Last July, President Donald Trump announced plans for a teen athletic tournament called the Patriot Games, but little has been said about it since, raising questions about whether the event is still happening. The Patriot Games — not to be confused with the Tom Clancy novel of the same name — have not been called off, so it seems the event is still meant to take place at some point. On Tuesday, Trump held an event at the White House restoring the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, which was phased out along with the Presidential Fitness Test during the Obama administration. Despite the day's focus on student athletics, there was no mention of the games.
Latest Updates on the Patriot Games
The last time the Patriot Games were mentioned was during an event in January when Trump discussed the Great American State Fair and a planned UFC fight at the White House on the president's birthday, according to Delaware Online. Other than a broad description of the games being a tournament, scant details have been offered about what the event might look like. No sports or athletic disciplines have been confirmed, and no venue or time frame has been provided.
Potential Sports and Qualifying Process
It seems likely that any athletic tournament featuring youth athletes would include sports typically played in schools. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the top-ranked sports for boys include football, track and field, basketball, baseball, and soccer. For girls, the list includes track and field, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and fast-pitch softball. Due to the sheer number of student athletes in the country — more than seven million, according to the NFSHSA — there would need to be some kind of qualifying process for participation, though it is unclear what form that might take. Trump made clear participation would be limited when he discussed the Patriot Games in December, noting that they would feature "one young man and one young woman from each state and territory."
Transgender Athletes Banned
What is certain is that Trump will not allow transgender athletes to compete. On Tuesday, while surrounded by children in the Oval Office, Trump once again railed against trans athletes participating in sports that match the gender with which they identify. During his address about the games in December, Trump said he would not allow trans athletes to compete. "But I promise there will be no men playing in women's sports. You're not going to see that," Trump added. "You'll see everything but that."
Social Media Comparisons to Hunger Games
Unfortunately for Trump, his planned tournament was immediately compared to the Hunger Games novels by social media users. "I'm sorry but is he announcing the Hunger Games?" one X user wrote. The Democrats X account quoted the iconic book directly, posting: "And so it was decreed that, each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up, in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice." (The Hunger Games, 2012)
