If you’ve watched or attended a Major League Baseball game in recent days, you may have noticed a curious abundance of exposed skin among game-goers. We speak, of course, of the “tarps off” trend that is, well, trending across a growing number of MLB ballparks.
While the sight of during the warmer months of the season is hardly uncommon, seeing throngs of shirtless fans is something new. That is “tarps off,” and it’s an example of spontaneous, if occasionally blinding to the view, fan engagement that may have staying power. As such, the uninitiated may have questions about tarps off, how it came about, and where the rooting ritual has spread. Let’s undertake those questions now, while fittingly stripped to the waist.
The soaring imperative “tarps off” appears to be a mild corruption of “tops off,” and in the world of sports fandom, it was first a phenomenon in soccer, particularly on the international scene. It’s a gesture of celebration — ? — of and/or solidarity with one’s team. While removal of the shirt can signal, variously, a willingness to party, fight, or play pick-up basketball, for these purposes, it’s all about esprit de corps. The spirit of tarps off is such that it’s not just standing idly around while increasing one’s risk of skin cancer. Rather, the removed shirt is wielded like a rally towel and spun around in the air with taxing regularity. Tarps off also isn’t about the isolated fan — say, the Packers fan exposing the upper half in eight-degree weather. Rather, it’s about the dozens or even hundreds of fans who undertake the act as one.
Pinning down the origins of such things is an uncertain practice, but after finding its roots in soccer, tarps off made inroads in hockey:
And then tarps off had its college football moment during the 2025 season, . Baseball, of course, is rarely an early adopter of such things, but tarps off has caught on and taken off this season.
Again, we’re not suggesting that gatherings of shirtless fans is somehow a new thing in baseball in 2026. However, the current boom began at Busch Stadium in St. Louis during the recently completed Rivalry Weekend series between the Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.
The prime movers were a club baseball team from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Tex. The SFA team was in town for the Club Baseball World Series in nearby Alton, Ill., and they attended Friday night’s game at Busch. As the story goes, one member of the SFA team, Caleb Cummings, suggested that they take their shirts off, and another member of the team, Bryce Bradford, uttered :
“Screw it. I’ll do it.”
Others followed suit, and soon enough, shirts were off and towels were waved. The moment wouldn’t have been what it was and what it’s become without Yohel Pozo’s walk-off pinch-hit single that concluded that Friday contest:
That abundance of vibes prompted Cardinals manager Oli Marmol to post to social media for the first time in more than six years:
Last night’s atmosphere was electric. Let’s run it back this weekend.
I’ll buy tickets for fans who want to sit in the right field Loge and bring the energy.
According to plan, tarps were off again for Saturday’s matinee, and the Cardinals accommodated with another close win. This time, shortstop Masyn Winn, following a game-ending 4-6-3 double play, made the “tarps off” gesture to the lads from SFA and all the others without shirts in the right field seats:
Inspired by the atmosphere that had been lacking at Busch since at least 2022, Marmol after the game invited the SFA players in attendance to the clubhouse:
Bad day to be a shirt!
Oli invited the Tarp Crew down to meet the team!
Such was the bond between Cardinals fans and the tarps off squad that .
After the Cardinals’ off day on Monday, the guys were back, and Bradford threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday night’s game:
‘Tarps Off’ creator, Bryce Bradford, threw out the first pitch with his tarp off 🫡
And the whole crew gets an ovation from the fans 😄 |
A couple of hours later, Alec Burleson was cooperative enough to hit one right at the tarps off section:
Alec Burleson homers in front of the Tarps Off section 🤣
Naturally enough, in their final game at Busch (until further notice), the SFA tarps off guys witnessed a walk-off home run from Iván Herrera:
Shirts were off, and shirts were twirled.
Before we proceed, let’s clarify that what happened in St. Louis launched the trend without necessarily being the seminal example. Reds fans, no doubt, will note this moment from late April, in the rain no less:
TARPS OFF IN CINCINNATI…IN THE RAIN! 😅😂
Creation stories notwithstanding, tarps off is having its MLB moment because of what happened at Busch.
From there, the tarps off trend spread around the league. There were the Tampa Bay Rays:
TARPS OFF RAYS UP
And the Detroit Tigers:
Tigers fans may be sad but it won’t stop them from having a legendary tarps off moment 😭
And the Seattle Mariners:
don’t need a tarp when you’ve got a roof
And the Philadelphia Phillies:
Kids are going shirtless in the rain here at CBP to help rally the Phillies, down 4-1 to the Reds
No doubt, the viral spread won’t stop here, and it’s possible that tarps off is here to stay in MLB, largely because of some plucky lads from East Texas.
Off with the tarps!
