What Oli Marmol, Cardinals Love About Viral 'Tarps Off' Fans

The St. Louis Cardinals entered a rebuild last offseason, but somehow appear to be benefitting from it. But beyond the team playing much better than expected, there is a new type of energy in the ballpark that was missing the past three seasons.

On Friday night, the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team took over a section in right field, removed their shirts and amassed a big following while also starting a new trend and seemingly willing the Cardinals to a win.

Though the Cardinals lost on Sunday, the energy hasn't gone anywhere. In an interview with KMOX, manager Oli Marmol talked about the energy the "tarps off" trend is bringing while also expressing how much he and the team love it and what makes it so special.

"It created a really neat atmosphere here and the players just kept coming down the tunnel and just talking about how awesome it was, so I wanted to be able to replicate it and get them back out," Marmol said. "It plays really well with the type of players we have here. They're young, they're hungry, they enjoy that style of fans. They ate it up, man."

Cardinals feeding off 'tarps off' celebration

Oli Marmol — Apr 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from the dugout after his team defeated the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Cardinals clearly fed off of the energy brought by the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team, and the rest of the fanbase has as well. It has brought a type of energy to the ballpark that has not been seen since 2022, which was the last time the Cardinals reached the postseason.

But it's a new energy as well, and the young Cardinals are feeding off of a boisterous atmosphere that has made the game more fun, as well as the experience for fans at the ballpark.

And with new energy, the team is going to play better, especially without the weight of expectations. For the first time in a while, it's an exciting time to be a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. The future is bright, the team is young, and the fanbase is actually latching onto the club and the energy that they bring to the table.

It will be interesting to see where the Cardinals end up later this year, but it's clear that the "tarps off" celebration has had an overwhelmingly positive impact and that it is here to stay as long as the Cardinals keep on winning ballgames and defying their expectations.

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