'Wolf of Wall Street' meme, explained: How 'I'm not leaving' clip became go-to free agency announcement for athletes

Jacob Camenker

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'Wolf of Wall Street' meme, explained: How 'I'm not leaving' clip became go-to free agency announcement for athletes image

Every year during free agency, teams and fans prepare to lose high-end talents to other teams on the open market.

Sometimes, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Other times, the player's choice is shrouded in mystery, and it really isn't known what will happen.

More than anything, all parties crave stability during free agency. That's especially true for athletes, who just want to know where they will play next season and beyond.

That's why a sense of relief washes over teams, athletes and players once a new deal is reached. And when that contract brings a high-end player back to their former team, there is a particular sense of elation.

Athletes have gotten more and more clever about announcing their intentions. Many let insiders do the talking for them, but others have taken to social media to announce their deals themselves. One of the most popular ways to do that has been a GIF from the 2013 movie "The Wolf of Wall Street," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Here's why DiCaprio's famous "I'm not leaving" speech has permeated the sports world even a decade-plus after the movie's release.

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Wolf of Wall Street 'I'm not leaving' meme

The "I'm not leaving" meme and GIF come from a speech DiCaprio gives in "The Wolf of Wall Street."

The speech occurs as DiCaprio's character, Jordan Belfort, announces to his loyal stockbrokers that his financial crimes have been uncovered. It seemingly begins as an apology, but it becomes clear DiCaprio's character is merely lamenting his misdeeds being found out.

"For years I’ve been telling you guys never to take no for an answer, right?" DiCaprio says. "To keep pushing, to never hang up the phone… this f—ing deal that I’m about to sign, barring me from the securities industry, barring me from Stratton, my home… it’s me taking no for an answer. It’s them selling me, not the other way around. It’s me being a hypocrite, is what it is."

After that realization, DiCaprio's character changes his tune.

"You know what? I’m not leaving," he says. "I’m not f—ing leaving! The show goes on! This is my home. They’re gonna need a f—in’ wreckin’ ball to take me out of here."

That's the part of the scene pro athletes often use to announce their returns. That portion of the monologue brings about feelings of intense loyalty, as Belfort's insistence that he's staying creates a frenzy around his top stockbrokers. It's not unlike the feeling fans derive from watching their favorite players win, so it's easy to understand why athletes enjoy using this clip.

Still, it's ironic that a scene meant to serve as a sharp critique of corporate greed and entitlement has become a go-to for players announcing lucrative contract extensions with their clubs.

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Athletes use 'The Wolf of Wall Street' meme

The "I'm not leaving" meme has been used plenty of times in the decade-plus since "The Wolf of Wall Street" was released in 2013.

During the 2024 NBA and NHL offseasons, both Donovan Mitchell and Max Domi posted the clip to social media within days of one another.

Mitchell's was a straightforward one that saw him post a picture of himself with the Cavaliers along with the clip.

Warning: The following clips contain NSFW language.

Domi's was a bit more complicated. He appeared to superimpose his face over DiCaprio's to add an original layer to his post announcing his return to the Maple Leafs.

Andrew McCutchen's post announcing his return to the Pirates for the 2024 MLB season was similar to Domi's, the difference was that he put "Me" over DiCaprio's head while ascribing the words "Pirates fans" to the cheering mob of stockbrokers.

And then, there's Kyle Walker, who went to the trouble of recreating the entire video — minus the expletives — as part of his return to Manchester City.

These four athletes weren't the first ones to reference DiCaprio's most memorable moment from "The Wolf of Wall Street," and they certainly won't be the last.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.