In their purest form, the Patriot Games could have been a unifying force for the country. The premise, as it was described by the White House in December, lends itself to that vision: two high school students from every state, territory and tribal nation competing for a chance to win a share of a $250,000 scholarship prize pool.
But even the innocuous idea of a national Olympics for kids ages 14-17 cannot escape President Donald Trump’s insistence on being the center of attention. The president is scheduled to be in attendance on the final day of events on Aug. 11 in in Geneva, Ohio, and I’m certain he will find a way to make it all about his awesomeness.
The games, which will be featured in an ABC special on Aug. 13, did not bring together the best
student athletes from each state. The students were not selected through any qualifying events – they simply recorded video essays as to why they should be included.
Then there are the events themselves, which are more akin to a school field day than an elite sports tournament. From Aug. 9-11, the students played dodgeball, kickball and tug-of-war and participated in a “military-inspired boot camp circuit.”
And while a Freedom 250 spokesperson told The Washington Post that the organization looked for “America’s next generation of leaders, competitors and champions,” descriptions of the Patriot Games sure make them sound like just another way for the Make America Great Again faction of the Republican Party to celebrate Trump.
What exactly are the 2026 Patriot Games even about?
As much as people have compared the Patriot Games to "The Hunger Games," a franchise of books and movies in which a government has two children from each part of the country fight to the death for their district, I think the comparison is a tad overblown. A national sporting event for teens isn’t a terrible idea and is akin to the sort of thing that happens in state high school athletic associations each year.
No matter what, I hope the athletes enjoy the experience. None of this is the fault of the teens selected to participate in the Patriot Games.
The reality may not rise to the level of dystopia, but there are some troubling factors.
It would be one thing if students in each state went through some sort of trial event that helped select the best of the best. That would ensure a diverse representation of students from different backgrounds. Instead, The Post estimates that nearly 90% of the participants are White.
Many of the athletes attend private Christian schools, per CNN. There is a Texas student representing the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico; there is a California student representing Massachusetts.
Sure, I think handing out MAGA bracelets and making remarks about the president after a winning move, as The Post depicted, is a tad overzealous. But many of the 14- to 17-year-old participants are focused on getting the attention of college recruiters or winning scholarship money to alleviate the burden on their families. They are not at fault for the way the game is set up – that is an issue to take up with the adults in the room.
Trump's Patriot Games only celebrate his version of America
This is just another instance of Trump using the country’s 250th anniversary to celebrate his vision of what the country should be, instead of what the country is.
In the same vein as the UFC fight on the White House lawn and the Great American State Fair extravaganza over Independence Day weekend, the president is obsessed with a corny version of patriotism that is indistinguishable from blind reverence for the country’s leader.
That’s why so many people my age struggle to describe themselves as “patriotic.” And when we only celebrate teenagers and families who are loyal to the president, we willfully ignore the fact that diversity is what truly makes this country great.
The makeup of the games doesn’t seem to be an accident. After all, the academic equivalent of the Patriot Games, the Presidential 1776 Award civics contest held in June, is now embroiled in controversy after one of the competitors said his answers seemed to be scored incorrectly, alleging that this was to boost the (all-White) winners of the competition.
It would be very easy for the Patriot Games to follow this same format, given what we know.
Ultimately, this could have been a unifying force for the country. Instead, it’s just another way for MAGA to inflate Trump’s ego. America 250 could have been momentous; instead, it was just a chain of embarrassments.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Patriot Games could've been amazing. Blame Trump's ego. | Opinion
