Why Do the Los Angeles Dodgers Wave Their Hands Like That?

If you're a sports fan, you've probably come to learn that certain players teams have iconic celebrations, like Tim Tebow's aptly named Tebowing pose. And if you're an MLB fan — and more specifically, an LA Dodgers fan — you've likely seen them do their signature hand wave quite a few times this season.

It's a simple celebration that has evolved a bit over time, and though it seems harmless enough, it has become pretty polarizing among baseball fans. So, why do they wave their hands like that? It started out as a meme inspired by the Dodgers' own Freddie Freeman.

If you've caught yourself wondering why the Dodgers wave their hands like that — or for the angry folks who have skewed the Google auto-results, why the Dodgers do that "stupid dance" — it all traces back to the team's own Freddie Freeman. In an interview with SportsNet LA, the baller explained that the silly dance stemmed from a video of him dancing at the team's Blue Diamond Gala event.

"I think everyone might have seen my dance moves at the gala that kind of went around on the internet," he said. "My hands are up ... The boys have been wanting to do this for a while, and it took an off-day and us at Muncy's last night having a good time for his daughter's birthday party that we decided to implement it into the game."

He continued, "Of course, I was the first one that had to do it, but we're having fun."

It's now a staple celebration for the team, and though some seem to be peeved by its whimsy, others can't get enough. In fact, fans in the stands at Dodgers games have even adopted the wave.

Some of the Dodgers stars have even combined the wave with another one of their common celebrations, a pose in which the players hold their arms out to the side and stick up one of their knees.

And if you're curious about this one, it seems to be a reference to the "Fusion Dance" from the Dragon Ball anime franchise — a move in which Goku and Vegeta, or their sons Goten and Trunks, hold their arms out to the side, touching fingertips, and splay out their leg in order to combine into one super fighter.

In all, it's a pretty harmless celebration that pokes fun at one of their own players — and if the Dodgers keep performing as they have been, fans (and haters) are likely to see the dance popping up more and more often.

And, as one fan on Reddit observed, it may have an added benefit: "With the amount of hits we get, our boys will be so stretched out that we shouldn’t see any oblique injuries this year."