“Tag” is a story about five friends who have continued the same game of Tag since childhood. The film, starring Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, John Hamm, Lil Reg Howery, and Jake Johnson, was released in 2018 to decent reviews. However, the true story that the movie is based on is even weirder.
The original game started way back in the early 1980s, when 10 friends got together every morning at 10 for a game of Tag. 10 years later, they decided to continue the game in the month of February every year, signing an official “Tag Participation Agreement”. The agreement contained three main rules:
1. The game is active every February.
2. No “tag-backs” once you’ve been tagged.
3. No lying about whether or not you’re “it”
The group, known as the “Tag Brothers”, consisted of Bill Akers, Patrick Schultheis, Sean Raftis, Mike Konesky, Brian Dennehy, Joe Tombari, Rick Bruya, Joey Caferro, Chris Ammann and Mark Mengert. The game has lasted 44 years, but it wasn’t until 2013 that their story became better known after the Wall Street Journal reported on it, making it national news.
Over the years, the game has become more complex, with more elaborate schemes being put in place to tag each other. One of the most elaborate is when Sean Ammann recruited a friend to help tag Patrick Shulthesis back in 2023.
Patrick, a corporate lawyer, recalls the experience.
“In January, I got an email from a woman who was the general counsel for a corporation headquartered in Los Angeles. They were going to replace their current outside counsel and asked if I would be interested in meeting her.”
“I did my research and learned it was a real company.”
“I flew down there on Valentine’s Day, and I worked in my lawfirm’s LA office before heading off to her office. She gives me a tour of their office, and as I was walking down the hall, a door opened, and Sean Ammann jumped out and tagged me.”
“I was dumbfounded; I hadn’t considered the possibility that this was a setup.”
As of 2026, Mark Mengert remains “it”, having been tagged on February 1st and not tagged anyone since.
You can learn more about the Tag Brothers and their decades-long game of Tag in the video below:
