Fenway Park

a. The Wave

According to Red Sox fan lore, The Wave started in a tightly packed section behind home plate. Whenever someone in that section had to stand up to get a beer or use the bathroom, everyone else in that section had to stand up, too. The fans in the next row, frustrated that they could no longer see the game, had to stand up as well. This created a domino effect of entire sections standing up. And thus, The Wave was born. Or so they say.

When the 1907 uniform change made red the official team color, the owner decided that “Socks” didn’t look good spelled out on the jersey. He shortened it to Sox, which fit neatly (and evenly) below Red.

b. The wall was built to keep cheapskates from watching games for free

According to legend, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey was walking down Landsdowne Street when he realized that all the restaurants and bars had clear views of Fenway Park. There was no way Yawkey was going to let anyone watch his games for free, so he ordered the construction of a wall tall enough to thwart anyone from catching a sneak peek of the games.

b. The Boston Americans

The Boston Americans became the Boston Red Sox when a uniform change made red the official team color. Naturally, the players wore red socks, and the decision to change the team’s name was an obvious one.