{"id":703871,"date":"2026-05-20T09:48:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/703871\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:48:23","slug":"shirtless-fans-the-stars-at-mlb-stadiums-as-tarps-off-trend-sweeps-baseball-world-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/703871\/","title":{"rendered":"Shirtless fans the stars at MLB stadiums as “Tarps Off” trend sweeps baseball world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Major League Baseball is experiencing an epidemic of (mostly) guys being dudes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At ballparks all across the country, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the \u201cTarps Off\u201d trend<\/a> that’s loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head.<\/p>\n

Soccer-like chants or singing usually follow \u2014 injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that is occasionally chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium. <\/p>\n

After getting it’s start in St. Louis last Friday, it has spread across the league to places like Detroit<\/a>, Tampa Bay<\/a>, Philadelphia<\/a>, Seattle<\/a> and Anaheim, California<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chad Bitzer \u2014 who has been coming to Mariners games for about 13 years \u2014 was among the shirtless fans in Seattle. His reasoning was simple: \u201cCause everyone else was taking it off. Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fresh. It\u2019s a beautiful night. Take it off,” Bitzer said. “Great Northwest night. We live for the summers. We live for the good weather.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ground zero for the shirtless outbreak was in St. Louis last Friday, when a club baseball team affiliated with Stephen F. Austin State University was in Alton, Illinois, for the National Club Baseball Division II World Series. The Cardinals offered tickets to the team, and 17 players attended.<\/p>\n

That group started the fun, dozens of others joined and suddenly their were a couple hundred fans creating a ruckus in right field that helped propel the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings<\/a> over the Kansas City Royals. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol loved the energy so much that he bought tickets for the shirtless revelers for Saturday’s game and they returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to have fun when the fans are like that,\u201d Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn said on Friday. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the best fans in the world, but it seems like the younger generation makes it more like a college atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the Cardinals’ mascot Fredbird joined in on the fun.<\/p>\n

Now it might be the start of a tradition \u2014 more shirtless fans cheered for the Cardinals<\/a> in Tuesday’s game against the Pirates. It certainly seems to be a boost for the club’s homefield advantage: Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer to lift the Cardinals to a 9-6 win in 10 innings.<\/p>\n

A similar outbreak of shirtless fans broke out at a Tampa Bay Rays game on Monday and again Tuesday. Another small group celebrated in Philadelphia<\/a> as the Reds and Phillies played in the rain. Angels’ fans celebrated with a mix of joy and irritation, chanting for owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.<\/p>\n

MLB certainly won’t complain about the recent attention. Attendance is up at big-league stadiums so far this season, averaging roughly 1,000 more fans per game than a year ago through Monday’s contests.<\/p>\n

If the trend continues, baseball could average 30,000 fans per game for the first time since 2016. <\/p>\n

More and more \u2014 they might just be shirtless.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle and AP freelance writer Warren Mayes in St. Louis contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP MLB: https:\/\/apnews.com\/MLB<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n