Tag: TikTok

10 videos of athletes doing ‘What’s up brother?’ as Sketch’s TikTok memes go viral

“What’s up brother?” is everywhere!

It’s the meme that’s taking over the world, including pro and college sports.

If you’ve seen people on TikTok and other social media sites saying “What’s up brother?” and holding up one finger, or saying “Special teams, special plays, special players” or pounding their fists or flapping their arms and saying “Tuesday, Tuesday,” don’t worry — we explained the whole phenomenon so you get it.

That all comes from Madden streamer Sketch, who has become famous on Twitch and elsewhere for his various catchphrases. And the sports world has for sure caught on, with athletes everywhere doing videos and celebrations involving the meme.

Here’s a roundup:

 

 

What’s up brother, explained: The TikTok meme taking over the sports world with athletes holding up 1 finger

“What’s up brother?” has taken over the world. Wondering what it is? We explain the TikTok trend for you.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some TikTok trend and meme that’s all about “What’s up brother” and holding up a finger? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

That’s right, we’ve got ourselves a new meme that has truly gone mainstream out of TikTok and other places: “What’s up brother?” with one finger held up has turned into a whole thing that has found its way into pro and college sports, with players celebrating and such.

Where did it come from? Glad you asked! We have answers.

What is “What’s up brother?”

@mmmjoemele

Replying to @Tyler Noormae YES🤣

♬ original sound – Joe Mele

@.podcastsdaily

sketch and Jynxzi having a “real” conversation #jynxzi #thesketchreal #sketch #funnymoments #streamer

♬ original sound – ClashRoyaleLive

Here are a couple of examples, and the last one is something you need to concentrate on: the guy in the top with a Houston Texans jersey is the originator, and his name online is Sketch.

Who is Sketch and what does he have to do with “What’s up brother?”

Sketch is a streamer on TikTok known for playing a ton of Madden and streaming it. He’s got a bunch of catchphrases that have gone seriously viral, starting with “What’s up brother?” with one finger held up and “special teams, special plays, special players.” There’s arm flapping, there’s making two fists and pounding them together, it’s a whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K3todVvsgzw?time_continue=3&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo

What’s the TikTok trend here?

Many of the videos show people holding up their finger to their significant other or friend and saying “What’s up brother?” The response, if the other person knows about Sketch, is to do a whole routine of Sketch catchphrases.

Who is sports is doing “What’s up brother”?

Oh my goodness, SO MANY teams and players, from Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians with his brother Bo, Phillies star Bryce Harper, members of the Tennessee Titans and so on. Here’s a roundup:

The weird LeBron James You Are My Sunshine TikTok meme, explained

These LeBron James TikTok memes are everywhere.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some videos on TikTok or on other social media sites with LeBron James and the song You Are My Sunshine and you’re wondering what the heck that’s all about? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

I mean, I just said it up there. People are taking this over-lit (I don’t know if that’s the term but whatever!) photo of a smiling LeBron James and putting the sounds of You Are My Sunshine underneath.

What is that? Let’s discuss!

What is the LeBron James You Are My Sunshine TikTok meme?

Here are a bunch of examples!

… What did I just watch?

I know. It’s weird.

Where did all that come from?

For that answer, we go to our pals at Know Your Meme:

Back in January 2023, TikTokers began an ironic meme trend known as “LeBron glazing” that mocks dedicated fans and defenders of NBA legend LeBron James for their seeming inability to criticize LeBron. The meme often sees users attach overly supportive captions over images or footage of LeBron, including captions that refer to him with nicknames like “my glorious king LeBron.”

The meme continues throughout 2023 and that December, TikTokers began setting footage and memes of LeBron to the song “You Are My Sunshine” by Christina Perri, as if dedicating the song to the NBA player and referring to him as “their sunshine.” The memes took off throughout the first quarter of 2024 along with a gushing ironic copypasta that begins with, “Boy oh boy LeBron, where do I even start.”

That’s just wild.

It sure is.

The weird LeBron James You Are My Sunshine TikTok meme, explained

These LeBron James TikTok memes are everywhere.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some videos on TikTok or on other social media sites with LeBron James and the song You Are My Sunshine and you’re wondering what the heck that’s all about? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

I mean, I just said it up there. People are taking this over-lit (I don’t know if that’s the term but whatever!) photo of a smiling LeBron James and putting the sounds of You Are My Sunshine underneath.

What is that? Let’s discuss!

What is the LeBron James You Are My Sunshine TikTok meme?

Here are a bunch of examples!

… What did I just watch?

I know. It’s weird.

Where did all that come from?

For that answer, we go to our pals at Know Your Meme:

Back in January 2023, TikTokers began an ironic meme trend known as “LeBron glazing” that mocks dedicated fans and defenders of NBA legend LeBron James for their seeming inability to criticize LeBron. The meme often sees users attach overly supportive captions over images or footage of LeBron, including captions that refer to him with nicknames like “my glorious king LeBron.”

The meme continues throughout 2023 and that December, TikTokers began setting footage and memes of LeBron to the song “You Are My Sunshine” by Christina Perri, as if dedicating the song to the NBA player and referring to him as “their sunshine.” The memes took off throughout the first quarter of 2024 along with a gushing ironic copypasta that begins with, “Boy oh boy LeBron, where do I even start.”

That’s just wild.

It sure is.

Viral video shows Jared McCain in class one day after 30-point tournament game

A TikTok from Duke women’s lacrosse player Reagan Digby showed Jared McCain and Christian Reeves in their seats for class the day after James Madison win.

Jared McCain isn’t just dedicated on the court.

The Duke freshman dropped 30 points in his second career NCAA Tournament game on Sunday, making eight 3-pointers to set a Blue Devils tournament record. He went 6/6 from long range to open the game, his second 20-point first half of the season, and the Blue Devils won 93-55.

The next day? He still had a class to attend.

Duke lacrosse player Reagan Digby posted a TikTok on Monday asking her fellow students if the basketball players in their class would appear one day removed from the second-round win.

The results were mixed among the students, but there were more doubters than not. Seven of the 10 people in the video said they didn’t expect their athletic classmates to show up.

Sure enough, however, McCain and teammate Christian Reeves were in their seats for the class.

@stylebyreagan

@Jaredmccain24 @Christian Reeves are putting the STUDENT in student athlete #marchmadness #dukembb #dukestudents

♬ original sound – stylebyreagan

The team returned from Brooklyn on Sunday night, but with the game ending after 7:00 p.m., it might be a stretch to say either player got a full night of sleep.

Digby’s original video has more than 140,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

How a TikTok push notification prompted angry calls to Congress over possible ban of the app

Congress has plans that could ban TikTok, and its users are irate.

The makers of TikTok and the United States government have been engaged in a virtual tug-of-war for months over the app’s usage in the U.S. Now, the latest push by TikTok ownership to warn its users about a possible ban has many angrily calling members of Congress, asking them not to move forward.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill on March 5 that would force China’s ByteDance, the owners of TikTok, to sell off the app or face a U.S. ban. For several months, there have been national security concerns about TikTok sharing the data it collects on its U.S. users with Beijing. TikTok strongly denies those allegations, but lawmakers are not convinced.

With the White House’s support, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted on Thursday to advance bipartisan legislation to raise the political heat on TikTok. The company responded by launching a campaign warning its users that the app was at risk of being shut down in the U.S. Angry TikTok users flooded the phones of Congressional members, asking them not to support the bill. What’s more, some users reportedly could not use the app at all unless they placed a call to Congress.

Per Jessica Guynn of USA TODAY, the company shared these words in response to the bill:

“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” the company said in a statement. “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”

Why you can’t find music from Taylor Swift, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo and other artists on TikTok right now

If you can’t find music by Taylor Swift or Drake on TikTok, here’s why.

If you’ve been scrolling TikTok this week and have noticed a suspicious lack of music from hit artists like Taylor Swift, Drake and Olivia Rodrigo, it’s because of a licensing issue with Universal Music Group.

The music corporation and the social media platform failed to strike a new deal this week to license Universal’s various artists on TikTok, per USA TODAY. Therefore, music will be restricted from use on the platform until said deal is reached.

“We have an overriding responsibility to our artists to fight for a new agreement under which they are appropriately compensated for their work, on a platform that respects human creativity, in an environment that is safe for all, and effectively moderated,” Universal Music Group shared in a statement on its website.

TikTok pushed back on the decision from Universal, saying in a statement that it’s “sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” per USAT.

Until the situation gets resolved, the platform will not host music from any of the artists that have catalogs part of the label.

USA TODAY notes that artists affected by the Universal TikTok block include BTS, Bad Bunny, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles and Billie Eilish, among others.

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TikTok users are surprising their grandparents with surprise sleepovers in viral wholesome trend

These families on TikTok surprising grandparents for the holidays will give you all the feels.

People are sharing videos of them surprising their grandparents with holiday sleepovers, and it’s the best thing you’ll see all day.

We’re not really sure how this trend started, but we are so here for it. TikTok users are gathering family members, like cousins and siblings, and heading over to their grandparents’ house in large groups for a planned surprise.

The best part about this heartwarming trend is that these sweet grandparents have no idea what is happening and absolutely can’t contain their joy once they realize their beloved grandchildren (and other members of the family) have shown up at their door with blankets and pillows for an impromptu sleepover.

@hah_tor

we had the best time 🥲 #fyp #sleepover #christmas #grandparents #cousins

♬ New Home – Frozen Silence

@brittanys1626

Suprised our grandparents with a cousin sleepover. #fyp #familytime #familyfun

♬ original sound – Brittany Smith

@.abbey.4

This was so fun! If you are able to do this I highly recommend it!! #grandparents #christmas #love #cousins #surprisesleepover #trend #family

♬ New Home – Frozen Silence

 

@emilysindoni

Nothing can ever top this. We coordinated to show up one by one in Christmas pajamas. We got them matching ones like we used to get as kids and played all the games we used to play at their house. I think this made all of our years! #grandparents #christmassurprise #cousins

♬ Christmas Is Coming – DM Production

I mean, look at this. This is tremendous content.

@nazanne

There is no family like the Black Deaf Smith family 🤎 #blackfamily #deaffamilyhumor #smithfamily

♬ original sound – Nazanne 🤎

@madsmcc

💗

♬ original sound – Mads

@.gabrrieellaa

#suprisingmygrandparents #adultsleepover #growingupitalian #italian #italiancheck #italiangirl #italiangrandparents #hardcoreitalians #tiktoktrends #newyorkcity #newyork #nyc @growingupitalian

♬ original sound – Gabriella Artusa

@ashtynkingsbury

my grandma said all night “you guys made my entire year. I can’t wait to tell my friends about this” 😭🥹🫶🏼

♬ New Home – Frozen Silence

Be right back. It’s dusty in here.

‘Christmas gas’ is the latest TikTok prank that’s freaking people out

Uh, that’s not Christmas gas. It’s diesel.

Ahhh, TikTok pranks. They’re funny, even if they freak people out.

The latest? People are pretending to not know that the green pump at a gas station is the one you use to fill up with diesel — and if you have a vehicle that DOESN’T take diesel, well, uh, you shouldn’t use it. Instead, they’re innocently telling their loved ones that it’s “Christmas gas,” decorated green for the holidays.

But folks are pretending that they did it, and the results are very funny. Check some of them out and have your head on a swivel — someone may be telling you they filled up on Christmas gas soon:

@texsands

She Got Christmas Gas 🎄🙃 #fyp

♬ original sound – Tex Sands

People are setting NBA highlights to extremely unconventional music on TikTok and it’s the best thing on the internet

I’ll never watch a sports highlight the same again.

We all know what a proper sports highlight looks like.

It’s a bunch of spectacular plays chopped up into one reel that’s probably about a minute long. It’ll likely have some instrumental in the background that might be faster or slower depending on the player and what they’re doing in the highlight.

We’ve seen this formula for years. It works. It keeps us coming back over and over again.

But, today, you’re about to learn that we’ve been watching highlights incorrectly for our entire lives. Prepare to have your world rocked.

It all started with a tweet from Secret Base’s Kofie Yeboah. He made a simple joke about how TikTok was the best because you could be minding your business and then stumble upon a Ben Wallace highlight reel set to some MF Doom.

What that one simple tweet unlocked will change your world.

Everyone posted their favorite TikTok highlight mashups with all these unconventional songs. We got joints like Bob Cousy doing all of his one-handed dribbles and behind-the-back passes to Kanye West’s Black Skinhead, which is completely ridiculous. Or how about Jason Williams breaking necks on the court to Without Me by Eminem?

It’s just phenomenal, world-view-changing work, man. Bless TikTok. Here are some more of my favorites that you need to take a look at.