Not My Name, Quarterback: How a Cheesy Movie Line Became Gen Z’s Favourite Cringe Anthem

When a Tubi rom-com scene gets remixed into thousands of TikToks, you know something culturally weird just happened.

That’s exactly the case with the now-viral “Not My Name, Quarterback” meme — a line from Sidelined: The QB and Me, a film that, by all accounts, should have quietly faded into the algorithm.

Instead, it ended up all over For You Pages, stitched into parodies, and reenacted on NFL fields.

So what exactly happened? And why is everyone suddenly quoting a quarterback with the emotional range of a salad fork?

Not My Name, Quarterback Origin

@tubi no caption necessary #sidelined ♬ sidelined nice catch cheer – Tubi

Released on November 29, 2024, Sidelined: The QB and Me is a Tubi Original starring TikToker Noah Beck as Drayton Lahey and Siena Agudong as Dallas Bryan.

In the now-infamous scene, Drayton tosses a football to Dallas, saying, “Nice catch, Cheer.” She immediately corrects him with, “Not my name, Quarterback,” and flings the ball back.

They’re both in matching Archwood Wolves merch. It’s the kind of overly sincere, over-directed teen movie moment that was made to be clipped out of context.

The official Tubi TikTok account posted the scene on December 9, 2024, and it quickly racked up over 1.2 million likes.

But not because viewers were impressed by the heartfelt acting. The internet latched onto the dialogue’s clunky delivery and unintentional melodrama. Cringe had a new poster child.

How the Tubi Meme Went Viral on TikTok

@tabithaswatosh nice catch cheer and yes my bag is made out of a football @Chiefs ♬ original sound – monica♡

The scene was just awkward enough to be endlessly replayable. Influencers like Tabitha Swatosh recreated it dramatically on an NFL field.

@tylerwrighttt Not my name quarterback (ending scene) #fyp #accuracy #noahbeck #viral ♬ original sound – Tyler Wright

Others, like @tylerwrighttt, nailed it with a “99.9% accuracy” parody, which pulled in over 1.5 million likes in a matter of days.

The audio became a trending TikTok sound, with over 2,000 remixes and reenactments by early 2025.

Some went for high drama, others leaned into absurdism. One user even reenacted the scene with his daughter using their own voices, racking up millions of views.

Why the Scene Became a Viral Meme

This wasn’t just about mocking bad acting. The reason “Not My Name, Quarterback” took off is because it hit the sweet spot of meme culture: an earnest moment begging to be remixed. Like many viral formats, it blurred the line between cringe and camp.

It also helped that Noah Beck’s internet fame made him an easy avatar for TikTok parody.

Here was a social media star earnestly trying to pivot to acting, and the internet did what it does best—turned the attempt into content.

The Rise of the “Nice Catch, Cheer” TikTok Trend

@avaceo
slay kings
♬ sidelined nice catch cheer – Tubi

TikTok creators leaned into the absurdity. The overly polished high school aesthetic, the scripted earnestness, and the borderline robotic delivery all became part of the joke.

Users weren’t laughing at the characters, necessarily—they were laughing at how perfectly the scene fit into the TikTok remix formula.

It also speaks to how modern meme culture rewards unintentional comedy. You don’t need a punchline; you need a moment that feels slightly out of touch and 100% re-enactable.

Watch the Funniest Meme Reenactments

If you’re wondering just how far TikTok has taken the Not My Name, Quarterback trend, this YouTube Short compiles some of the funniest and most creative takes. From dramatic lip-syncs to satirical remakes, it’s a crash course in meme theatre—Gen Z edition.

Final Thoughts: From Tubi Movie to Meme Royalty

By early 2025, the internet’s obsession with hyper-specific cringe had reached a new high. From “I Dreamed A Dream” edits to the “Bro is not going back home” trend, Gen Z and Gen Alpha users were remixing media with theatrical flair and ironic reverence.

The “Not My Name, Quarterback” meme is a product of that moment—a digital inside joke layered in performance.

It’s also a reminder that today, virality doesn’t require quality. It just needs to be quotable, a little off, and ripe for reinterpretation. Which, ironically, makes “Not My Name, Quarterback” kind of perfect.