More than 100 young athletes will gather in Geneva, Ohio, this weekend for the Freedom 250 Patriot Games, an athletic competition that President Trump painted as proof of American exceptionalism but which critics compared to the dystopian “Hunger Games” franchise.
The teenage athletes participating in the first-of-its-kind event took exception to the harsher characterization, which was used by Democratic officials’ social media accounts and riddled comment sections.
“It’s a little bit diminishing,” said Max Biondolillo, a 16-year-old competitor from Florida. “I don’t think it should be called ‘The Hunger Games,’ because we’re not hurting each other. It’s just a pure athletic event that tests the best athletes in the country’s skills.”
Teens like Biondolillo aren’t competing for their lives, of course — unlike the books authored by Suzanne Collins and later developed into a film series starring Jennifer Lawrence. Each competitor — one boy and one girl from each U.S. state and territory — will instead vie for a share of a $250,000 scholarship pool.
Just don’t ask the competitors what the competitions look like.
“They told me a singular event and then some sneak peeks,” said Biondolillo.
The sole confirmed event was a 100-meter dash. “I’m not 100% sure what’s going to be happening. I’m definitely training all around, just to prepare,” he said.
The athletic competitions will feature skills from sports like soccer, football and basketball, but will not require full games due to the individualistic nature of the event. There will also be an obstacle course and a “military-inspired boot-camp circuit,” organizers said in emails ahead of the event.
The idea for the Patriot Games came directly from Mr. Trump, who first announced the event in July 2025 before confirming in December that it would be hosted “in the fall.”
“One young man and one young woman from each state and territory. But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports,” Mr. Trump said in a December video describing the Patriot Games. “You’re not going to see that. You’ll see everything but that.”
The president’s brief allusions to the event have focused on the strength of the nation’s youth.
“Healthy, fit, high-achieving athletes are remarkable symbols, which make them not only effective advertising commodities — as we’ve seen on our televisions and social media feeds frequently — but also representatives of American exceptionalism,” said Chris Knoester, a sports sociologist and professor at Ohio State University.
Previous celebrations organized by Mr. Trump — including a military parade for the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday in 2025 and the UFC White House event in June — appeared to foster the same intention.
“I think it is just one more idea he came up with by showing our youth’s strengths,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, head of Georgetown University’s sports management program. “This falls into the idea of strong body, mind and soul. Trump wants to show the world we have really strong youth who are ready to fight for this country.”
But many Freedom 250 officials describe the organization — and its events — as non-partisan. That neutral perspective carried down to the competitors at the UFC White House event and the upcoming Patriot Games.
“We see it as an expression of patriotism for the country,” said Kelley Biondolillo, Max’s mother.
The decision to focus the Patriot Games on young athletes instead of more outspoken professionals or college-aged competitors appeared to be a conscious decision, at least for some of the more cynical-minded analysts.
“Youth might be less inclined to be as wary and critical of people using them for their broader political purposes,” Mr. Knoester said. “When we have politically sponsored events, people who are older tend to have more experience and perhaps become more cynical about those things.”
The Biondolillos didn’t think twice about political angles before Max eagerly applied to compete. When his approval came in — after he submitted a video and an essay about why he should compete — the family was jubilant.
Max Biondolillo felt the anticipation in his stomach.
“I was just so excited,” he said. The family needed to pull over their car to celebrate the moment.
And the political focus of the event has waned since Mr. Trump’s December video message. He hasn’t mentioned the Patriot Games since January, despite hosting an event focused on youth fitness at the White House in the spring.
The UFC White House event and Freedom 250 Grand Prix in the District both have had months of media build-up. The Patriot Games’ venue — Spire Academy, a private school with an emphasis on world-class athletics — was only announced last month.
Analysts like Ms. Delpy Neirotti could only float ideas about why the event would be moved to Ohio, instead of joining similar flagship Freedom 250 events in the nation’s capital.
Why the Patriot Games appeared to lack the same media attention as its corollaries was similarly tough to answer.
“It could be that they thought it was a good idea at the time, then now it’s not at the top of the ladder where [Mr. Trump] wants to be promoting it,” Ms. Delpy Neirotti said. “He may tweet it out during the finals, then he can say, ‘Look, we gave $250,000 in scholarship money to these strong Americans.’”
For ESPN and parent company ABC, the calculus of hosting the event was likely a simple one. Freedom 250 is offering a block of primetime programming that — while it may not draw huge ratings — requires limited production from the broadcasters.
The event is being fully organized and designed by Freedom 250, with multiple reports indicating that at least one consultant from the popular “American Ninja Warrior” show helped design the final obstacle course.
Organizers also confirmed at that time that the events would air live on the ESPN app, but a broadcast presentation wouldn’t arrive on ABC until Aug. 13, two days after the event’s conclusion.
“I think it’s a loss leader,” Ms. Delpy Neirotti said. “They say, ‘Okay, an hour of primetime that we don’t have to produce.”
The athletes — with one chaperone, whose travel expenses are covered — begin arriving at Spire Academy on Friday. The event begins on Sunday with the final eight competitors squaring off in an obstacle course run on Tuesday evening.
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