A Spontaneous Beginning at Busch Stadium
During the eighth inning of a May 15 matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals, members of the Stephen F. Austin (SFA) club baseball team decided to bring a unique energy to the ballpark. Visiting from Nacogdoches, Texas, for a tournament nearby, the group felt the atmosphere needed a boost. Bryce Bradford, one of the players, decided to lead the charge: “Screw it, I’ll do it,” he said before removing his shirt. Moments later, his teammates and nearby spectators joined in, waving their shirts in the air from the upper right-field stands.
The energy seemed to ignite the home team, as the Cardinals pulled off an extra-inning victory. “By the 11th inning, after the walk-off, you look around and we’re filling up four, nearly five sections of half-naked people,” Bradford recalled.
From Viral Moment to Stadium Staple
The impact of the event was immediate. The Cardinals organization rewarded the SFA team with clubhouse access and a chance to meet manager Oliver Marmol. The trend continued a few days later when Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera hit a walk-off home run and celebrated by gesturing toward the same right-field area, now affectionately dubbed the “Tarps Off” section.
Recognizing the positive momentum, the Cardinals officially designated a high-energy, general-admission area in the upper right field to keep the spirit alive. According to Anuk Karunaratne, the team’s senior vice president of business operations, the initiative aligns with efforts to attract a younger, more diverse demographic following a dip in home attendance. “If we try to manufacture this and treat it like a promotion, it loses its original spirit,” Karunaratne noted. “This is about fans feeling like they’re participating in creating an atmosphere.”
A Nationwide Phenomenon
The “Tarps Off” craze has transcended St. Louis, appearing organically in stadiums from Philadelphia to Seattle. Other organizations are embracing the movement as well; for instance, the Rays have begun marketing a specific area of Steinbrenner Field as official “Tarps Off territory.”
While the movement remains fan-led, it has created lasting impacts for those who started it. The SFA team successfully launched a line of $22 “Tarps Off” shirts, raising over $11,000 to fund future travel and equipment. For Bradford and his teammates, the movement represents the communal joy of baseball.
“We didn’t invent this, but we kind of resurfaced it,” Bradford said. “It’s the best part—that’s what baseball is, when people come together and watch the sport, and you can celebrate by doing this as well.”
As the Cardinals push for a playoff spot, the SFA players hope to return to Busch Stadium to keep the tradition going, proving that sometimes the best stadium atmospheres are those that arise without a script.