About

The Big Leagues Calling or The Big Leagues Are Calling is a reaction image and exploitable meme format that started going viral during the summer and fall of 2025, primarily on TikTok. The meme is typically used to humorously imply that they, or someone in the video, have accomplished something so impressive it's as if "the big leagues" (figuratively meaning top-level prestige or recognition) are taking notice and calling them up. It usually showcases a moment of personal triumph or absurd talent, paired with the implication that scouts are ready to recruit. The image depicts an iPhone call screen with a purple background, edited to look like the caller is "the big leagues."

Although the original widely used audio on TikTok was "Decked da Whip" by Babymarii, remixes and different soundtracks are commonly used alongside the meme. As the reaction image spread in late 2025, additional variants emerged that added edits to the original, such as changing "big" to "small" or showing that the call failed, among other variations.

Origin

The exact first post of the original reaction image depicting an incoming iPhone call with a purple background edited to look like the caller was "the big leagues" is unknown, but the meme began appearing on social media sites as early as mid-July 2025. It plausibly originated in TikTok comment sections as a simple reaction or sticker.

The earliest known example was posted by Instagram^[1] user @who_wali on July 11th, 2025, which included the meme in a slideshow about them joining the Ole Miss college basketball team. The post received over 770 likes and 130 comments in four months.

On TikTok, numerous examples in late July 2025 notably reference the meme. For example, on July 24th, TikToker^[2] @lebronthegoat528 posted a FlightReacts meme with a caption referencing "the big leagues is calling," garnering over 126,000 likes and 800 comments in four months. Many of the comments include the iPhone incoming call reaction image.

Spread

After the initial spread of the meme in July 2025, the format and references to "the big leagues" contacting people quickly caught on as it spread to other platforms in late 2025. Multiple users also began creating their own take, showcasing anything from unexpected skills to funny daily feats, each invoking the idea that they’d just "made it big."

On July 24th, 2025, Twitter / X^[3] user @LiamFennessy_ tweeted an example of the meme referencing baseball, receiving over 4,700 views and 150 likes in four months.

On July 29th, the Barstool Sports Arizona Instagram^[4] account (@barstoolarizona) posted a version of the meme with a caption added to the top about turning 21 and being able to drink at the University of Arizona, garnering over 2,000 likes in roughly four months.

On July 30th, TikToker^[5] @chaseswaglol posted another example referencing the Big Leagues meme, receiving over 170 likes and 10 comments in roughly four months, with numerous variants of the meme being posted in the comment section.

On August 19th, 2025, Redditor CuriousDumbAzz used the meme in a post to the Tekken subreddit, /r/Tekken,^[6] about a cheating scandal in the game's community, receiving over 150 upvotes and 30 comments in two months.

The meme’s flexibility and aspirational humor made it especially popular across a broad demographic of TikTok users. By balancing hype-worthy framing with everyday scenarios--and leaning into the idea of unexpected recognition--it struck a comical chord that resonated widely on the platform.

Variations

The format saw numerous creative adaptations as it continued spreading in late 2025, including:

• Sport-specific versions: Videos framed around sports moments, like scoring a goal or hitting a shot, with the “big leagues” metaphor feeling doubly literal.
• Non-sport contexts: Everyday achievements (cooking, DIY wins or minor but humorous personal victories) repurposing the phrase for comedic effect.
• Audio variations: While "Decked da Whip" was the initial song used, creators increasingly mixed in trending sounds or custom voice-overs to match their video’s tone.

Various Examples

Templates

Search Interest

External References