Who owns the St. Louis Cardinals? Bill DeWitt, explained

William O. DeWitt Jr. remains the principal owner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals, a role he has held since 1996. On June 24, 2026, his son Bill DeWitt III became CEO, taking charge of baseball and business operations—but DeWitt Jr. stayed on as owner and kept a hand in major decisions. The Cardinals are one of baseball’s best-run franchises: 11 World Series titles, a deep farm system built on Latin American talent, and a stable front office that has not changed hands in three decades.

🏟️ Ownership at a glance

Principal owner	William O. ‘Bill’ DeWitt Jr.
Controlling group	Group of investors led by the DeWitt family
Current group since	1996
Purchase price	$150M
Latest valuation	$2.75B
Value multiple	18.3× the purchase price

Who is Bill DeWitt

DeWitt Jr. was born August 31, 1941, in St. Louis, into a baseball family. His father, William O. DeWitt Sr., started as a soft drink vendor at Cardinals games in 1916 and rose to become an executive and owner of several clubs. The younger DeWitt earned a degree in economics from Yale in 1963 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1965. His wealth came from finance, not baseball: in 1979 he cofounded Reynolds, DeWitt & Co., a private equity firm focused on corporate acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, with major stakes in the Arby’s restaurant chain and energy companies.

DeWitt Jr. was a partner in the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1998 alongside George W. Bush, and earlier participated in the 1984 merger of his energy firm Spectrum 7 with Bush’s Arbusto Energy. In 1996, he led the group that bought the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch for $150 million. Three decades later, Forbes valued the club at $2.75 billion—nearly 1,500% more than the purchase price.

How they bought the team

DeWitt’s group acquired the Cardinals on June 24, 1996, paying $150 million to Anheuser-Busch, which had owned the team since August A. Busch Jr. took control in 1953. The deal gave DeWitt Jr. his first majority stake in a baseball team and launched what would become one of sports’ best investments: the club is now worth $2.75 billion according to Forbes’ March 2026 valuation, placing it 12th among the 30 MLB franchises.

Year	Buyer	Amount
1953	Anheuser-Busch (August A. Busch Jr.)	—
1996	Bill DeWitt Jr. group	$150M

What else they own

Reynolds, DeWitt & Co. remains the family’s central holding company, managing corporate acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and stakes in Arby’s and energy. Beyond baseball, DeWitt Jr. held a partnership in the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. The group also controls Ballpark Village, an entertainment, retail, and residential complex adjacent to Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, developed in partnership with The Cordish Companies. These properties form an ecosystem around the Cardinals and the stadium.

Where the games air

In 2026, the Cardinals became the first team to break with Main Street Sports Group, the operator of the FanDuel Sports Network regional channels that collapsed after missing rights payments. MLB took over production and distribution of the club’s local broadcasts as part of a 14-team group now produced by the league itself. Games air on CARDINALS.TV, the club’s direct-to-consumer platform, and are also distributed through Spectrum, Comcast/Xfinity, Cox, DIRECTV, Fubo, and Verizon Fios. The team does not own its own regional network.

Facts worth knowing

It is one of the best sports investments in history: $150 million in 1996 converted into $2.75 billion according to Forbes 2026, an appreciation close to 1,500% since the magazine began valuing franchises.
On June 24, 2026 the Cardinals changed CEOs for the first time in 30 years: Bill DeWitt III replaced his father, who remained as principal owner and chairman. In the words of DeWitt Jr. himself, ‘I am reaching an age where I will not be around forever’.
The DeWitt name has been in baseball for more than a century: the grandfather, William O. DeWitt Sr., started selling soft drinks at Cardinals games in 1916.
DeWitt Jr. was a partner of George W. Bush in the Texas Rangers and previously merged his energy company with that of the future president of the United States.
It was the Cardinals who triggered the television earthquake of 2026: by being the first club to break with Main Street Sports they opened the door for eight other teams to leave and for MLB to end up producing broadcasts for 14 franchises.
With 11 World Series titles, the Cardinals are the second-winningest team in MLB, behind only the Yankees.

Where they stand among the 30 owners

List	Rank
By franchise value	#11 de 30
By purchase price	#20 de 27
By years in charge	#8 de 30

Amounts are nominal and not adjusted for inflation: comparing a decades-old purchase price with today’s valuation overstates the real gain.

The DeWitt ownership ranks 11th in franchise valuation and 8th in tenure among the 30 owners, having held the Cardinals for 30 years. The $150 million purchase has appreciated to $2.75 billion—the club is now worth 18.3 times what was paid for it in nominal terms. With a strong Latin American pipeline, 11 World Series titles, and a succession plan in place as DeWitt Jr. approaches 85, the franchise sits among baseball’s most stable and valuable operations.