Is the Mexican Wave really from Mexico? I did some searching. Its origins are disputed but may be traced across different sports in three North American countries.
It’s said that it was created by chance at a National Hockey League game in Canada in 1980, and was introduced to a wider audience at a major league baseball game in the US in 1981. It gained international notice at a FIFA World Cup game in Mexico in 1986 – hence its name.
The largest recorded Mexican wave occurred at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 where 110,000 people did a Mexican wave, with two simultaneous opposite direction waves racing around the stadium.
Now some officials in Australia have banned the wave at certain sporting events, citing the danger of thrown objects to spectators. It is not a popular decision and difficult thing to stop, and like the wave itself, once it starts it just keeps going.
