MLB 'Tarps off' trend, explained: Why baseball fans are going shirtless and how craze started originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Baseball season is long. A 162-game schedule is a grind for both players and fans. You have to find a way to keep things interesting over the course of six months, and a few MLB fan bases have certainly found a way to do that this season.Sections of fans are going "tarps off," taking off their shirts, waving them around and attempting to rally their team from the stands.It's no surprise that the trend began in mid-May rather than early April. As passionate as some fans might be, you won't find many who want to go shirtless in 50-degree weather. With temperatures rising and summer approaching, you could see more and more shirtless fans at MLB stadiums.What started the trend? Here's what you need to know.SN's MLB HQ:Live MLB scores|Updated MLB standings|Full MLB scheduleWhy are baseball fans going shirtless?While going shirtless on a hot day isn't a bad move, the weather isn't the primary reason some fans are leaning into the "tarps off" trend. Baseball fans will do anything to spark a rally, from rally cap superstitions to the Nationals' "Baby Shark" trend in 2019, and "tarps off" is the latest iteration of a superstition aimed at firing up a team.The trend began in an effort by fans to rally the Cardinals to a walk-off win. Had St. Louis not come through, the trend might have ended right there. Instead, a walk-off victory over the Royals left fans feeling more emboldened than ever.Here are more details on the trend and its origin.What is 'tarps off'?Everyone loves when the tarp comes off the field after a rain delay, but that isn't what "tarps off" refers to. Instead, "tarps off" is all about the trend of MLB fans removing their shirts and waving them around in an attempt to rally their team.The key element of "tarps off" is that it isn't an individual exercise. Shirtless fans gather together in a section, or multiple sections, and wave their shirts around much the way fans would wave a rally towel in the postseason.One more requirement is to get loud. The trend doesn't have the same effect if everyone waves their shirts around in silence. Fans gather together, take off their shirts, wave them around and make noise, all in an attempt to bring some energy and rally their team.MORE:How Aaron Boone is rising up all-time ejection leaderboardWho started 'tarps off trend'?In baseball, the trend began at Busch Stadium when shirtless Cardinals fans banded together in a pair of sections in hopes of willing their team to a walk-off win on May 15. A Stephen F. Austin University club baseball team is credited with starting the trend, and fans from across the stadium joined in after noticing the fun.Happening now at Busch Stadium. Several sections of shirtless men. Rooting for a walkoff. #stlcardspic.twitter.com/6fPD1LychB Aaron Belz (@belzpoems) May 16, 2026The Cardinals won on an 11th inning walk-off single by Yohel Pozo, so the team naturally leaned into the trend. St. Louis hosted the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team on Tuesday, letting a shirtless member of the team throw out the first pitch, and the Cardinals announced a day later that a designated section of the right field bleachers would become a "dedicated high-energy fan section."Want to join the movement? Starting tonight, the upper right field bleachers at Busch Stadium will become a dedicated high-energy fan section, inspired by the Tarps Off atmosphere fans have brought to the ballpark.Any fan in the ballpark, regardless of seat location, can pic.twitter.com/wW2jPMNLkD St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 20, 2026The trend didn't exactly start in baseball, though. It truly began in college football in 2025, when one Oklahoma State was dared to go to an empty section of the stadium and take off his shirt. More fans started joining him, and the "tarps off" trend became a theme, often at sparsely attended games hosted by bad teams. Oklahoma State went 1-11 in 2025 and had already fired coach Mike Gundy by the time the trend started.How the Oklahoma State shirtless fan frenzy all started How can you not love College Football?!(Via: abbymariiie/X, callistaperigo/X) pic.twitter.com/Yc1FWN6vQn Whistle (@WhistleSports) October 12, 2025Fans at Wisconsin, UCLA, Virginia Tech and more soon joined in on the fun at their own home games.MLB's version of the trend starting with the Cardinals is a break from the idea that it has to be limited to bad teams. St. Louis was seven games over .500 when the shirts first came off on May 15, and fans of the MLB-leading Rays joined in on the trend to prove any fan base can get involved.MORE:Don Mattingly makes MLB history not seen since 1880Other fan bases that have done 'tarps off'RaysThe Rays aren't necessarily known for an intimidating crowd, but as they surge to the best record in baseball, some fans are getting invested:TARPS OFF RAYS UP pic.twitter.com/iFgXRG7sc0 Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 20, 2026MarinersMariners fans brought the energy with three sections of shirtless fans on May 19:There's now three nearly full sections of shirtless fans in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/YoJ0FHV18y Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 20, 2026TigersA small but mighty group of shirtless fans banded together at Comerica Park in Detroit.A group of shirtless individuals has rallied together at Comerica Park in the upper deck!! Oh no #DNMWpic.twitter.com/tRAqVYQTGw Kara Wolfbauer (@karawolfbauer) May 20, 2026AngelsAngels fans don't have quite as much to celebrate, but they did get a walk-off win out of this effort despite being no-hit into the ninth inning.My first ever time at Angel Stadium and the Angels are currently getting no hit by the As (bases loaded now) while shirtless fans have taken over an entire section behind left field waving shirts around chanting Sell the Team while another section has been trying to get the pic.twitter.com/7zBP9VgEpw Rodney Admit One (@RodneyAdmitOne) May 19, 2026

After two seasons of heartbreak and injury, Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward, who pondered retirement, said he opted to return because he's in a better headspace.

For nearly three grueling hours, drivers competing in the Indianapolis 500 endure sitting in a tiny cockpit with temperatures climbing up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. They're racing at speeds topping 230 mph. Yet, when the checkered flag drops at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the winner doesnt celebrate by spraying a baseline vintage of French champagne like a competitor might do in Formula 1. Instead, they climb out of their car, covered in sweat and grime and eagerly grab an ice-cold glass bottle of American dairy milk. It is arguably the most recognizable and perhaps, most curious tradition in motorsports. Learn more about how a simple post-race craving evolved into a decades-long tradition, backed by hundreds of local farmers and a lot of spilled dairy. 1. It Started By Accident With A Thirsty, Three-Time Champion The legendary tradition was sparked by driver Louis Meyer after his third Indy 500 win in 1936. Exhausted and thirsty after driving 500 miles, Meyer asked for a cold bottle of buttermilk a refreshing drink his mother appreciated. A local dairy executive spotted a photo of Meyer chugging the beverage in the next day's newspaper, recognized a golden marketing opportunity and vowed to make milk a permanent fixture. 2. World War II And "Water from Wilbur" Forces Temporary Hiatus While milk was handed out sporadically after Meyer's 1936 victory, the tradition paused during World War II when the race was suspended. When racing resumed, then-Speedway president and three-time winner Wilbur Shaw opted to hand the victors a silver cup of cold water instead, a brief era known as "Water from Wilbur." The dairy industry officially reclaimed its territory in 1956 two years after Shaw's passing by offering a $400 cash bonus to the winner and $50 to their chief mechanic. 3. Almost 700 Local Dairy Farmers Make It Happen Every Year The milk handed to the winner isn't just grabbed from a local grocery store shelf on race morning. It is provided by the American Dairy Association Indiana, an organization representing nearly 700 dairy farmers across the state. Every year, two designated Indiana dairy farmers are selected as the official Milk People. Their responsibilities include looking after the bottles and hand-delivering the ice-cold prize directly to the winning driver in Winner's Circle. 4. Drivers Can Choose Whole, 2 Percent Or Skim. Whole Milk Is Dominating Since 2006, the American Dairy Association Indiana has conducted an official pre-race preference poll asking all 33 drivers to lock in their choice of whole, 2 percent or skim milk. Whole milk remains the overwhelmingly popular choice. And that's not just for the taste. It's because it looks much better and thicker in photos. In fact, current stars like Alex Palou are purists about it, with Palou once saying, "The Indy 500 is about traditions and I do not think you can go with half measures... Whole milk it is. If there were double whole milk, I would just get that." 5. No, Buttermilk Is No Longer On The Menu Despite being the exact drink that Louis Meyer used to kickstart the whole phenomenon, buttermilk was taken off the official ballot in the mid-1990s. Modern buttermilk has evolved into a cultured baking ingredient rather than the sweet, rich byproduct of churned butter that Meyer drank. While a few nostalgic drivers might try to write it in on their ballots, officials won't hand them a bottle of it today because it simply wouldn't taste as good. 6. Winners Sip It, Pour It And Sometimes Even Dye It While the primary goal is to take a massive gulp for the cameras, modern winners love to pour the remainder of the glass bottle entirely over their heads. Some drivers get even more creative. In 2021, four-time winner Helio Castroneves secretly dumped a packet of strawberry powder into his bottle. Castroneves wanted pink milk to match his pink race car, creating one of the most colorful celebrations in the track's history. 7. Even Non-Milk Drinkers Say It's The Best Drink Ever You might think chugging dairy after driving inside a cockpit for three hours doesn't sound appealing, but drivers absolutely crave it. Even those who don't usually drink milk admit the history behind the tradition makes it taste that much better. As defending Indy 500 champion Alex Palou put it after the 2025 race: "I'm not a huge whole milk guy, like, just plain milk. But it tastes amazing. I loved it. "It was super sweet. It just felt amazing. It was the best drink ever."

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The Indiana Fever announced that star guard Caitlin Clark would not play in Wednesdays game against the Fire. Status Update: Caitlin Clark (back) is out today. https://t.co/f8tR4ld5D7 Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 20, 2026While on the injury report Clark is listed as dealing with a back injury, beat reporter Scott Agness reported that this was a planned absence that is part of a strategic management plan for the season. Wednesdays game against Portland is Indianas fourth game in the last eight days. This story will be updated.

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