More than a decade after Michael Jordan retired from playing basketball, a picture of him is still striking fear into the hearts of professional athletes.

The latest Internet meme involves an image of Mr. Jordan’s tear-streaked face superimposed on pictures of athletes or coaches who lost an important game. Known as the “crying Jordan,” it has ricocheted around social media, popularized by fans poking fun at sports losers and eliciting laughs (and retweets)​within moments of the final buzzer. In recent weeks, the trend has sparked rebuttals from teams and athletes.

When the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game two weeks ago, the Cardinals tried to pre-empt wisecracks by posting a crying Jordan photo on the team’s official Twitter account, with the message: “Is this what you want, Internet?!” It was retweeted more than 50,000 times.

After learning he was chosen for the NBA All-Star Game last month on live television, Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green told “NBA on TNT” hosts, “I almost started crying but I knew I was on TV and I ain’t want them to kill me on Instagram. I think they would have them make me the crying face instead of Jordan.”

Searches for “crying Jordan” have spiked since September, according to Google Trends. The photo mashups have expanded beyond sports into pop culture and politics. Making the rounds this week: Mr. Jordan’s lachrymose face perched atop the body of Donald Trump, following the billionaire’s second-place finish behind Sen. Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses.