America’s 250th birthday celebration has been full of unprecedented events. On top of the more traditional festivities, there has been a mixed martial arts fight on the White House lawn, a massive multiweek fair on the National Mall, and there will soon be an IndyCar race through the streets of the nation’s capital.
Along the way, there has been no shortage of debate over how President Trump and his allies have chosen to honor the country’s semiquincentennial.
One of the events that has prompted the strongest reactions is the Patriot Games, a national athletic competition featuring young student athletes from every corner of the country competing for college scholarships.
“In the fall, we will host the first-ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented … athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes — one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” Trump said in a video announcing the Patriot Games in December.
The announcement inspired a wave of jokes about its name, which it shares with the popular 1992 political thriller starring Harrison Ford, and its overall premise — some drew comparisons between the event and the plot of The Hunger Games series.
Supporters of the idea argue that the Patriot Games fit perfectly into Trump’s push to promote physical health among America’s youth, which includes reviving the Presidential Fitness Test.
“It’s just a great opportunity for young people,” actor Dean Cain, a Trump supporter who has promoted the event online, told the New York Post earlier this month. “It encourages patriotism. I think it encourages fitness and competition. Those are all wonderful things.”
The Patriot Games will be held Aug. 9-11. Here’s everything you need to know, including how the athletes will be chosen, what challenges they’ll face and how the champions will be determined.
Who will compete in the Patriot Games?
The field of competitors will be made up of one male and one female student athlete from each of the 50 states, plus athletes from U.S. territories and tribal nations. Only American citizens who currently live in the United States are eligible. Students are also required to be in “good academic standing” to be considered, according to the competition’s online application portal.
Applicants were asked to submit a video introducing themselves, explaining why they want to compete in the Patriot Games and discussing how they would represent their home state if they were selected. A selection committee reviewed each application and chose the participants. The names of those selected have not been made public.
What events will there be?
The exact details haven’t been shared, but organizers say the competition will be designed to “test excellence” in skills from a wide range of sports, including basketball, football, soccer and track. Competitors will be tested on skills from the Presidential Fitness Test and be put through a military-inspired boot camp. On top of pure athleticism, the athletes will also be evaluated on their perseverance, teamwork and problem-solving. The top finishers will move on to a final obstacle course.
“We are focused on [highlighting] well-rounded student athletes. Some of the events will test strength and speed, while others will focus on skill and strategy,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for America250, one of the main groups behind the 250th anniversary celebrations, told the New York Post.
Cain compared the Patriot Games to a kid-friendly version of American Ninja Warrior, a TV competition famous for its demanding obstacle courses and its over-the-top production. The Post reported that the Patriot Games organizers hired a consultant who worked on the American edition of the show to help design the competition’s events.
Where is the competition?
The Patriot Games will be held at SPIRE Academy, a private boarding school in Geneva, Ohio, that describes itself as a “world-class sports academy combining elite sports, rigorous academics, and future-focused training.” The 800-acre campus features indoor and outdoor tracks, full-size soccer and football fields and an Olympic-size aquatics center.
How can I watch the Patriot Games?
All three days of the competition will stream on the ESPN app. A primetime special airing Aug. 13 on ABC will feature highlights from the full event, stories about some of the athletes and the crowning of the winners.
What will the winners get?
The winning male and female athletes will each receive a $125,000 college scholarship.
Why are people comparing this to The Hunger Games?
It all comes down to how the competitors are chosen. In Suzanne Collins’s book series and the blockbuster movies it inspired, each district in the fictional post-apocalyptic nation of Panem must send two children to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which only one survives.
The Patriot Games also feature coed teams of two from throughout the country, but the similarities fall apart from there.
“We’re not going to kill anybody. People are actually asking to be there. We don’t ask for tribute,” Cain told the Post.
The Patriot Games’ format isn’t entirely unique. There are other programs, like the National Civics Bee, that also bring together young people from across the nation.
Will this be a one-time thing?
Organizers haven’t announced any plans to hold the Patriot Games again, but there are some signs they may be considering future editions. The event is officially named the 2026 Patriot Games and Trump has referred to it as the “first-ever” Patriot Games, suggesting organizers may be leaving the door open for another competition.
