The “tarps off” crowd finally found its way to Milwaukee on May 22 during Milwaukee’s win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. A cluster of fans in the left field terrace level were spotted shirtless and waving their shirts tirelessly as the Brewers went on to a 5-1 win over the reigning World Series champions.
It was only a matter of time. The phenomenon has been sweeping Major League Baseball this season, most prominently in St. Louis where manager Oli Marmol offered to buy seats for fans willing to participate.
Gabe Lacques of USA Today broke down the brief history of the concept, dating back to October involving an Oklahoma State college football fan.
In fact, a group of fans in the student section participated at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, trying to will the Badgers to anything good during a 34-0 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 18. The performance went largely unnoticed during Wisconsin’s disappointing football season.
On April 8, a single fan stood shirtless at a Colorado Rockies game and began attracting others to his cause during a sweep of the Astros. Since, it has blossomed into regular usage at MLB games, including in St. Louis when members of the Stephen F. Austin baseball team got in on the act.
The basic tenets? Dudes waving their shirts, perched in a faraway section of the stadium. Initially, the intent seemed to be for struggling teams that needed a boost, but the red-hot Brewers head into Saturday’s game against the Dodgers having won 15 of 19.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shirtless ‘tarps off’ fan phenomenon arrives in Milwaukee
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
