'Tarps Off' Movement Ignites Busch Stadium and Moves to Other MLB Ballparks

What began as an organic burst of energy from fans is now a formal part of the Cardinals experience. The new section aims to amplify chants, shirt waves, and crowd momentum.

May 21, 2026 9:52 AM May 21, 2026 12:36 PM

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ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals said Wednesday, May 20, 2026, that they have created an official “Tarps Off” fan section in the upper right-field bleachers at Busch Stadium, formalizing a high-energy cheering area inspired by a shirtless-fan movement that emerged at recent games.

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Starting Wednesday night, May 20, 2026, any fan in the ballpark, regardless of seat location, can join the section, the team said in a statement announcing the move. The Cardinals described the area as a dedicated high-energy fan section inspired by the “#TarpsOff” atmosphere that fans have brought to the stadium.

The idea behind “Tarps Off” began last Friday, May 15, 2026, according to the Cardinals, when the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team from Texas helped bring hundreds of fans together to wave their shirts like rally towels and lead cheers and chants at Busch Stadium. The team attended three of the past four Cardinals games while also competing in the National Club Baseball World Series in nearby Alton, Illinois, over the weekend, the Cardinals said.

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The Cardinals said they had already embraced the movement in recent days by offering a limited number of free tickets for fans to continue “Tarps Off” in the right-field mezzanine sections on Saturday and Sunday, May 23-24, 2026.

The club also invited the Stephen F. Austin team to a clubhouse celebration on Saturday and brought the team back for a ceremonial first pitch and a new right-field bleacher cheering section on Tuesday.

In its social media post, the St. Louis Cardinals framed the new section as an invitation to fans to participate, writing, “Want to join the movement?” The post added, “Shirts optional.”

The Cardinals said the new section was inspired by the viral shirtless-fan movement at Busch Stadium over the last several days and appears to be starting to take hold at other Major League ballparks.

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