Charity and champions abound at the year’s most anticipated battle - The Josh Fight
No longer will future generations reminisce on the name Josh by the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, for a historical moment in the legacy of Josh’s nationwide has taken place: The Josh Fight. Battle royales are more commonly seen in video games, but in this case one came to life in a burst of quarantine-driven boredom.
On the 24th of April, 2020, Josh Swain of Arizona sent a message to a mass group chat of strangers on the internet. His words, “You’re probably wondering why I’ve gathered you all here today,” were of simple irony, as each recipient had one thing in common: the name Josh. He then continued, after a lone Josh recognized the shared name, to give them instructions. There was going to be a battle, as he jokingly instructed, “Precisely, 4/24/2021, 12:00 pm, meet at these coordinates, we fight, whoever wins gets to keep the name, everyone else has to change their name, you have a year to prepare, good luck,” and posted a screenshot of the message on his Twitter @JoshSwainAZ.
While his message was obviously and admittedly meant to be a joke, the post went viral on Twitter, branching its way out to other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram where people began to get excited about the Josh Fight. Some were skeptical, wondering if this was another case similar to the Facebook group that plotted to gather at Area 51 in 2019, but alas, this time internet users' dreams came true.
Following his original message and viral post, Josh Swain was finally convinced to turn this joke into a real event, and set up a fundraiser for the “legal cost of changing all of the other Josh's names,” which in reality was for the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center foundation.
With a newfound seriousness to his event, Swain promised to show up and boarded a plane. Thus, on the 24th of April, 2021, around 50 Joshes and 900 or so spectators from all over the United States gathered in Lincoln, Nebraska to fight for the right to be Josh. As the pandemic was still ongoing, the event took place outside in the large Air Park Green Area, and masks were encouraged among the gatherers.
The first battle took place between the original Josh Swain and the only other Josh of the “Josh Swain” title to show up, having been hoping before the event that at least one other would make it to the gathering. Armed with figurative rocks, paper, and scissors, the two Josh Swains began to battle. After not one, not two, not three, but four rounds, the original Josh Swain threw a rock into the air, and thus defeated his opponent. He decreed that the other Josh Swain shall keep his name, and unbeknownst to the original Josh, the true battle began.
Armed with pool noodles, pent up pandemic energy, and a mission to keep their names, the Joshes broke into battle. Joshs of all shapes and sizes crossed paths in an effort to prove that they deserved the title, but one Josh in particular stood victorious over the battlefield in a matter of minutes: Little Josh Vinson Jr. of only 5 years old, who attended the event with his father, Josh Sr.. He explained that Josh Jr. was a victim of a number of seizures as a toddler and was treated at the Children’s Hospital. Little Josh was crowned the victor of the Josh Fight, a Burger King crown upon his head and red pool noodle in hand as the hundreds of Joshes and company cheered for the one supreme Josh.
After the heartwarming event, it was recorded that over $11,000 was raised for the foundation and hundreds of pounds of food were donated to the Food Bank of Lincoln. Amid a pandemic, the Josh Fight proved that the hearts and minds of people, even in the worst of times, can give hope to thousands nationwide. Those who know of the Josh fight will remember Josh Swain and Little Josh Vinson for years to come, and the event that brought out humanity’s best in one of the times it was needed most.
By Paige Helfrich
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue 8
May 27, 2021