The Crying Michael Jordan meme originated from a photograph taken during Jordan's 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech. While the basketball legend was genuinely emotional about his career, the internet began using the image as a meme around 2012 to mock athletic failures. It reached peak popularity in the mid-2010s, becoming the universal symbol for a 'sore loser' or extreme, often ironic, disappointment. Its versatility lies in its ability to be photoshopped onto almost any person or situation that has suffered a public or personal defeat.