Utah State cheerleader reacts to viral March Madness moment of her crying: 'And now I'm a meme.'
TNT
- A Utah State cheerleader cried on camera during the team's March Madness loss to Missouri.
- The cheerleader, Ashlyn Whimpey, addressed the moment on social media.
- "That one time when I was sad to cheer at my last game," she wrote. "And now I'm a meme."
March Madness brings out all the emotion of college sports. Sometimes, those emotions get caught on camera.
In the final minutes of No. 10 Utah State's game against No. 7 Missouri on Friday, a cheerleader for the Aggies was seen with tears in her eyes as her team, which had been a popular upset pick, played out the end of a losing effort.
Following the likes of the crying Villanova flautist and the woman that stood up in front of David Robinson, a new college basketball meme was born.
Fans were immediately sympathetic to the cheerleader, Ashlyn Whimpey, with many jumping in to note that there was a good chance it was her last game as a cheerleader as much as it was the final game for some basketball players on the court.
—Chris Norris (@_ChrisNORRIS) March 17, 2023
—Darius Snow (@realdsnow) March 16, 2023
After going viral, Whimpey addressed the moment on TikTok and Instagram.
"That one time when I was sad to cheer at my last game," Whimpey wrote on TikTok. "And now I'm a meme."
Whimpey followed up with another TikTok explaining that she had struggled at school due to the newfound attention.
"Hey guys…coming on here to tell you I have had a really hard time focusing on my midterms due to TNT thinking the crying cheerleader was better footage than the basketball game," she wrote.
Whimpey also spoke about the moment on Instagram with a post about the joy that being an Aggie cheerleader brought to her life.
"Everyone has seen how sad I was to cheer at my last game, but here is my happy tribute to one of the best decisions I've ever made," Whimpey wrote. "Utah State Spirit Squad has brought more good to my life than I could've ever imagined. Thankful for the opportunities, countless memories, and amazing people I have met from being on this team. Forever proud to be an aggie cheerleader!"
March Madness has turned fans and athletes into memes since the dawn of Twitter, but it's always important to remember that there are real people behind every one of them.