Add The California Post on Google Angels fans spent much of the summer taking their shirts off as part of the viral “Tarps Off” movement, turning the trend into a blunt protest against Arte Moreno with chants of “Sell the team!” at Angel Stadium.
After years of chants, boycotts and increasingly creative demands for a change at the top, Moreno has agreed to sell the Angels to Stan Kroenke’s Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The Post’s Jon Heyman reports the sale is for $4 billion, which tops the previous $3.9 billion MLB record established by the Padres.
The immediate reaction around the fan base felt less like cautious optimism than a jailbreak.
“Everyone can put their shirts back on! Lfg,” another posted, perfectly tying the sale back to the summer protests.
Others filled social media with versions of “War is over,” “Free at last” and “We survived the Moreno regime.” Some longtime supporters said they could finally justify spending money on the team again after refusing to buy tickets or merchandise while Moreno remained in charge.
“Finally. I can now root for my team again and wear my Angels gear,” one fan wrote, explaining that he never stopped supporting the club but had stopped giving Moreno his money.
One fan filmed himself at work after hearing the news, saying he immediately called his father and could “literally cry right now.” Another called it the “best day of my life,” while reaction videos showed supporters screaming, celebrating and struggling to process that Moreno had actually done what they had demanded for years.
Even the protests received a victory lap. Fans joked that “Tarps Off” had worked, suggested the shirtless protesters deserved a statue and proposed replacing “Sell the team” chants with “Thank you Stan.”
The celebration comes after years of frustration over a franchise that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2014, despite employing Mike Trout throughout his prime and pairing him with Shohei Ohtani for six seasons. Moreno’s stewardship had become such a lightning rod that former Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar publicly called for him to sell the team earlier this year.
Kroenke’s arrival brings its own questions. His history moving the Rams from St. Louis has prompted some nervousness about the Angels’ long-term future in Anaheim, while another section of the fan base is already lobbying for the return of the Anaheim Angels or California Angels name.
Angels fans spent years asking Moreno for one thing.
