Who Invented the Sporting "Mexican" Wave?

TL;DR

The wave, also known as the Mexican wave, was invented by professional cheerleader Crazy George in 1981 and popularized by the University of Washington. It spread to various sporting events, gaining international attention during the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Transcript

hello I'm Simon Whistler you're watching the today I found our YouTube channel and in the video today we're exploring why we do the wave in stadiums let's get started the wave the wave also generally known as the Mexican wave outside the United States was the brainchild of the longest continuously active professional cheerleader 41 years and Counti... Read More

Key Insights

• 👾 Crazy George Henderson, a professional cheerleader, is widely recognized as the inventor of the wave during a 1981 playoff game.
• 😤 The University of Washington helped popularize the wave, starting a trend that spread to other sports teams and events.
• 👋 The wave gained international attention during the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.
• 👋 The wave is typically initiated by just a few dozen fans and travels clockwise around the stadium at a speed of about 40 feet per second.
• 🤢 The wave is usually about 15 seats wide as it travels around the stadium.
• 👋 Despite initial disputes over its invention, there is now little debate over Crazy George's role as the inventor of the wave.
• 👋 The wave has become a staple of stadium experiences and continues to be performed at various sporting events worldwide.

Questions & Answers

Q: Who invented the wave in stadiums?

Crazy George Henderson, a professional cheerleader, is credited with inventing the wave during a playoff game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees in 1981.

Q: Did Rob Weller introduce the wave at a University of Washington football game?

While Rob Weller claimed to have introduced the wave at a University of Washington football game, Crazy George's claim is supported by evidence from archived footage and documentation.

Q: How did the University of Washington contribute to the wave's popularity?

The University of Washington helped popularize the wave by incorporating it into their games starting in 1981. It then spread to other teams and events, gaining more national attention.

Q: Why is the wave sometimes called the Mexican wave?

The wave is called the Mexican wave outside of the United States because it gained significant international attention during the 1986 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The wave was introduced to stadiums by Crazy George Henderson, a professional cheerleader, during a playoff game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees in 1981.

• Former Entertainment Tonight host Rob Weller claimed to have introduced the wave at a University of Washington football game, but Crazy George's claim is supported by archived footage and documentation.

• Although the wave was not invented by the University of Washington, they played a significant role in popularizing it at their games, and it eventually spread to other sports teams and events.