Internet Nostalgia

Let’s Revisit the Manti Te’o Hoax

It wasn’t about just one football player.

Welcome to part 20 of our Internet Nostalgia series, which looks back at phenomena that captured the internet’s imagination and attention for a fleeting moment and then vanished as everyone moved on to something else. This series looks back at those olden times and what they told us about the internet and ourselves. If you have a suggested topic, email me at williamfleitch@yahoo.com. Last week: The Crying Jordan meme. This week: The Manti Te’o hoax.

When: January 16, 2013

The Story: Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o hadn’t just been one of the best players in college football for the 2012 season: He had been its most inspiring story. He had been playing that whole season in honor of his late girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, who had died (on the same day, September 11, no less, as his grandmother) just before the season began. Te’o dedicated his season to Kekua’s memory, as well as his grandmother’s. This made Te’o an irresistible media story, including a cover story about Te’o overcoming Kekua’s death in Sports Illustrated (since deleted from the Internet) and a soft focus feature on ESPN.