ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� It ain鈥檛 the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as
Organizers of the 鈥淔lorida Man Games鈥� describe the competition as 鈥渢he most insane athletic showdown on Earth.鈥� The games will poke fun at Florida鈥檚 reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles 鈥� or some combination of the four.
Among the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, according to organizers, are the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers; the Category 5 Cash Grab in which participants try to grab as much money in a wind-blowing booth; and the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just a competition; it鈥檚 a one-of-a-kind Floridian spectacle!鈥� organizers said on the games' .
The 鈥淔lorida Man鈥� concept crept into the nation鈥檚 consciousness a decade ago with the @_FloridaMan Twitter account. The account, with the tagline 鈥淩eal-life stories of the world鈥檚 worst superhero,鈥� has been home to headlines such as 鈥淔lorida Man Fire Bombs Garage That Impounded His Car, Hits His Own Vehicle鈥� and 鈥淔lorida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald鈥檚 With Weed.鈥�
General admission tickets to the event are going for $45. Two former stars of the 1990s television show 鈥淎merican Gladiators鈥� have agreed to serve as referees.
A St. Augustine resident is behind the games: Pete Melfi, owner of , a media outlet covering St. Johns County.
鈥淲e thought, 鈥楬ow can we really play on these Florida Man headlines that we hear so much about?鈥� Someone gave me the idea to make it into an athletic competition,鈥� Melfi the Orlando Sentinel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a wild day of mud games and Florida-style obstacle courses. It鈥檚 going to really be an opportunity to live that Florida Man life for a day.鈥�
The Associated Press
