PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Anger from Arizona Cardinals fans has sparked a new call for a change in the franchise’s ownership.
Electronic billboards have popped up around the Phoenix area demanding that the team’s owner and president, Michael Bidwill, step down. The red and white advertisements say “SELL THE TEAM. Funded by Cardinals Fans. #BIDWILLOUT.”
Mr. Az Sports, a social media influencer whose real name is Nathan Kropp, is leading the campaign. He said the first digital billboard was near the Loop 202 westbound a couple of miles before State Route 87. The second billboard is off the Loop 303 in Surprise.
The Arizona Cardinals declined to comment on the billboards.
For Cardinals fans who haven’t seen their team win a playoff game since 2015, this year may have been the boiling point for action. The team has lost four straight after a Week 1 win, including last Sunday’s 45-21 beatdown at home by the Detroit Lions.
Kropp said he was at Sunday’s game and felt like the majority of fans at State Farm Stadium were rooting for the Lions.
“And then I went on X, and people were just completely outraged,” he said. “Like, I’ve never seen the fan base, I’ve seen the fan base upset.”
Kropp said he started making calls and got enough money for at least two billboards in the Valley.
“It’s just going absolutely crazy because the fans are, they want to change. They want something. Like, it’s hard to be a Cardinals fan right now,” he said.
Kropp said he posted a GoFundMe page around midnight and woke up Thursday morning having raised $2,000. As of 3:30 p.m., the fundraiser had more than $8,300.
“Throughout all the change and all the challenges throughout the past, like, decade, it seems like now, the one consistent thing has been the Bidwells. I feel like that’s what I’ve heard time and time again,” Kropp said. “We have an owner who just doesn’t really care about fans out in Glendale. And it’s hard.”
The Arizona Cardinals have been owned by the Bidwill family since 1932. Michael Bidwill inherited the team from his father, Bill Bidwill, who co-owned the team from 1962 until 1972, when he became sole owner until his death in 2019.
Adding fuel to the fire for fans are off-the-field issues, including the franchise’s decision to add field-level luxury casitas that replaced the dedicated “Red Sea” end-zone section.
Two former Arizona Cardinals employees also filed a lawsuit against the team, claiming racial discrimination.
The Red Birds are one of the oldest professional football franchises in the U.S. and moved from St. Louis to the Valley before the 1988 season.
While giving the fans something to cheer for, the Arizona Cardinals are also active in the community with multiple charity events.
The Arizona Cardinals Foundation is hosting its second annual Cardinals Climb at State Farm Stadium to raise funds for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Earlier this summer, Michael Bidwill used his plane to help send hundreds of Arizona students for a trip to Washington, D.C., as part of the 2026 Civic Matters Arizona program.
The Arizona Cardinals were the first in the NFL to produce and broadcast a weekly girls’ high school flag game in 2024 and continue that tradition today.
Arizona’s Family and the Cardinals launched a multi-year partnership in 2024 to carry the team’s preseason games and host weekly shows.
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