"Let's f*cking go" is a practically perfect rallying cry—it's succinct, it's positive, and it's aggressive all at once. It's also simple enough that it's become pervasive throughout modern society, popularized in sports, pop culture, and, of course, memes.
For the chronically online, the phrase likely calls to mind the let's f*cking go ball meme in particular.
The image itself originated from a now-defunct Twitter account, @gofthejungle. In 2020, the user snagged a clipart stock photo of an angry, screaming tennis ball created by two3design 13 years prior. They subsequently added text reading "LET'S F*CKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" over the image. And a meme was born.
The image gained traction throughout 2020 in various forms, correlating with an uptick in interest in the phrase itself.
The popularization of the phrase itself is up for debate. Some have pointed to sports, noting it may be a progression from the common "Let's go" chant.
Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady has also received a lot of credit for pushing the version of it with "f*cking" shoved into the middle. The Hollywood Reporter went so far as to refer to it as his catchphrase in May 2024.
The same year that the let's f*cking go ball meme entered into the culture, the Attack on Titan fandom embraced the phrase. This seemed to be largely in response to the season four trailer, which would mark the final season of the show.
Specifically, according to Urban Dictionary, it became "a chant used by aot fandom when they're excited or in denial by the fact that their fav characters are gonna die."
The phrase received another bump in September 2023 during an NFL game pitting the Kansas City Chiefs against the Chicago Bears. When Travis Kelce scored a touchdown, the camera cut to Taylor Swift, who was seen cheering and screaming "let's f*cking go" from the box.
Ahead of the 2024 release of Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine, a trailer debuted that included each of the titular heroes saying "let's f*cking go!"
The caption on the trailer uploaded to YouTube by Marvel Entertainment simply read "LFG."
This also turned into a meme opportunity, from reaction gifs to a green screen version of the trailer clip circulating online.
Although the "let's f*cking go" ball meme itself is still bouncing around, it's clear that LFG as a phrase has taken a larger hold on the culture. Beyond Taylor Swift and blockbuster movies, we're also seeing it used to hype people up about everything from daily life to politics.
In fact, in 2023, Slate pointed out that the phrase has become so common that it's now "utilitarian, flexible, and fundamentally meaningless; it’s another way to say, 'Yes, a thing exists.'"
That doesn't seem to indicate it's going anywhere any time soon.
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