Cardinals lean into ‘Tarps Off’ fan movement, dedicate outfield bleachers to rowdy fans starting Wednesday

The St. Louis Cardinals have been aware of the “Tarps Off” movement by shirtless fans who congregate in the right-field bleachers and cheer loudly and proudly for their team.

On Wednesday, the team officially endorsed the movement. Starting with Wednesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the upper right-field bleachers will be officially dedicated to Tarps Off fans to bring high energy to the game.

No matter where a fan’s paid seats are for the game, they will be welcomed to the section under the assumption that they will join the high-energy fan section.

The “Tarps Off” movement has made its way to baseball. Last fall, a trend started during college football games where one fan would make their way to an empty section, take off their shirt, wave it around and start cheering wildly.

They were always joined by other fans, and all of a sudden, an empty section was not only full but often the loudest in the stadium.

The trend made its way to Busch Stadium on Friday, May 15, when the Cardinals hosted the Kansas City Royals. The Stephen F. Austin baseball team was in town for the Division II College World Series, and 17 players were given tickets to the game.

By the time the game reached extra innings, the 17 players had taken off their shirts and had begun waving them around their heads while cheering on the Cardinals. Other fans had joined, and Yohel Pozo hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th to secure the win for St. Louis.

After the game, manager Oliver Marmol hyped up the fans, saying, “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.”

The baseball team was back in right field Saturday night after a win of their own over Stony Brook. St. Louis then beat the Royals 4-2 on Saturday in front of another raucous crowd.

After a series-ending loss on Sunday, and even without the college baseball players as inspiration, the Tarps Off atmosphere was back at Busch Stadium on Tuesday.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, catcher Ivan Herrera hit a walk-off three-run home run and acknowledged the right field fans going crazy as he rounded the bases.

St. Louis was expected to be rebuilding in the 2026 season. Now, the Cardinals are 28-19 in second place in the NL Central. St. Louis is also 3-1 since the Tarps Off Movement took over the stadium.

So far, the movement has also taken over sections of games in Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim. It is the biggest trend in baseball, and if it keeps leading to big wins, it won’t be going away anytime soon.