The Wave. For people like me who might be fuzzy on a sport’s technical aspects, it’s one of the best parts of watching a live event. It engages you with the moment like nothing else can and drives up enthusiasm for the action at hand. To see a crowd collaborate in rhythm seems to defy the odds of what most uncoordinated humans are capable of.
The Wave, as intrinsic as it might seem to any bleacher-bound audience today, is a fairly modern invention. The first recorded instance took place on October 15, 1981, at an Oakland A’s baseball game against the New York Yankees. During this historic playoff game, professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson led the first nationally televised demonstration of The Wave. Soon after, sports fans at a University of Washington in Seattle football game repeated the stunt with the help of retired cheerleader Robb Weller, setting in motion the sporting event ritual that would take the world by storm.
And because The Wave has altered sports history for the better (or for the worse, if you’re not into that brand of rah-rah fervor), Hungarian biological physicist Illés Farkas put a lot of effort into figuring out how it works from a scientific perspective. In a 2002 study published in Nature, Farkas analyzed the collaborative behavior of crowds to better understand how social phenomena resemble microscopic particle behavior. Also, to give you a little background, he refers to The Wave as the Mexican Wave since it gained global fame following a particularly memorable demonstration at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico City.
To arrive at the results, Farkas and his team analyzed 14 waves in a football stadium that housed more than 50,000 people. One section of the study breaks down the physical components well, explaining how much inertia it takes to launch a stadium-wide human wave. Mental Floss was thoughtful enough to convert meters into feet for us Yankees as well:
“The wave usually rolls in a clockwise direction and typically moves at a speed of about [39 feet] (or 20 seats) per second and has a width of about [19 to 39 feet] (corresponding to an average width of 15 seats). It is generated by no more than a few dozen people standing up simultaneously, and subsequently expands through the entire crowd as it acquires a stable, near-linear shape.”
Essentially, if you suddenly feel the urge to start a wave of your own, plan on convincing at least a dozen people to back you up. Otherwise, be comfortable with suffering an embarrassment as minimal as a failed slow clap. So, if you’re going to be at a sporting even on this fine Saturday, I encourage you to take that risk in honor of The Wave’s 35th birthday. Its survival rests in our upraised hands.
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Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.