship
(b) I've played some music gigs there. Not on the main stage. Ancillary entertaininment. Totally weird vibe.
-It's sucked the money out of more interesting downtown and pre/post game bars I used to like. They're gone now. There's only so much money to be spent, and BPV sucks it up without offering me much.
I just don't see the economics. BPV works (for now*) because:
-81 Cardinal home games right next door with up to 25-30k (*) potential customers, for decades over 3 MILLION PEOPLE in a season.
-42 St. Louis Blues games a couple blocks away
-17 St. Louis FC soccer games (I will always call it soccer) a couple blocks away
-toss in the Battlehawks playing a few blocks away
-mix in large concerts in the same arena as the Blues play
-mix in conventions and sports tournaments in and around the area including the Dome where the Battlehawks play
-mix in Missouri Valley tournement games, or even this year some actual March Madness games a couple blocks away
-mix in it's a safe place for visitors. Believe it or not, St. Louis still attracts quite a few visitors. Because it's a great place to bring a young family. Cheap as hell. The Zoo is 100% free. The Art Museum regular exhibits...free. Science Center, general admission...free. History Museum...free. The Museum at the Arch (not the ride up)....free. And the greatest attraction the city has to offer? The City Museum. A giant art installation masquerading as a playground made out of industrial stuff. Many of these, just a few blocks from BPV.
It'll be great on game day. 7 or 8 days a year. The other 357 days, it's just college kids with no money. And during the summer? The population drops by how much? It will cheapen over time.
* There is 100% chance that BPV is not having that great of a year with Cardinal attendance dropping.