If you see a celebration you just don’t understand, there’s a good chance it’s from Fortnite, a video game taking the world by storm and seeping into sports in a way we rarely see.
‘Fortnite’ celebrations are sweeping the sports world
It’s a matter of time before you see one on your TV screen.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
A 100-player battle royale game, Fortnite pits dozens of players against each other as they race to find weapons and build structures to protect themselves, kill the opposition, and become the last person standing. What we’re seeing in sports aren’t so much replication of celebratory emotes, but moments that replicate simple actions players do in the game.
The pickaxe celebration ...
The weird thing about Fortnite celebrations is that they just celebrate loving the game. This is an example of the phenomenon. After scoring the player falls to his hands and knees and begins crawling, only to have one teammate stand over him and try to help, while another hacks at him.
It’s a reference to what happens in Fortnite when you’re downed by an enemy. One player is trying to heal him with a bandage, while another is mimicking killing him with a pickaxe. It doesn’t make sense, I know. Why would you try to kill your own teammate? But it shows they love the game, and when it comes to Fortnite celebrations that’s all that matters.
Gathering resources ...
One of the key elements of Fortnite is chopping down trees or gathering bricks with the pickaxe — which is later used to build structures. Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt started a team-wide appreciation of the process against Wolfsburg when they all mimicked the act.
After the game teammate Kai Havertz posted the celebration to Instagram, saying:
“Volkswagen Arena successfully looted.”
He accompanied the picture with a pickaxe emoji.
The inside joke ...
Australian Rugby League player Josh Dugan jumped on the Fortnite craze in the opening week of competition when he scored in his debut for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The oft-injured superstar poked fun at himself for getting hurt a lot by bandaging himself up like he was healing in the game.
The same week the act was also performed by Blake Ferguson of the Sydney Roosters.
Ferguson didn’t have the same injury issues as Dugan, but hey, it’s Fortnite — it doesn’t really matter if it makes sense.
Will Fortnite celebrations come to the USA?
Probably. A stunning number of athletes are playing the game, particularly in the NFL, which showed it has a big following among players when Raiders quarterback Derek Carr began talking about it on Twitter.
It isn’t just in the NFL. Lakers point guard Josh Hart showed off his Fortnite-themed shoes last month and took the internet by storm.
The game is taking over the world, and that includes athletes who are looking to unwind. It’s only a matter of time before you see someone celebrating with Fortnite and hopefully now you won’t be as confused.
