Josh fight
The Josh fight was a popular Internet meme, mock fight, and charity fundraiser at Air Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 24, 2021. A second edition of the event took place at Bowling Lake Park in Lincoln on May 21, 2022.[1][2]
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| Coordinates | 40°49′20″N 96°47′54″W / 40.8223286°N 96.79820002°WCoordinates: 40°49′20″N 96°47′54″W / 40.8223286°N 96.79820002°W |
| Organized by | Josh Swain |
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The event was first thought of by a civil engineering student named Josh Swain from Tucson, Arizona, on April 24, 2020, because he was bored during COVID-19 lockdowns.[3] It became popular after a screenshot of a Facebook Messenger group chat with many users named Josh Swain spread widely on the Internet.
Swain told people in the chat to meet at a set of coordinates one year later and fight for the right to use the name "Josh". Although the event was meant as a joke, nearly a thousand people came on the day of the event.[4] Three "fights" took place, 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 with a pool noodle who wanted to join.[5][6]
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, won the event. He was given a paper crown from Burger King and a replica AEW World Championship belt.[7][8][9] Winson's Jr.'s father, Josh Vinson Sr., said afterward that his son "had the time of his life".[10]
The gathering was lighthearted and there was no actual violence involved. The Wall Street Journal said the event became a "global news phenomenon",[10] while a technology writer for The Guardian called it "perhaps the ultimate response to an online doppelgänger".[11]
References
- ↑ Swain, Josh. Josh Fight 2022 | thejoshfight.com. Josh Fight 2022 (May 22, 2022). Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Jessie | [jjessirose]. IMPORTANT: The Josh Swain fight location has CHANGED. Here are more updates! #joshswain #joshfight #joshswainbattle t.co/s7XP0eeymC (in en) (April 22, 2021). Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Paybarah, Azi (April 26, 2021). "Josh Is the Name, and They Will Fight You for It" (in en-US). The New York Times. . https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/josh-fight-nebraska.html. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Hundreds show up in Nebraska for fight over name Josh". Associated Press. April 24, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/health-nebraska-coronavirus-08b5af38117fd7146cd06e900cb2af3b. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Hammack, Zach (April 22, 2021). "Calling all Josh Swains: The battle for your name is taking place right here in Lincoln" (in en). Lincoln Journal Star. 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. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Saxena, Akanksha. Ultimate 'Josh' Fight: Hundreds of men named 'Josh' come to Nebraska to fight over their name (in en). www.timesnownews.com (April 25, 2021). Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Best, Paul (April 24, 2021). "Nebraska Josh fight: Horde of dudes named Josh fight for right to name". Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nebraska-josh-fight-horde-of-dudes-named-josh-fight-for-right-to-name. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Seline, Libby (April 24, 2021). "'Little Josh' dubbed winner of the Battle of the Joshes; community also benefits from event". Lincoln Journal-Star. 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. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Nambiar, Prerna. Who won the Josh fight? Here's what happened at the event! (in en-GB). HITC (April 25, 2021). Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Gay, Jason (April 26, 2021). "The Day People Named Josh Fought in Nebraska" (in en-US). The Wall Street Journal. . https://www.wsj.com/articles/josh-battle-fight-josh-swain-joshfight-nebraska-little-josh-11619437432. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Hepworth, Shelley. My inbox is piling up with spam again and my email doppelgänger is to blame (in en). the Guardian (February 25, 2022). Retrieved September 22, 2025.