The Funniest Sports Memes of 2018 (So Far)

best sports memes 2018
NBA
NBA

The great thing about sports is many of them are broadcast live on TV. The bad thing about sports is many of them are broadcast live on TV. So as much as they can showcase certain heroics, they can also capture our beloved athletes' most hilarious, occasionally candid, and sometimes embarrassing moments, many of which become immortalized as, ahem, Funny Memes. Below, the funniest from the sports world in 2018 -- a list we'll continue to update throughout the year. 

Porgzingis meme

When The Last Jedi introduced us to the Porgs, we had a feeling they would become the gift that kept on giving. Little did we know that all of the gifts would be reserved exclusively for Kristaps.

Blake Bortles meme

The quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars has long been a punchline, but at the beginning of this year, he became something of an ironic hero. Gone were the days of totally sucking, being openly dissed by opposing players; here, following surprise playoff wins against the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the beginning of a new era, an era of competence. (Maybe? Maybe not. We'll see.) Point is: It used to be that only idiots loved the guy in earnest -- idiots like, say, The Good Place's Jason Mendoza. Now, Bortles has become the people's signal-caller, a wholly average demi-god who managed to outperform Tom Brady at the Super Bowl he wasn't invited to. In other words, he is now and forever the meme quarterback.

Victor Oladipo Camera Stare meme

Perhaps the NBA's MVP of meme faces, Oladipo has done his best work yet here. After taking a hard foul against the Bucks last month, the Pacers player looked into the camera and channeled his best "Aw, come on!"; his best "Seriously?"; his best "Hillary Clinton thinking about Jill Stein voters."

Gordon Ramsay Likes Tennis* meme

Damn, this celebrity chef went to the Australian Open, looking VERY FAMILIAR.

*Read: doin' it to 'em.

LeBron James Congratulating Himself meme

Shortly before LeBron James scored his 30,000th NBA point, he posted a pre-emptive tribute on Instagram. "Wanna be one of the first to Congratulate you on this accomplishment/achievement tonight that you’ll reach! Only a handful has reach/seen it too and while I know it’s never been a goal of yours from the beginning try(please try) to take a moment for yourself on how you’ve done it," he wrote, addressing his younger self in the second person. "When u finally get your moment(alone) to yourself smile, look up to the higher skies and say THANK YOU! So with that said, Congrats again Young King." The tribute came off a little Trumpian, meaning it didn't take long for fans and haters to seize on the opportunity and congratulate themselves for decidedly less historic achievements. In the end, the effect was akin to last year's "I love my curvy wife."

Tom Brady's Super Bowl Outfit meme

Going into the 52nd Super Bowl, many football fans were still reeling from the sting of the last big game, which saw the Atlanta Falcons squander a perfect opportunity to finally quash New England's bumptious dynasty. Simply put, Tom Brady's historic comeback had made him a hero for some but a villain for many. It didn't help that he showed up to this year's championship looking like Evil Inspector Gadget.

Justin Timberlake's Tribute Tarp meme

When news broke that Justin Timberlake would maybe perform his Super Bowl halftime show with a Prince hologram, people lost their shit. What was probably meant to be a sincere tribute to the Purple One and his home base in Minneapolis just didn't feel... right. (Especially considering Prince thought holograms were demonic.) Fortunately, the hologram didn't happen. What we got instead was this giant tarp, which promptly became the backdrop for several other inappropriate tributes.

Selfie Kid meme

The real star of Timberlake's halftime show was this kid who, near the end of the extravaganza, quickly fumbled for his phone and tried to snag some "Super Bowl Selfies!" “I just thought to myself, ‘I’ll never get this opportunity again in my whole life,'” the kid told the Pioneer Press. “I just went for it.” On the inside, he was apparently excited, but on the outside, it looked like he was furiously preoccupied with everything from "Cat Person" and Scientology to the strange fact that someone who may or may not have been Ellen DeGeneres was standing right next to him.

Super Mario Curler meme

The first star of the 2018 Olympics? None other than US curler Matt Hamilton, who took the ice looking a lot like everyone's favorite former plumber, Super Mario. Hmmm, wait, and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. (Good luck, Andy.)

Bullet Man meme

Outside the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center in PyeongChang, South Korea, stand Diglett's cousins, three silver statues of helmeted muscle-men, aka "Bullet Men." They are naked. They are phallic. They are one of the best highlights to come out of this year's Winter Olympics. Because when they're not busy standing still, they are getting memed to hell and back.

James Harden-Wesley Johnson meme

Where were you when James Harden destroyed Wesley "he needs some milk" Johnson?

JR Smith's Soup meme

In early March, someone asked Cavs guard JR Smith, "Is there anything you like better than eating soup?" To which Smith, a 32-year-old man who would soon be suspended for a single game, maybe replied, "Yes, throwing it at Damon Jones."

#HaarmsHair meme

Any athlete can do hair commercials. But can an athlete star in a hair commercial while playing basketball? Yes. Enter Purdue's Matt Haarms, double threat.

Nevada vs. Cincinnati Charts meme

How bonkers has this year's March Madness been? For a quick idea, look no further than the Nevada-Cincinnati win probability chart (above). You already know what happened: Cincinnati, a two seed, was supposed to win, and they almost did, taking an early lead and holding it for much of the game -- until the very end, when Nevada, a seven seed, erased a 22-point deficit and, in the closing seconds, snatched victory. The jaw-dropping upset gave the chart's lines identity crises. It also gave us the perfect visual representation for something going terribly, unexpectedly wrong.

Sister Jean meme

Loyola-Chicago's journey to the Final Four as an 11-seed has proven to be one of the greatest underdog runs in tournament history. Or is it an act of God? Sister Jean is legend.

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Sean Fitz-Gerald is a staff writer at Thrillist Entertainment. Find him on Twitter: @srkfitzgerald.