To the rest of the world, the US can seem like a strange place. There aren’t too many countries that could produce a story like this, and that’s without Florida Man. But it’s happened and it might not be as pointless as you’d think.
The US Space Force – the world’s only independent uniformed outfit of its kind – competed in last year’s Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Bowl and won. Now, ahead of the league’s third annual competition on 16 December 2022 and to defend its title, the US Space Force’s esports team has raised the bar, so to speak, the way only it can — by launching the trophy into space.
Call of Duty League in Spaaaaaaace
From the promotional video, it’s unclear whether this was just a ploy to taunt the opposition or if the trophy has really left the planet. Our initial guess is probably both. According to a Task & Service report, the trophy really is floating through space.
After winning the second annual C.O.D.E. Bowl last year, Space Force hired a private contractor in the United Kingdom to yeet the trophy into space. Surprisingly, it survived the immense pressure and temperature changes and remains intact with the words “Come & get it!” scrawled across the base.
Call of Duty Endowment, founded by Activision in 2009, is a non-profit organization to provide vocational assistance to US and UK veterans. Specifically, the organization works with veterans to find and place them in meaningful jobs after they’ve served.
Dan Goldenberg, Call of Duty Endowment’s executive director, said in a press release, “The event will be incredibly fun to watch, but we never lose sight of our important mission of placing the 61% of veterans who identify as being either unemployed or underemployed into meaningful careers.”