'Low-brow. Redneckery:' New York Times Instagram comments blast Florida Man Games, the state

Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read

In February, Floridians from all over the state flocked to St. Augustine to celebrate the first ever “Florida Man Games.”

One of Florida’s most well-known TikTokers was the MC for the event and teams of “Florida men” went head-to-head in competitions like an evading arrest obstacle course, beer belly sumo wrestling and weaponize pool noodle mud duels.

The New York Times posted an article they wrote about the games to their official Instagram account this week and the comments section is full of hate for Florida, the games and the Florida Man meme.

There are also some social media users choosing to redirect the conversation in the comments section, to focus on and criticize the Times’ recent coverage of the tragedies taking place on the Gaza strip.

But the majority of the comments are all about how awful the Sunshine State is.

Here’s what the Florida Man Games are and a roundup of some of the most passionate comments on the New York Times’ Florida Man Games Instagram post.

What are the Florida Man Games?

At the games, teams of Florida men competed in challenges like weaponized pool noodle mud dueling, an evading arrest obstacle course, a category 5 hurricane winds cash grab, beer belly Florida sumo wrestling and much more.

There were also events for attendees to participate in, like a mullet contest and chicken coop bingo,.

Here's a list of the events that the teams of men competed in at the games:

  • Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel – “Test your strength inside the Florida Man Games Colosseum (Massive Above Ground Pool).”

  • Evading Arrest Obstacle Course – “Jump over fences, through backyards, and away from actual police officers to earn your freedom!”

  • Category 5 Cash Grab – “Subject yourself to category 5 winds as you scramble to catch as much real cash as you can.”

  • A Catalytic Converter, 2 Bikes and a Handful of Copper Pipes: Race Against Time – “Compete head to head in a race that lets you live a day in the life of a Florida man headline.”

  • Beer Belly Florida Sumo – “Dive into the beer belly of the beast as you try to blast your opponent out of the ring.

Per Old City PR, here are the top winners of the 2024 Florida Man Games:

  1. Hanky Spanky, St. Johns County - 58 points

  2. Vero Man, Indian River County - 48 points

  3. Ronin Space Cadets, Brevard County - 47 points

  4. Screaming Eagles - 45 points

  5. Storm Surge, Duval County - 43 points

  6. Cooter Commanders, Citrus County - 39 points

  7. Miami Mango Boiz, Dade County- 31 points

  8. Swamp A**, Flagler County - 29 points

  9. Rattlesnakes, Escambia County - 25 points

  10. El Diablo and the Firecrackers, Alachua County - 24 points

  11. Hatchet Pro Wrestling, St. Johns County- 18 points

  12. Red Eyes Gator Hunters, Volusia County - 17 points

What did the New York Times say about the Florida Man Games?

"The events drew hundreds of people to revel in the first-ever Florida Man Games, a self-aware nod to the headlines that have made residents of the state the butt of many jokes," the New York Times' Instagram caption said.

While few commented with hearts and heart eye emojis, most of the comments on the post were pretty negative.

Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4CAOugOvfc/?igsh=OXZva2kzNWhwejJu&img_index=1

Here's what some of the New York Times' followers and commenters had to say about the games:

  • "Not kidding, I knew this post stank of Florida just by the first picture."

  • "Not really something to be proud of … Florida. I hate it here!!!"

  • "Florida is my flyover country."

  • "The only good thing to come from global climate change will be when Florida is finally under water."

  • "Florida: Trashy if you're poor, classy if you're rich."

  • "Low-brow for sure."

  • "They just dialed up their usual airhead redneckery to 11."

  • "Seriously, NYT. Let's not waste time and energy legitimizing this embarrassing state and presenting these crude, poorly educated citizens to the world as somehow charming."

  • "Sad example of Americans."

  • "Just looks like a Trump supporter rally."

  • "I would guess that these contestants don't know the joke."

  • "Is this a disinformation satire account now?"

Is there going to be a Florida Man Games 2025?

Despite some of negative comments seen on the NYT's Instagram post, the event was a major success. While there hasn't been any official announcements for next year, organizers did possibly hint at the event coming back for 2025.

"Florida... WE did that," organizers wrote following the event. "See you again next year!"

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida-hating New York Times social comments trash Florida Man Games