Sketch 'What's up brother?' celebration, explained: How a TikTok meme started latest trend in MLB, other sports

Brendan OSullivan

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Sketch 'What's up brother?' celebration, explained: How a TikTok meme started latest trend in MLB, other sports image

Welcome to the TikTok era, sports fans.

Whether you like it or not, social media creators influence some of the world's greatest athletes with their unique personalities — and in the latest instance, with a new celebration.

Twitch and TikTok streamer Sketch rose to stardom playing Madden NFL, EA Sports' official football video game series. A combination of witty banter, funny celebrations and good gameplay helped Sketch's popularity surge.

Fans and athletes alike are repeating Sketch's catchphrases — "Tuesday, Tuesday," "Special teams, special plays, special players," and "What's up brother?" — while waving various hand signals.

What does any of this mean and why are athletes imitating the popular streamer? Here's what to know about the latest TikTok trend.

MORE: LeBron James 'You Are My Sunshine' meme, explained

Who is Sketch?

Sketch is a 25-year-old Twitch and TikTok streamer who primarily plays Madden NFL.

In the world of live streaming, many creators broadcast their gameplay on multiple platforms at once, as long as they do not have an exclusive deal with one social media company.

Sketch follows this route, allowing a wider audience to discover his content either on Twitch or TikTok. He also posts on YouTube, and fans have shared his clips across all platforms.

The social media sensation has only been streaming for about a year. Since starting during the summer of 2023, he has amassed 1.5 million TikTok followers, 690,000 Twitch followers and 313,000 YouTube subscribers, all under the username "thesketchreal."

Sketch was born and raised in Houston and is often seen rocking his C.J. Stroud jersey in honor of the Texans' star quarterback.

'What's up brother?' Sketch original video

Sketch has a handful of popular phrases, which he uses casually on his streams or when he's making audibles on Madden.

None is more well known than this one: "What's up brother?" It didn't actually originate from Sketch's stream, though.

Sketch became friends with popular content creator Jynxzi, often collaborating with him on Twitch. In a video posted earlier this year, Jynxzi called Sketch via FaceTime, pointed the phone toward the camera and Sketch's famous saying was born.

@recdle #jynxzi #jynxziclips #sketch #sketchclips #twitch #facetime #viral ♬ original sound - Jynxzi

Along with the phrase, Sketch holds his finger upwards as if pointing to the sky. The saying and gesture combined have become a viral meme.

What is the 'what's up brother' trend?

Sketch unintentionally started a movement with his "What's up brother?" catchphrase.

It started as a simple yet funny greeting on FaceTime with fellow streamer Jynxzi, but it's evolved to a worldwide trend among friends, couples and athletes.

In TikTok videos, girlfriends approach their boyfriends with their finger raised, saying "What's up brother?" to elicit a response. Often, the boyfriend responds with "Tuesday, Tuesday" or another one of Sketch's phrases.

@emmavergaraa #stitch with @Donnie ♬ original sound - emma vergara
@stynieeee #stitch with @Donnie We are indeed a Sketch household lol. #whatsupbrother #sketch #jynxzi #trending #fyp ♬ original sound - Austyn Mattson

It's not just a couples trend, either. Dozens of athletes, collegiate and pro, have picked up the phrase and gesture in celebration or just in a casual moment with fans and teammates.

Donovan Clingan, a member of the 2023 and 2024 UConn national championship teams, used it to connect with fans, saying "Thank you brother" while taking a selfie.

@cbbonfox Donovan Clingan 😂😂😂 #UConn #DonovanClingan #NationalChampion #MarchMadness #collegebasketball @UConn Huskies ♬ original sound - CBBonFOX

'Tuesday, Tuesday'

Sketch primarily plays Madden, and he fully immerses himself in the game.

Rather than talking to his viewers like many streamers, he calls audibles using code words as if he's on an NFL sideline. "Tuesday, Tuesday" is one of his more popular calls — and no, it doesn't have to be Tuesday to shout this phrase.

Sketch special teams special players

As mentioned above, Sketch takes on a coach's role when streaming Madden. Whether he's playing on his own or with someone else such as Zach Lewis, he's calling audibles, praising players and celebrating victories.

"Special teams, special plays, special players," he'll say as a sign of respect to the special teams unit when performing a great play. Just like "Tuesday, Tuesday," the saying is repeated even when there's no relation to special teams.

@moresketch No way bro said it 💀😭 #fyp #sketch #thesketchreal #foryou #viral #espn ♬ original sound - Sketch 🏈☝️

Athletes doing 'What's up brother?' celebration

Athletes and content creators have never been so intertwined, and that holds true for Sketch as well.

As Sketch has become one of the top names in the streaming industry, athletes have taken a liking to his funny catchphrases. Big names from basketball, baseball, football, golf, hockey and even ESPN's "Sportscenter" have imitated Sketch.

Clingan's Sketch-inspired moment with the fans after UConn won its second consecutive national championship was just one example. Other March Madness stars got in on the fun, too.

@marchmadnessmbb Our #MFinalFour players did their best impressions of Sketch 🤣 #FinalFour #MarchMadness #MBB #CBB #MediaDay #Purdue #NCState #UConn #Alabama #Hoops #CollegeBasketball #Basketball #March #Madness ♬ original sound - March Madness

Multiple different social media teams in the NBA and NFL took part in the "What's up brother?" trend.

@utahjazz special team, special players 🖤💛 @Sketch #utahjazz #sketch #jynxzi #jordanclarkson #nba ♬ original sound - Utah Jazz
@memgrizz whats up sister😂😂😂 #whatsupbrother #sketch #tuesday ♬ original sound - memgrizz
@brooklynnets what’s up brother ☝️ #brooklynnets #nba #sketch ♬ original sound - Brooklyn Nets
@titans what’s up brother 👆 #tennesseetitans #nfl #sketch ♬ original sound - Tennessee Titans

Athletes are partaking in the trend even when unprompted, often inserting Sketch's celebrations into live games. Phillies star Bryce Harper doubled and did his best Sketch impression on second base.

Likewise, Josh Naylor pulled out the celebration after he and his brother Bo homered in the same inning for the Guardians.

C.J. Stroud and Sketch play football

Perhaps Sketch's most anticipated collaboration was with Stroud.

The streamer often wears the Texans quarterback's jersey, and he was finally able to meet up with Stroud to play football in early April. Texans wide receivers were also in attendance at the offseason practice session.

@overtimeszn Sketch rly out here living his dreams man 🙏 @Sketch (h/t @breezyclips) #sketch #whatsupbrother #tuesdaytuesday #cjstroud #texans #football #madden ♬ original sound - Overtimeszn
@nfl practice with the boys brother ☝️😂 (via @Sketch) #sketch #nfl #houstontexans #cjstroud ♬ original sound - NFL

Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.