OSU fans’ viral shirtless section started with a bet between siblings
By Alyse Jones
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STILLWATER, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A shirtless section in Stillwater caught the attention of sports fans across the nation.
Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium wasn’t what many Oklahoma State University football fans hoped for as the Pokes were losing, and the bleachers weren’t full of fans.
“It was the lightest I’ve ever seen it at the beginning of a game,” OSU fan Callista Bradford said.
But the energy changed after Bradford and her brother made a bet.
“I was looking at the student section and seeing just how empty it was and was like, ‘I’ll give you $10 if you go over there and wave that shirt,'” Bradford said.
What started as a $10 bet has now gone viral on social media. Fans said they hope it’s a tradition that continues.
“Maybe it’ll show potential recruits that even in the down season, the fans show up, have a good time, support you. Come join us,” Trent Eaton, Bradford’s brother, said. “(I) sat down, took off the shirt, waved it, nothing happened. A couple seconds later, (I) started waving again and 30-45 seconds after that, a guy showed up and was like, ‘Do you mind if I join you?'”
That second person was an OSU student, one of the few left in the stands.
“I kind of thought to myself this would be a good idea to get the crowd hype and boost the morale in the stadium, so I ran over there, took my shirt off – blinked, and there was thousands of us,” Luke Schneberger, a junior at OSU, said.
The stands got busier and busier.
“We’re watching all these people run across the stadium, just laughing, cheering them all on,” Schneberger said. “I think now it’s more important than ever to rally around our guys and show them they have our support 100%. I wake up every day grateful that I’m an OSU Cowboy, and it’s important to not lose sight of what’s important.”
While the shirtless section started as a bet, Cowboys fans said they hope it continues, win or lose, because it brought a smile during a challenging season.
“Whether they were laughing with me or just laughing at a guy with his shirt off, if you’re laughing, it’s going to make your day better,” Eaton said.
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