‘Florida Man Games’ to Pit Real-Life Memes Against Each Other in Ridiculous Athletic Competition

Floridian Pete Melfi is bringing the “Florida Man” phenomenon to new heights as his inaugural Florida Man Games will soon take place in America’s oldest city.

Set for Feb. 24 in St. Augustine, the athletic competition where “Being athletic is not required at all” will introduce the world to events like the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course, the Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel and Beer Belly Florida Sumo. While Florida doesn’t make the cut for the country’s ten fattest states, this last event should still be interesting.

“Think you’ve seen wild? Think again! From wrestling in the mud to running from actual sheriff’s deputies, The Florida Man Games™ is where the bizarre meets brawn and sanity is optional!” says The Florida Man Games’ official website.

They’ve also got a mullet contest lined up, a mechanical gator, and to conclude the night, a boxing match between cops and firemen.

“I can’t believe they have the balls to do a competition like this!” said John, a man.

Tickets range from $45-$145 and the games will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Francis Field.

Also, teams will be judged by American Gladiators Nitro and Ice.

If you’re interested in assembling your crew of Florida men to compete, check out this page. “The teams with the most Florida manliness have the best chance at getting an invite to the games, so make your submission GOOD!” 

Pete Melfi is the owner of The 904 Now, a media outlet covering St. Johns County.

“We thought, ‘How can we really play on these Florida Man headlines that we hear so much about?’ Someone gave me the idea to make it into an athletic competition,” Melfi told the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s going to be a wild day of mud games and Florida-style obstacle courses. It’s going to really be an opportunity to live that Florida Man life for a day.”

“In 2013, the Florida Man Twitter account was created by magazine editor Freddie Campion and quickly rose to online fame,” according to Netflix. “Each tweet referenced actual news headlines along the lines of “Florida Man Arrested for [insert the most obscure crime you can think of]” — and many posts became viral hits.”