Milwaukee, Brewers fans get high praise from former Reds star

Does Milwaukee have the best fans in Major League Baseball?

Yes, with a caveat, says former Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto.

On the MLB Network show “MLB Now” Sept. 4, Votto praised the Milwaukee Brewers for having the best MLB fanbase, Reds fans aside, of course.

“During the [2010s], I remember quite vividly them not being a strong club, and I remember our team, the Cincinnati Reds, having stretches of not being a strong club and our fanbase wouldn’t show up,” Votto said.

“But I remember in Milwaukee, consistently they showed up when the Brewers weren’t a strong team, and I thought to myself, ‘This does not get enough credit. This is a fanbase that always supports their team and will at some point have a strong club and be able to reap the rewards from their consistent effort.’

“There’s not many fanbases that tailgate before a game, and they would do that every single day. So I have true admiration. I think the Milwaukee Brewers have the best non-Cincinnati Reds fanbase in all of baseball.”

“Cincinnati’s my favorite fanbase, but I actually thought of all Major League Baseball that Milwaukee had the best fanbase.”@JoeyVotto talks about the Brewers’ impressive consistency and their fans. pic.twitter.com/dZ7K0hIi7B

— MLB Now (@MLBNow) September 4, 2026

Votto also praised the Brewers for building a winning organization as a small-market team.

“This is the pushback I have with virtually every small-market team,” he said. “There are some teams that consistently, year-over-year, are coming up with some sort of method to be able to put out a fantastic product. They don’t go out and sign the biggest free agents. They don’t keep a lot of their superstar players long-term. They let them go, but the guys that they do have and do sign and decide that are long-term keepers, the just savvy teams out there year over year are in the playoffs. You can see the Brewers with the best record in Major League Baseball.

.@JoeyVotto shares that he’s hoping to see the Brewers go all the way this season ⬇️ https://t.co/4UMin86TMrpic.twitter.com/33EKYgWPPT

— MLB Now (@MLBNow) September 4, 2026

“I played in Milwaukee for years. Cincinnati’s my favorite fanbase, but I actually thought, of all Major League Baseball, that Milwaukee had the best fanbase. To me, they’re getting their payback for the decades of effort. I’m happy for the Milwaukee front office, especially losing [former Milwaukee Brewers’ general manager David] Stearns and still maintaining that pedigree.”

Votto is an analyst on MLB Network and on NBC Sports after playing his entire 17-year major league career with the Reds, with his last season being in 2023. He had 2,135 hits with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs and an OPS of .920. He earned National League MVP honors in 2010 and was a six-time all star.

Contact Alec Johnson at 262-875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee, Brewers fans get high praise from former Reds star