No one’s quite certain who first added a fireworks show to a sporting event — the specifics are clouded in smoke — but the idea stuck.

What the Chinese invented in the seventh century to scare away evil spirits was first adopted by the likes of Baron de Coubertin, Barney Dreyfuss and Bill Veeck to attract paying customers.

For more than 100 years skyrockets and explosions have been a winning pairing with sports, especially with football, basketball, the Olympics, boxing, pro wrestling and basically anything you can poke a stick with! And as we head into State of Origin, Suncorp Stadium will again feature pyrotechnic productions to pack in the patrons. It’s as traditional as a traditional sport gets.

But while fireworks have added entertainment value and helped sell tickets, the scintillating sideshow hasn’t all been about oooohs and aaaahs. Sometimes, they’ve become the main event, more memorable than the game!