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 the occasional shirtless fan 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.
What Does "Tarps Off" Mean?
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 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.
The Origins: From Soccer to Hockey
Pinning down the origins of such things is an uncertain practice, but after finding its roots in soccer, tarps off made inroads in hockey. Then tarps off had its college football moment during the 2025 season, possibly thanks to Oklahoma State fans.
Baseball, of course, is rarely an early adopter of such things, but tarps off has caught on and taken off this season.
How Did It Make Its Way to MLB?
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, Texas. The SFA team was in town for the Club Baseball World Series in nearby Alton, Illinois, 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 the words that will one day be etched in granite across the republic:
"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. 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.
The Impact on Fan Culture
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. Such was the bond between Cardinals fans and the tarps off squad that a few even showed up to watch SFA's final game in nearby Alton.
After the Cardinals' off day on Monday, the guys were back, and Bradford threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The trend continues to spread across MLB ballparks, proving that sometimes the best fan traditions emerge spontaneously from the most unexpected moments.