Here are just a few of the many theories on how "The Wave" started.
Starting in 1976, a gentleman by the name of Bill Scott (AKA "Bill the Beerman") would sell beer in Seattle's now defunct Kingdome. He would also lead the crowd in cheers.
Scott would start with one side of the stadium and then move to the other and determine who was the loudest. In the process, many in the pacific northwest claim he originated the wave.
"Krazy George" Henderson has been a sports icon at Oakland A's games for years. He introduced the wave to the Oakland Coliseum on October 15, 1981. However, that is not where he claims to have "discovered" it. Henderson is a professional cheerleader and in 1980 he was leading cheers in Canada at an Edmonton Oilers hockey game.
One side of the audience was instructed to rise and cheer immediately after the opposite side did the same. A delayed response by one side of the audience resulted in the crowd rising section by section, rather than all at once. Krazy George insists that Wayne Gretsky can bear witness to these events.
Not so fast, though! The University of Washington, Rob Weller, and band member Dave Hunter also claim responsibility for the inception of "The Wave". On Halloween of 1981, Weller was serving as a guest yell king.
He originally tried the wave from top to bottom of the stands, and even tried bottom to top. Someone in the crowd was purported to have yelled, "Sideways" and the wave took off.
Others to either take or receive credit for popularizing the wave include, Frank Zappa, Mexican Football, The U of W band director, Bill Bissell, and the University of Michigan.
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