Josh fight explained

Date:
  • (first event)
Venue:
  • Air Park, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. (2021)
  • Bowling Lake Park, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. (2022)
Organizers:Josh Swain

The Josh fight was a viral Internet meme, mock fight, and charity fundraiser at Air Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 24, 2021, with a second edition of the event occurring at Bowling Lake Park in Lincoln on May 21, 2022.

The event was originally conceived by a civil engineering student named Josh Swain from Tucson, Arizona, on April 24, 2020, due to boredom during COVID-19 lockdowns. It gained popularity after a screenshot of a Facebook Messenger group chat involving several users named Josh Swain spread widely on the Internet.

Swain encouraged participants of the chat to meet at a set of coordinates one year hence and fight for the right to use the name "Josh." The event, though initially intended as a joke, drew a crowd of nearly a thousand on the day of the event. The gathering was lighthearted and there was no actual violence involved. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the event became a "global news phenomenon,"[1] while a technology writer for The Guardian called it "perhaps the ultimate response to an online Doppelgänger."[2]

Background

On April 24, 2020, several Facebook Messenger users named Josh Swain were added to a group chat that read, Swain explained the idea for the event was conceived out of boredom from the COVID-19 lockdowns. Swain had often experienced the frustration of being unable to receive an exclusive handle on social media because of other Josh Swains.[3] He posted a screenshot of the conversation on Twitter the same day. The tweet received over 64,000 likes and 21,000 retweets within two weeks, surprising Swain.[4]

Although Swain said the tweet was "entirely a joke," the conversation became a meme on social media.[5] [6] Days before the event, Swain took to Reddit in order to announce a fundraiser for the event to benefit the Children's Hospital & Medical Center (CH&MC) Foundation in Omaha, along with a request for non-perishables to start a food drive for the Food Bank of Lincoln.[7] In the same post, Swain encouraged attendees to bring pool noodles as mock weapons for the planned fight.[8]

Swain had selected Lincoln, Nebraska as a site for the event due to its central location within the United States; the original randomly picked coordinates were located in a field on private property. The field's owner, however, did not agree to host "such a ridiculous event," and as such the fight was relocated to Air Park, approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) away.[9]

Event

On the chosen day, nearly a thousand people, including at least 50 named Josh, congregated at Air Park.[10] Attendees came from as far as New York, Washington, and Texas, with some dressed in superhero and Star Wars costumes.[11] [12] [13] Three "fights" were held—one game of rock paper scissors for those named Josh Swain, a second with pool noodles for all attendees named Josh, and a third and final all-in battle for anyone in possession of a pool noodle willing to participate.[14] [15]

Only two of the individuals in attendance were named "Josh Swain"—Josh Swain, the event's creator, beat a rival 38-year-old Josh Swain from Omaha in the rock paper scissors event.[16] [17] A local five-year-old boy named Josh Vinson Jr., dubbed "Little Josh," who had been treated at the CH&MC for seizures when he was two years old, was declared the overall winner. Vinson Jr. was crowned with a paper coronet from Burger King as well as a replica AEW World Championship belt.[18] [19] Vinson Jr.'s father, Josh Vinson Sr., said afterward that his son "had the time of his life."

The gathering raised US$14,355 for the Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundationfar past its initial goal of US$1,000and collected over 200lb of food for the nearby food bank.[20] The CH&MC has since shown appreciation for the fundraiser on social media.[21] On May 6, 2021, Josh Cellars, a Californian winery, decided to triple the donation by donating $30,000 to the CH&MC.[22] The Wall Street Journal wrote that the event became a "global news phenomenon."

The next year, a second edition of the event was held on May 21, 2022, at Bowling Lake Park.[23] [24] The anniversary event was organized by the Arizonan Swain, with donations once again going to the CH&MC.[25] [26] Around 200 people attended the event, including at least 20 people being named Josh. The redux raised US$20,576, with Josh Cellars agreeing to double the donation.[27] According to The Wall Street Journal, Swain would like to have the Josh fight occur annually, but said "he's not sure if he'll be able to keep it up."[28] There has not been a new event since 2022.

Notes and References

  1. News: Gay. Jason. April 26, 2021. The Day People Named Josh Fought in Nebraska. en-US. The Wall Street Journal. live. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427125525/https://www.wsj.com/articles/josh-battle-fight-josh-swain-joshfight-nebraska-little-josh-11619437432. April 27, 2021. 0099-9660.
  2. Web site: Hepworth . Shelley . February 25, 2022 . My inbox is piling up with spam again and my email doppelgänger is to blame . March 3, 2022 . the Guardian . en.
  3. News: Paybarah. Azi. April 26, 2021. Josh Is the Name, and They Will Fight You for It. en-US. The New York Times. April 26, 2021. 0362-4331. April 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426140437/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/josh-fight-nebraska.html. live.
  4. Web site: What is the Josh fight? Social media users are preparing for an epic battle. Emerald. Pellot. In The Know. April 20, 2021. April 26, 2021. April 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210422014217/https://www.intheknow.com/post/josh-fight-facebook-group-meme/. live.
  5. Web site: Vlamis. Kelsey. Hundreds of people named Josh met up in Lincoln, Nebraska, to battle with pool noodles over their shared name, videos show. April 26, 2021. Insider. en-US. May 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145154/https://www.insider.com/josh-fight-draws-hundreds-to-lincoln-nebraska-battle-over-name-2021-4. live.
  6. Web site: There Can Only Be One: Battle Of The Joshes Brings Hundreds To Nebraska. April 26, 2021. NPR.org. April 25, 2021 . en. April 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426000815/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/990714129/there-can-only-be-one-battle-of-the-joshes-brings-hundreds-to-nebraska. live. Weiner . Chloee .
  7. News: Page . Sydney . 'Josh Fight' began online a year ago. Last weekend, a crowd of people named Josh showed up to duel with pool noodles. . May 3, 2021 . Washington Post . April 27, 2021 . April 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210428012127/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/04/27/josh-fight-pool-noodle/ . live .
  8. Web site: Swain. Josh. April 21, 2021. IMPORTANT: I am Josh Swain, and here are the official details of the event. See you soon.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426145219/https://www.reddit.com/r/joshswainbattle/comments/mv3nk9/important_i_am_josh_swain_and_here_are_the/. April 26, 2021. April 26, 2021. Reddit.
  9. Web site: Springman. Ashley. April 24, 2021. VIDEO: Viral event 'Josh Fight' chooses Lincoln as its battleground. live. April 25, 2021. KLKN-TV. en-US. April 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210421063415/https://www.klkntv.com/viral-event-josh-fight-chooses-lincoln-as-its-battleground/.
  10. Web site: Raphael. Shannon. Remember that Viral "Joshua Fight" Meme? It Actually Happened, and It Was Epic. live. April 25, 2021. Distractify. April 24, 2021 . en-US. April 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210425081651/https://www.distractify.com/p/joshua-fight-april-24.
  11. Web site: Josh fight: Crowds show up in US park for pool noodle battle to win rightful ownership of their name. April 25, 2021. Sky News. en. April 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210425135153/https://news.sky.com/story/crowds-show-up-in-us-park-for-pool-noodle-fight-over-the-name-josh-12286699. live.
  12. Viral pool noodle brawl started as a 'pandemic boredom' joke. April 25, 2021. Video. en. CNN. September 7, 2021.
  13. Web site: Cohen. Kelly. April 25, 2021. The #JoshFight is over, all hail 'Little Josh' and his pool noodle skills. live. April 25, 2021. ESPN.com. en. April 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426130333/https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/31326502/inaugural-josh-fight-little-josh-crowned-best-josh.
  14. News: Hammack. Zach. April 22, 2021. Calling all Josh Swains: The battle for your name is taking place right here in Lincoln. en. Lincoln Journal Star. live. April 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210424223818/https://journalstar.com/news/local/calling-all-josh-swains-the-battle-for-your-name-is-taking-place-right-here-in/article_1cb44f9f-1050-59b9-8e7e-40d09fec270a.html. April 24, 2021.
  15. Web site: Saxena. Akanksha. Ultimate 'Josh' Fight: Hundreds of men named 'Josh' come to Nebraska to fight over their name. live. April 25, 2021. www.timesnownews.com. April 25, 2021 . en. May 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145142/https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/hundreds-of-men-named-josh-come-to-nebraska-to-fight-over-their-name/749245.
  16. News: April 24, 2021. Hundreds show up in Nebraska for fight over name Josh. Associated Press. live. April 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210424221016/https://apnews.com/article/health-nebraska-coronavirus-08b5af38117fd7146cd06e900cb2af3b. April 24, 2021.
  17. News: Seline. Libby. April 24, 2021. 'Little Josh' dubbed winner of the Battle of the Joshes; community also benefits from event. Lincoln Journal-Star. live. April 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145159/https://journalstar.com/news/local/little-josh-dubbed-winner-of-the-battle-of-the-joshes-community-also-benefits-from-event/article_5b0db3e8-e96b-5025-9dd5-222aae3b99c5.html. May 7, 2021.
  18. News: Best. Paul. April 24, 2021. Nebraska Josh fight: Horde of dudes named Josh fight for right to name. Fox News. April 24, 2021. April 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210424223823/https://www.foxnews.com/us/nebraska-josh-fight-horde-of-dudes-named-josh-fight-for-right-to-name. live.
  19. Web site: Nambiar. Prerna. April 25, 2021. Who won the Josh fight? Here's what happened at the event!. April 25, 2021. HITC. en-GB. May 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145136/https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/04/25/who-won-the-josh-fight/. live.
  20. Web site: Evans. Greg. April 25, 2021. 4-year-old boy triumphs of hundreds of man with same name in first-ever 'Josh Fight'. live. April 25, 2021. www.indy100.com. en. May 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145147/https://www.indy100.com/viral/josh-fight-battle-viral-nebraska-b1837095.
  21. Children's . ChildrensOmaha . 1386060312495984645 . April 24, 2021 .
    1. JoshFight is trending, and we are the lucky recipients of this viral fundraising event! So far, the Joshes have raised $8,000! So awesome! https://t.co/oFJS7B3SKh
    . en . September 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509082441/https://twitter.com/childrensomaha/status/1386060312495984645 . May 9, 2021 . live.
  22. Web site: May 6, 2021.
    1. JoshFight fundraiser tripled thanks to 'Josh' inspired business
    . May 7, 2021. KLKN-TV. en-US. May 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210506213714/https://www.klkntv.com/joshfight-fundraiser-tripled-thanks-to-josh-inspired-business/. live.
  23. Web site: Swain . Josh . May 22, 2022 . Josh Fight 2022 thejoshfight.com . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522213057/https://www.thejoshfight.com/events/josh-fight-2022 . May 22, 2022 . June 2, 2024 . Josh Fight 2022.
  24. Jessie . jjessirose . 1385205895957786626 . April 22, 2021 . IMPORTANT: The Josh Swain fight location has CHANGED. Here are more updates! #joshswain #joshfight #joshswainbattle https://t.co/s7XP0eeymC . en . September 29, 2022.
  25. Web site: Hammack . Zach . Watch now: A year after winning viral Josh Fight, Little Josh ready to defend his (Burger King) crown . May 22, 2022 . JournalStar.com . May 20, 2022 . en.
  26. Web site: May 22, 2022 . Josh Fight 2022 Fundraiser for Children's Omaha/NE Mightycause . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522213517/https://www.mightycause.com/story/Thejoshfight . May 22, 2022 . May 22, 2022 . Mightycause . en.
  27. Swain . Joshua . joshswainaz . 1528174684415606785 . May 21, 2022 . Thanks so much to the people of Lincoln for another incredible Josh Fight! The fundraiser for @childrensomaha is still open for the next 24 hours and will be DOUBLED by our amazing friends at @joshcellars link in bio! https://t.co/0F7nHD0w5B . en . September 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522232141/https://twitter.com/joshswainaz/status/1528174684415606785 . May 22, 2022 . live.
  28. News: Pool noodle fight over the name Josh again attracts hundreds . en-US . Washington Post . May 22, 2022 . 0190-8286.