Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein, ESPNIn December of last year, United States President Donald Trump announced the first-ever “Patriot Games” as another arm in the year-long celebration of America’s 250th birthday. “In the fall, we will host the first-ever ‘Patriot Games,’ an unprecedented 4-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” Trump announced in an address from the Oval Office. After the announcement, the Patriot Games, which will feature high school students ages 14 to 17 competing in military-inspired challenges similar to boot camp circuits and other tests of strength and agility, faced heavy criticism for being a “real-life Hunger Games.” The 2026 Patriot Games, for which Freedom 250 is the organizer, will stream on the ESPN app for three days beginning Sunday, August 9, before wrapping up with an hour-long ESPN on ABC primetime special on Thursday, August 13, at 9 p.m. Winners will compete for a share of the $250,000 prize pool, providing transformative educational opportunities and helping them pursue their future goals.”