By Malcolm Pace

Photo credit: @thesketchreal via Instagram.

“What’s up, brother!” 

If you know Sketch, a video game streamer and viral star, you too can hear his voice ringing through your head while you read this statement. This greeting, along with many other quirks, twitches, and catchphrases, have swept the country over the last six months, making Sketch the premier online personality in the world of pre-teens to professional athletes. Sketch boasts over five million subscribers on YouTube, 793,000 followers on Twitch, 1.8 million on TikTok, and one million on Instagram.

I first stumbled upon Sketch in December 2023, where clips of his livestreams featuring his gameplay of the NFL video game Madden found their way onto my TikTok “For You Page.” Immediately I was amused, trying to figure out what I was watching, as a small man with headphones over his ears, a buzz cut, glasses that looked like they might fall off his face at any time, and a Houston Texans jersey, was going absolutely crazy over his virtual game of football. His style of calling out audibles at the line, motioning as though he were the real quarterback behind the center, and the incredible touchdown celebration, in which he emulates a dog marking its territory while on all fours, are incredibly entertaining. Yet all the while, he is navigating the game with a notably below-average skill level, at least in my eyes as a moderately experienced Madden player. 

TheSketchReal, as he can be found on Twitch, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, is where his shortened nickname, Sketch, is derived from. Sketch’s legal name is Kylie Cox, something that the 25-year-old did not reveal online for quite some time during his rise to fame. Sketch attended Mississippi State University out of high school before transferring to Oklahoma University, then Texas State, and finally Lonestar College: “I was giving everything a try,” said Sketch via the Jynxzi podcast, another famous Twitch streamer. Sketch first began streaming after buying his gaming PC, and his first streams amassed few viewers, originally on Twitch before he moved to TikTok Live. Sketch attributes his early success to his decision to stream on TikTok Live, explaining that on TikTok “you can catch an algorithm,” meaning that the algorithm that brings videos and live streams onto users’ “For You Pages” was more conducive to smaller streams, exposing them to larger amounts of viewers than Twitch’s algorithm. 

Using TikTok Live to share his content onto the screens of users all across the US, Sketch rose to popularity at an unbelievable rate. Another facet of Sketch’s content is the number of clips that are recycled across the internet, mainly TikTok, where accounts that he does not own or run repost clips of his stream, many of which obtain more views than his actual streams. This is where I and many of my friends first encountered him and the primary method through which we continue to consume his content. 

Sketch’s antics, with his quirky sayings and twitches, bumping his fists on top of one another and flapping his arms like a bird, along with his phrases, “What’s up brother!” and “Special teams, special plays, special players,” have swept the sporting world, becoming trends all over professional sports social media. Players can be seen on their teams’ social media accounts’ behind-the-scenes videos using his phrases, as well as even using his signature arm movements as celebrations during their games. Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper’s double celebration or Sports Center anchor Randy Scott opening the show, greeting the audience, “What’s up, brothers!” along with Sketch’s signature pointer finger in the air, have all made waves over the sports world.

Photo credit: @thesketchreal via YouTube.

Whether you like it or not, Sketch has infiltrated the sports world with his quick quips, nerdy personality, and unwavering smile. He continues to rise to fame and popularity, amassing fans from 12-year-old kids to professional athletes, and he’s even had the opportunity to work out with NFL players. Recently, Sketch has collaborated with many high-level celebrities, including influencer Garrett Clark, NFL players CJ Stroud, Tank Dell, and Stephon Diggs, as well as first overall NFL draft pick Caleb Williams.

In his streams with these NFL players, Sketch and the football stars can be found on the football field, running routes against each other and interacting as friends, which is something notable about Sketch. Sketch is never starstruck; he acts as though these people are his friends, not guests on his show or for his content, and they reciprocate the same energy back to him, making the content with these superstars feel even more behind-the-scenes and exclusive, as everyone involved is completely relaxed and open.

In his stream with Williams, Sketch suffered a hamstring injury so severe he required an ambulance off the field, yet he maintained his beaming smile while being loaded into the ambulance on a stretcher. As he was leaving, Williams gave him a signed, game-worn jersey, to which Sketch replied, “Thank you, brother!” with his signature smile, which can only bring the viewer to match with their own smile. 

Image credit: @espn via Instagram.

During the NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, Sketch was invited by the NFL to announce the draft pick for his favorite NFL team, the Houston Texans. Sketch brought the energy on stage, waving his arms to pump up the crowd, and announced that the Houston Texans would select tight end Cade Stover with the 123rd pick. 

From TikTok Lives, all the way to the stage of the NFL Draft, Sketch has risen to an elite level of popularity, all while appearing to be unaffected by his new fame that has captured the love and attention of the sports world.

While Sketch may make an inappropriate joke or two every once in a while, it is hard not to be drawn to his smile and funny mannerisms. He is captivating the sports world with his style of content and multiple platforms, influencing everyone from middle schoolers to professional athletes. He garnered immense fame and popularity and became the essence of a modern star, allowing the internet to continue to push his fame as high as it can go, leaving his mark on the sports world.