Memetic Mutation/Sports

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA...

BBRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

You probably won't understand many of these memes unless you're a die-hard sports fan, but it's hard to deny their impact.

"Moller: "He fires! He scoooooooooooores!!!! LA FACE WITH AN OAKLAND BOOTY!!!!!""
 * "DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!"
 * The Stanford Band improperly rushed the field and interfered with play at the end of the 1982 Big Game.
 * "THE BAND IS OUT ON THE FIELD!!"
 * False! The game was over. HIS KNEE WAS DOWN!
 * "NOOOOOO!!! He missed the extra point wide right! Oh my God, how could he do that?!"
 * Chris Berman has been giving athletes nicknames since 1979. A few of them actually stuck, too.
 * HE...COULD...GO...ALL...THE...WAY...TOUCHDOWN!
 * "Bills over 49ers"
 * WHOOP!
 * After Australian Rules Football team Essendon won a close-fought match against the West Coast Eagles in 1993, Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy celebrated by whirling his jacket above his head. When the two teams faced off again in the finals, with Essendon winning, Essendon fans celebrated in the same manner, and when the Eagles won the next year, their fans did the same. The "jacket wave" has now become a tradition in matches between the two teams. Fittingly, Sheedy's last game as coach was against the Eagles.
 * Another AFL one, Barry Hall's big hit on Brent Staker. Pawnch!
 * Pretty much everything John Madden has ever said. BOOM!
 * Now you see, to win the football game, you have to score more points than your opponents. If you let them score more points than you, *chuckles* well you've probably lost then, haven't you?
 * Some post-game speeches from players and coaches can become memes in their own right if they're outlandish or quote-worthy enough (and will eventually become memes on Sports Center, too). Case in point:
 * "The Bears are who we thought they were... Now if you want to crown 'em, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!"
 * Jim Mora doesn't want you to talk about playoffs...'cuz Allen Iverson is talkin' about practice.
 * Herman Edwards knows the real reason football players play.
 * OSU coach Mike Gundy demands that some critical sportswriters, and I quote, "COME AFTER ME! I'M A MAN! I'M FORTY!"
 * FAT!
 * Derek Anderson is not laughing about this. You think this is funny? He takes being a meme real (expletive) serious.
 * Don't ask Colorado University coach Dan Hawkins for more vacation time, because it's Division One Football!!
 * Who knew that upending a cooler full of Gatorade on Bill Parcells would start one of the largest celebratory trends in football?
 * Pittsburgh Penguins radio announcer Mike Lange is just full of memetic potential thanks to his colorful and numerous Catch Phrases. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SHOOTSANDSCORES!
 * "You're with me, leather."
 * They think it's all over. It is now!
 * whooooooOOOOA-HOOOOOOoooooa!
 * Zinedine Zidane's headbutting of Marco Materazzi during the 2006 FIFA World Cup final. On top of being his last match, said match was being televised around the planet (it is, after all, the World Cup). Rather than being remembered as a great soccer player, he's now commonly associated with that incident; if you go to Google Images and look up "zidane," what's the first result you get? Besides the hero of Final Fantasy IX, that is.
 * Materazzi himself is known around the world for his violence. He even has Chuck-Norris-Facts about it: " Materazzi once broke an adversary's leg. Playing chess!"
 * Tana Umaga wants you to know that this ain't tiddlywinks, mate.
 * Cowboy up!
 * Chilean soccer player Marcelo Salas? He is THE MATADOOOOOOOR!
 * "HE'S DONE IT! JENSON BUTTON WINS THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX! GETITDAH~!"
 * Terrell Owens doesn't want you taking smack about Tony Romo. Because that's his teammate! This gem has set up permanent residence in Reverse Funny Aneurysmville.
 * "Do you believe in miracles? YES!!!" That one's actually only about 10% meme and 90% Crowning Moment of Awesome, both for the hockey team and Al Michaels.
 * Also during that game there was a fairly innocent chant "U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!" That phrase became one of the most famous chants today.
 * And John 3:16 became sports meme in that game too.
 * "THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!"
 * Notably shows up in an episode of MASH.
 * Be careful around Mike Tyson, or else he'll eat your children (even if you don't have any, like the man the threat was directed at!)...or you ear. He can't do either anymore, ever since he promised to "fade into Bolician".
 * "You've just won the Superbowl. What are you going to do next?" "I'M GOIN' TO DISNEYLAND!!!" This one became an advertising slogan for the Disney Theme Parks.
 * And made it into Aladdin: "You've just won the heart of the princess! What are you going to do next?"
 * Super Bowl? Orel Hershiser said it after the Dodgers won the 1988 World Series.
 * Phil Simms at the 1987 Superbowl was first (according to the Other Wiki). Note that it wasn't spontaneous - he was paid $75,000 to do it.
 * As would John Elway have been, had the Denver Broncos won instead.
 * "Later he gets the rebound, passes it to the man, shoots it, and boom goes the dynamite!" Most. Awkward. Catchphrase. Ever.
 * "BOOM-SHAKALAKA!"
 * Tecmo Bowl's Video Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete of our generation.
 * Bo Jackson is the smartest man alive. Why? Only Bo knows.
 * "Ready... down... HUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUT..."
 * It's not so much him, as it's NHL '94!Jeremy Roenick. He's good.
 * "Bo knows X".
 * Bo Jackson running Brian Bosworth straight into retirement. "He was standing in the way of progress".
 * You can put it on the booooooard.. YES!
 * Also "Can o' corn.." and "He gone!"
 * Many, many jokes have been made about Michael Phelps, the hero of the USA Olympic swim team, after he was discovered smoking pot.
 * Ryan Lochte, widely considered the sexiest man in swimming, will willingly tell the world that he prefers banana hammocks ...jeah!
 * And, for all you baseball fans, Tim Lincecum. * sighs*
 * HOOOLY COW!
 * The Washington Nationals thank you for your patience
 * Bill Darth Belichick Belicheat says that "X is what it is"
 * It's just [troubled athlete] being [troubled athlete].
 * Cubs. World Series. Book it. Done.
 * WHOSE BEEPER KEEP BEEPIN' AND BEEPIN'?
 * "...what? I cut the sleeves off because it looks awesome! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"
 * "...where Adrian's moves will be making the guys in the booth say 'Lean back!' 'Ridonkulous!' and 'Play on, playa!'"
 * Kevin Garnett says that ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE!
 * Chase Utley says the Phillies are WORLD F*** ING CHAMPIONS!
 * Diego Armando Maradona tells his critics/bashers/whatever: Â¡QUE LA SIGAN CHUPANDO!
 * If a New York Rangers fan starts humming or whistling the tune "Let's Go Band", his fellow Rangers fans are always going wait for him to finish to respond: POTVIN SUCKS!
 * In addition to this, they used to chant "BEAT YOUR WIFE POTVIN, BEAT YOUR WIFE," and are the fanbase that created the affectionate "Assholes" chant for referees.
 * Philadelphia: where they boo Santa Claus. And Sarah Palin. And throw batteries at J.D. Drew.
 * It's a long drive to deep left-center field...this baby's OUTTA HEEEEERRRRREEEE!!
 * And Claude Giroux scores for a case of Tastykakes!
 * For some reason, a specific image of Orson Welles with the caption "AHAHAHA FAGGOT" is extremely popular when mocking Philadelphia sports fans.
 * 18-1
 * The 2011 Boston Red Sox were 77-0 when leading after eight innings... until they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the game that knocked them out of playoff contention. 77-1 quickly became nearly as infamous as 18-1.
 * BALL GAME OVER! YANKEES WIN! THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YANKEES! WIN!(video removed)
 * It is HIGH! It is FAR! It is....GONE!
 * Randy Moller, the radio announcer for the NHL's Florida Panthers, takes suggested lines from callers to a local radio show and drops them in after goals are scored.

"Encyclopedia Dramatica: It is a known fact that Paul makes Vegas bookies shit bricks."
 * The score is tied at 28. Fine. Because Brett Favre is the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
 * Tony Kornheiser: Why
 * Michael Wilbon: Because
 * "Batista with the CAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!"
 * Evgeni Plushenko loves his quads. Because if you don't do a quad, you're not a real skater. TRUFAX.
 * Platinum Medal.
 * Towel Power started when then-Vancouver Canucks head coach Roger Nielson raised a white towel on the end of a hockey stick, making a mock surrender to the dodgy officiating of the series with the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. Nielson was ejected after several players copied his sentiment. Ever since, Vancouver Canucks fans have brought white towels to their games and whirl them enthusiastically to support the team.
 * So does everyone else. Including Chicago fans, who HATE Vancouver.
 * Kyle Wellwood is fat. Popularized by Toronto Maple Leafs blog Down Goes Brown.
 * Another Maple Leafs-based meme is Luke Schenn, Memetic Sex God, which portrays the aforementioned Schenn as being able to impregnate people by simply looking at them.
 * Travis Hair, the proprietor of Five For Howling, a Phoenix Coyotes blog, along with Chemmy, who runs the Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets created the "Throw The Snake" phenomenon for the team's 2010 Stanley Cup Playoff run, as a response to the Detroit Red Wings' octopus tradition.
 * For the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL released a series of ads showing great moments in Stanley Cup history (Bobby Orr's game-winner, Patrick Roy making a save in the '86 Cup Finals, etc.) reversed, with a line stating "What If Bobby Didn't Fly"? and then the Tagline "History Will Be Made". Naturally, hockey fans rallied to make parodies such this as well as this.
 * In Brazil, criticizing announcer Galvão Bueno (present in most of Rede Globo's sports broadcasts) is a national pastime. It reached severe memetic status during the opening ceremony of 2010 FIFA World Cup, when "Cala Boca Galvão" ("Shut Up Galvão") became the Twitter top trending topic worldwide. Seeing foreigners confused, a Brazilian created a fake explanation ("GALVAO is a very rare bird in Brazil. CALA BOCA means SAVE, the brazilians are very sad because lots of GALVAOS die everyday.") that also became a meme, with the creation of a "Galvão Foundation" and saying Lady Gaga would record a song to help them.
 * Also in Brazil, after the elimination two jokes became common: Felipe Melo's Unnecessary Roughness, and since the coach is Dunga - that country's name for Dopey - the soundtrack for the match being "Heigh Ho" ("Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, It's home from work we go...".)
 * Anything involving UFC fighter Lyoto Machida and urine. (It seems that both he and his dad are aware of the meme enough to intentionally feed it.)
 * Ditto for Anderson Silva and dancing.
 * After a tie game with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008, Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb reveals that he didn't know an NFL game could end in a tie.
 * In every single World Cup 2010 thread on a certain site: BRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. To elaborate: In South Africa, a plastic horn called the vuvuzela is strongly associated with football, and played at every soccer match in support. It probably would have stayed there... if not for the World Cup there exposing everyone to the weird, droning noise of the thing.
 * Youtube even joined in on the fun, with a soccer ball icon on videos that, when clicked, caused vuvuzela... sounds to play.
 * I don't see what's so wrong with the--BRRRZZZZ!--with the--BBBRRRRZZZZ!--with--BBBBBBRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ-cut it out!
 * Also, anything related to Paul the octopus and his "predictions".
 * This may have something to do with EVERY SINGLE ONE being correct...


 * On the other side of the luck spectrum, in Brazil Mick Jagger became the official jinx of the Cup, due to his presence during USA, England, and Brazil's defeats (and a network discovered he was also in England's eliminations in 1998 and 2006).
 * Little roller up along first; BEHIND THE BAG! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!
 * These guys came to play [insert sport here]!
 * "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE." Um, yeah, Dan Gilbert's Caps Lock key is loud.
 * Before, you simply announced that you were leaving a team. Nowadays, it's all about "taking your talents to" a different team.
 * "Taking my talents to South Beach" has become a catch-all expression for anything: Using the bathroom, dates with Rosie Palms, quitting a job, moving, leaving a party, etc.
 * Even Mario once proclaimed in an interview for Mario Sports Mix that he's taking his talents to the Mushroom Kingdom!
 * Not sure if this should go here or not, but recently the Boise State University/University of Idaho sports rivalry flared up a bit more than usual when the BSU president, in a newspaper interview, referred to U of I fans as "nasty" and "inebriated". Since then, "nasty and inebriated" has become something of a meme -- apparently it's even being put on T-shirts.
 * Also, there are plenty of jokes about their bright blue football field.
 * Chris Johnson has GETTING AWAY FROM THE COPS SPEED.
 * Devin Hester, you are ridiculous!
 * Don't get Devin Hester a Christmas present, because he'll just return it.
 * Cigar Guy. For those not in the know, Tiger Woods at one point lobbed a shot right into a photographer's face (thankfully saved by an unfortunate camera). While the image of a blurry ball about to smack someone in the noggin is hilarious, photoshoppers worldwide focused in on a strange looking fellow who to all appearances was grinning ear to ear behind a ridiculous combination of Porn Stache, Cigar, and Turban.
 * Marv Mauve Albert: VINCE CAWTER!!!YES!!!!
 * "Bill Parcells does a sur-pris-ingly good me."
 * Randy Moss is a slouch!
 * The gloves on his helmet actually make him look like a walrus.
 * HOLY TOLEDO!
 * Rex Ryan wants as many wins as he has chins.
 * Rex Ryan's newly discovered foot fetish.
 * He dyed his hair because he's looking to become a head coach.
 * I think we're the team to beat.
 * Kris Jenkins in a golf cart.
 * Ryan's predictions of the Jets winning the Super Bowl every year have become quite memetic. The first two years people laughed because the Jets got to the AFC Championship Game and choked, but things became absolutely hilarious in the third year because Ryan again predicted that the Jets would win the Super Bowl, yet the Jets failed to even make the playoffs. Namath he ain't.
 * I'm not a machine. I'm Albert Pujols.
 * Why didn't you eliminate them, Albert?
 * Shut up.
 * Hans Moleman Productions Presents: Man Getting Hit By Football
 * When Brett Favre was caught on camera being hit in the groin with a football during a practice session (seen here), comparisons being drawn to the above were inevitable -- especially since at this stage of his career Favre's advanced age was a frequent subject of derision.
 * Gary Bettman is booed in every single NHL arena he walks in to. EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.
 * Nobody touches the Shaqtus.
 * They can't touch the Shaqzongas either.
 * Shaq is sometimes referred to as "Shaw" after a common typo.
 * His infamously poor free throw shooting -- to the point that promos for his turn as an anchor for Inside the NBA features him bricking an FT.
 * Nom nom
 * The supposed Randy Moss/Tom Brady "catfight" which came down to Moss saying Brady looked like a girl.
 * Amongst Latin American baseball fans, there's the iconic shout by Ernesto Jerez every time there's a home-run: "A LO PROFUNDOO Y ¡¡¡¡NO NO NO NO NO NO, DÍGANLE QUE NO A ESA PELOTA!!!!"
 * Livan Hernandez, the Cuban defector who was quickly escorted into the Florida Marlins' lineup, gave a broken-English speech that became a South Florida meme following the 1997 World Series victory: "Team happy...Miami happy...everybody happy!"
 * Dennis Hopper for Nike. "Bad things, man".
 * The Wave.
 * Rats and octopi on the ice.
 * 1908. Cubs. Often yelled at them by cardinal fans... uh... nuff said
 * "1940! 1940! 1940!". Before the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, it didn't matter if they beat your team, because you could always get them back by taunting them with that chant.
 * Ditto the "1918!" chant and the Boston Red Sox prior to 2004.
 * Speaking of 1994... OJ did it didn't do it.
 * LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLE!
 * "Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!"
 * "I don't believe what I just saw!"
 * "Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! It's all over!"
 * "...and that was the worst baserunning in the history of the game!"
 * Jay Cutler doesn't always throw interceptions, but when he does, he throws them in the red zone. Also Phillip Rivers made him cry.
 * After LeBron James' infamous "Decision", depicting the Unholy Trinity (James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade) as the nWo. "He is the third man in this picture!"
 * And after LeBron's extremely poor performance in the 2010-2011 finals, wherein he seemed to vanish in the 4th quarter, the internet flooded with jokes at his expense. For instance: "I asked LeBron for change for a dollar. He gave me 75 cents and said 'Sorry, I don't have a 4th quarter.'"
 * Prior to either of these, the biggest meme associated with "King James" was the "crab dribble" incident, wherein he defended an obvious travel by claiming it was the perfectly legal crab dribble (which is real, but involves actual, uh, dribbling). This eventually mutated into a YouTube fad of leaving "LeBron traveled" as a comment on videos featuring him, regardless of context.
 * Gus Johnson orgasms on live television. Okay, not really, but with calls like this and this, you wouldn't tell the difference.
 * Late Cleveland Indians play-by-play man Herb Score became a local legend for his interesting approach to the English language.Among his more famous ones:
 * "It could be fair; it could be foul... It is!
 * During the top of the eleventh inning, game six of the 1997 ALCS: "It's a fly to deep left-center... The Indians are going to the World Series! (Beat) Maybe!"
 * NOT SO FAST, HORN MAN! WAIT FOR THE RED LIGHT TO COME ON!
 * NHL goalies tend to be the most memetic players in the sport. Blackh...err..Sharks fans know Niemi says "no" and Bruins fans know Tim Thomas LOVES his cheeseburgers.
 * Pierre "Penishead" McGuire is high on young hockey players who are MONSTERS with BIG BODY PRESENCE!
 * Dan Carcillo makes daddys proud.
 * turn on or no?
 * Fuck Clemson.
 * PAWWWWWWWLLLL, them Auburn boys are at it again!
 * Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU.
 * This one has achieved Ascended Meme status, as Washington State coach Mike Leach, whose feud with James is quite well-known, has signed copies of his book with "CJK5H."
 * THEY SUPPOSED TO BE SEC?
 * Former Chicago Bears and current Washington Redskins QB Rex Grossman has mutated into Memetic Badass "Rax Grissman", a headstrong alpha male who invariably unleashes the dragon by throwing deep, after screwing up his Bears' sure-fire Super Bowl victory by tossing a long bomb even though that was the absolute worst thing he could possibly do in that situation. Rax Grissman's motto is "Fuck it, I'm going deep!"
 * "Unleashing the dragon" has spun off into a meme in and of itself, with "dragon" being shorthand for a spectacularly long pass, "leg dragon" a long-range field goal, and "land dragon" an impressive run.
 * Speaking of the Redskins, after a local DC sports radio host launched into a very long, furious rant about the teams shortcomings after a 59-28 loss to the Eagles, it has been customary to respond to any complaints about the 'Skins with the exclamation "GET 'EM!".
 * During the 2011 NHL playoffs, Chicago fan Vince Vaughn attended game 4 of the Blackhawks-Canucks series. Though the Blackhawks would eventually lose the series, they won the game (and the next one, and the next one), and a picture of Vaughn, in full Blackhawks gear, laughing at Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo for his incredibly poor performance quickly became so iconic that the city itself is now often referred to as "Vaughncouver."
 * Don't forget the fact that The Fratellis' "Chelsea Dagger," the Blackhawks' goal song, has become the anthem of the Canucks' failures, as in the past three seasons they've lost two playoff series to the Blackhawks, and in the third choked away a 3-game lead before winning in game seven. The song also has overall meme status, as it's (I'm being quite subjective here) easily the most Ear Worm-y goal song in the entire NHL.
 * Winning the World Series in six games? George Costanza seriously hopes you guys don't do this.
 * "Shhoooooooot!" as a common phrase for Steve Smith of the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks for Calgary Flames fans when Smith was in control of the puck after Smith accidentally scored on his own net during game 7. It was the series losing goal for the Oilers... on Smith's birthday.
 * A few days after the Denver Broncos (led by third-string quarterback Tim Tebow) were thrashed 45-10 by the Detroit Lions, editor Bill Williamson wrote a column stating that it was time to think about centering their game around a different quarterback. Anti-Tebow ESPN commenters took to the message boards posting strings of "X > Tebow" comments, growing more and more absurd with each post. Also a victim of the Streisand Effect, as moderators' attempts to quash any further "X > Tebow" comments only encouraged the meme to spread to other non-Tebow areas of the site. Which both gained strength and reversed after the Broncos won six straight, finished 7-4 under Tebow, beat the Steelers in overtime on a pass for 80 yards in the playoffs (before reality ensued and the Broncos got utterly curbstomped by the Patriots in the next round of the playoffs), and won multiple sloppy games ending in big plays for the win. And then there's this.
 * Tebowing would later inspire Bradying, which is the act of adopting the limp, sullen position taken by Tom Brady after his New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLVI
 * Kirk Herbstreit's earthquake face. While Herbstreit was being interviewed by Chris Fowler after the 2011 Oklahoma State/Kansas State football game, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake (the biggest in Oklahoma history) occurred and Herbstreit looked scared out of his mind while on air, yet didn't say a word until Fowler (finally) stopped talking to let him answer a question.
 * One from Chile: Pedro Carcuro's Catch Phrase "¡ME PONGO DE PIEEEEEEEE!" ("I'm now on my feet!") whenever a Crowning Moment of Awesome happens.
 * Rasheed Wallace wants you to know Both teams played hard.
 * Dammit, Pronger!
 * Whenever something crazy or unlikely happens at the end of a game, a common explanation is that somebody pressed the Buffalo Wild Wings button.
 * Tony Hibbert's long goalless run has achieved Memetic Mutation status amongst Everton supporters.
 * Ilya Bryzgalov would like to remind you that's hockey you know. It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
 * No mention for the Manning Face?
 * The Buffalo Bills are often referred to as the Razorcakes after a popular analogy for the team -- a cake that looks great and tastes delicious at first but is actually filled with razors. They've certainly earned the moniker -- there was a brief period in the 2011-2012 season when they were at the top of their division after upsetting the New England Patriots, but they missed the playoffs after losing six straight games
 * Alex Rodriguez as a centaur. An ex-girlfriend of A-Rod's claimed he had a self portrait of himself as a centaur above his bed. Everyone who heard this rightly found it the most ridiculous thing ever, and years later it still gets mocked, even by actual news sources like ESPN.
 * "To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you're welcome."
 * 2011 World Series:
 * HAPPY FLIGHT!!!
 * The Rally Squirrel.
 * Torty Craig (Allen Craig's pet turtle).
 * yfw da bears win the superb owl. Originating on 4chan's /sp/ (sports) board and accompanied by a picture of a happy-looking bear, it's typically cited as an example of the delusional nature of Bears fans, who seem to go into every season thinking they'll win it all.
 * The "superb owl" spelling error has spilled into other sports championships, such as the Worlds Eries, the NBA Champion's Hip/NBAF Inals, and the venerable Stan Lee Cup.
 * The SF Giants' Brandon Belt is a giraffe. It's blown up to the point where one of the giraffes at the Six Flags Vallejo Discovery Kingdom is named after him.
 * RONDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
 * Did Scott Gomez Score Last Game? Non.