05/20/26 08:21:00
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05/20 08:19 CDT Shirtless fans the stars at MLB stadiums as 'Tarps Off' trend
sweeps baseball world
Shirtless fans the stars at MLB stadiums as 'Tarps Off' trend sweeps baseball
world
By DAVID BRANDT
AP Baseball Writer
Major League Baseball is experiencing an epidemic of (mostly) guys being dudes.
At ballparks across the country, groups consisting of mostly young men are
joining in on the "Tarps Off" trend 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.
Soccer-like chants or singing usually follows --- injecting a jolt of energy
for a sport that occasionally is chided for its lack of energy inside the
stadium.
After getting its start in St. Louis last Friday, it has spread across the
league to places like Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim.
Chad Bitzer, who has been coming to Mariners games for about 13 years, was
among the shirtless fans in Seattle. His reasoning was simple: "Cause everyone
else was taking it off. Why not?"
"It's fresh. It's a beautiful night. Take it off," Bitzer said. "Great
Northwest night. We live for the summers. We live for the good weather."
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.
That group started the fun, dozens of others joined and suddenly there were a
couple hundred fans creating a ruckus in right field that helped propel the
Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings 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.
"It's hard not to have fun when the fans are like that," Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn said Friday. "We've got the best fans in the world, but it seems
like the younger generation makes it more like a college atmosphere."
Even Cardinals mascot Fredbird joined in on the fun.
Now it might be the start of a tradition --- more shirtless fans cheered for
the Cardinals in Tuesday's game against the Pirates. It certainly seems to be a
boost for the club's home-field advantage: Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer
to lift the Cardinals to a 9-6 win in 10 innings.
A similar outbreak of shirtless fans broke out at a Tampa Bay Rays game Monday
and again Tuesday. Another small group celebrated in Philadelphia 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.
MLB certainly won't complain about the 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.
If the trend continues, baseball could average 30,000 fans per game for the
first time since 2016.
More and more, they might just be shirtless.
___
AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle and AP freelance writer Warren Mayes
in St. Louis contributed to this report.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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