The Independence Day festivities may be over, but the 250th anniversary celebrations continue. Next up was the high school sports tournament.
The Patriot Games concept has drawn comparisons from critics to The Hunger Games. Boys and girls representing their state or territory take part in the multi-day event for a chance to win scholarships.
The game will be hosted by Freedom 250, an organization launched by President Donald Trump to make his National Day vision a reality. The Freedom 250 was also behind the scenes at the Great American State Fair, a UFC match at the White House, and the upcoming IndyCar Grand Prix on the streets of Washington, DC.
Watch Patriot Games on ESPN+
There are two weeks until the game, but here’s what we know about the game so far.
What is President Trump’s Patriot Games?
According to Freedom 250, the Patriot Games will be “a national sporting event that celebrates the character, determination and excellence that define the American spirit.”
President Trump announced the competition in a video in December, calling it an “unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the best high school athletes, one young man and one young woman, from every state and territory.”
He added that there would be no participation of men in women’s sports, a catchphrase of his campaign promise to restrict transgender participation in sports.
The Freedom 250, announced on July 10, features individual and team competitions that test skill in American sports such as football, basketball, soccer and track and field. Athletes also go through a presidential fitness test, a military-style boot camp circuit, and an obstacle course. The winner will receive a $250,000 scholarship.
“The event will feature a series of athletic challenges designed to test strength, endurance, agility, teamwork and perseverance, while highlighting the values that have helped shape generations of Americans,” the Freedom 250 website states.
Freedom 250 representatives declined to provide further details about the contest.
When is the Patriot Games held?
The tournament will be held from August 9th to 11th and will be streamed live on the ESPN app. Additionally, a one-hour ESPN special will air on ABC on Thursday, Aug. 13, featuring competition highlights, athlete characteristics and the moment the winners receive their awards. It is scheduled to air at 9pm ET.
Where will the competition be held?
The competition will be held at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
Who hosts the Patriot Games?
This match will be hosted by Freedom 250. Freedom 250 also hosted the “Great American State Fair,” which featured the “All-American Prayer Event” on the National Mall and a UFC fight at the White House.
The Freedom 250 event is separate from those sponsored by America 250, a bipartisan organization created by Congress in 2016 to lead planning for the nation’s milestone birthday.
Separate from America 250’s planned efforts, President Trump launched Freedom 250 in December as a subsidiary of the National Park Foundation to fund his vision for the nation’s milestone birthday. The organization claims to be nonpartisan. Congressional Democrats and watchdog groups have expressed concerns that the group lacks transparency, circumvents federal rules and allows corporations and wealthy individuals to buy access to the Oval Office.
Patriot Games is criticized for being similar to ‘The Hunger Games’
After President Trump announced the Olympics in December, Democrats mocked him on social media, likening the event to “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian book and film series in which two children from each district must fight to the death in government-sponsored competitions.
Some on social media defended the event, claiming it promotes youth athletics and likening it to the Olympics.
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
