The St. Louis ballpark that hosted two teams, two sports, and one beer war.

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Sportsman's Park was a St. Louis landmark that served as a home for both baseball and football teams for decades. It witnessed the birth of the forward pass, hosted the only World Series played entirely in one stadium, and became the unlikely battlefield for a corporate branding war involving beer.

Located at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, the site hosted baseball games as early as 1867. By 1909, the Browns had constructed a steel and concrete grandstand, making it one of the first major league stadiums of its kind. The park gained fame for its role in football history, specifically as the home field for Saint Louis University in 1906. Under coach Eddie Cochems, the team pioneered the forward pass, showcasing an aerial attack that included a 39–0 victory over Iowa and a 34–2 win against Kansas, where Bradbury Robinson threw a pass that was described as a breathtaking achievement.

The park's identity became intertwined with the rivalry between the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals. Although the Browns were initially the city's favorite, the Cardinals' 1926 World Series victory shifted the balance of power. By the 1950s, the Browns' owner, Bill Veeck, attempted to use promotional tactics to force the Cardinals out of town. However, when Cardinals owner Fred Saigh sold the team to Anheuser-Busch in 1953, the Browns were effectively finished in St. Louis. The stadium was sold to the Cardinals for $800,000, and the Browns relocated to Baltimore to become the Orioles.

The transition to ownership by Anheuser-Busch led to a clever marketing maneuver. Commissioner Ford Frick blocked the name 'Budweiser Stadium' due to concerns over naming a venue after a beer brand. In response, August Busch Jr. renamed it Busch Stadium after himself. The brewery later introduced 'Busch Bavarian Beer,' effectively branding the stadium with a name that mirrored their second most popular product. By the mid-1960s, the aging facility, which lacked adequate parking and was ill-suited for the automobile era, was replaced by Busch Memorial Stadium in 1966. The site was later donated for use by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis.

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