Calling all drill seekers!
The Patriot Games — President Trump’s televised teen athletic competition next month in Ohio — will feature a “military-inspired boot camp circuit,” according to nationwide recruitment emails reviewed by The Post.
The games will also feature aspects of classic American sports — football, basketball, soccer and track — with made-for-TV twists, and $250,000 in college scholarship money on the line during the Aug. 9 -11 spectacle to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The next sports spectacular on President Trump’s list are the Patriot Games, which will put student athletes in competition. The televised event will draw from “American Gladiators” and “American Ninja Warrior.” A consultant for that TV show is working on the event. Courtesy of Prime
“The competition will include rounds that test excellence in skillsets of beloved American sports,” one of the emails reads.
High school students ages 14-17 from around the country will be selected to compete in individual and team challenges testing strength, endurance, agility and strategy, according to the emails.
“It’s kind of like the ‘Ninja Warrior’ games,” said actor Dean Cain, who played Superman in the 1990s TV series “Lois & Clark” and once competed on “American Gladiators.”
President Trump personally came up with the idea, according to a Freedom250 spokeswoman. Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI/Shutterstock
“It’s just a great opportunity for young people,” said Cain, who has been promoting the event online.
“It encourages patriotism. I think encourages fitness and competition. Those are all wonderful things,” he told The Post.
The culmination of the competition will reflect the influence of both those TV competition shows. Finalists will compete in an obstacle course designed to test strategy and skill.
Large padded weapons are not expected — but an obstacle course is in the offing, according to information from recruitment emails reviewed by The Post. Stephanie Branchu
President Trump announced the games in 2025, long before he hosted a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House. The sports fan-in-chief — who visited the Super Bowl and the NBA finals during his current term — is set to be there.
“It was really the president’s idea,” said America250 spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez. “He wanted to highlight what does the next generation bring to the table.”
High school students are being invited to apply and submit video statements, and the administration will select the winners — drawing some needling online from critics who compare the event to “The Hunger Games” movies.
The Patriot Games follow a massive July 4th fireworks display in DC that was interrupted by a Thunderstorm. America250
But Cain, a former safety for the Princeton Tigers football team, smacked down such criticisms.
“Oh gosh! Well let me see. We’re not going to kill anybody. People are actually asking to be there. We don’t ask for tribute,” he quipped. “We’re encouraging people to be healthy, to be fit, to compete, and to represent your state and your country well.”
The two male and female champs will split $250,000 in scholarship funds.
But don’t expect tennis ball-shooting guns and giant foam props that contestants used to battle each other on “American Gladiator.” Organizers say there are no plans to use them.
Planners hired a consultant who works on the “American Ninja Warrior” show, said Cain. The event will be held at the Spire Academy, a boarding school in Geneva, Ohio — a battleground state that Trump carried.
The event is set to be broadcast on ESPN, and features events drawn from track and football. Winning students split $250,000 in scholarship money. Stephanie Branchu
It won’t feature full football games, but instead shorter bursts of competition testing meant to winnow those who can compete strategically, according to the emails.
“We are focused on highlighted well-rounded student athletes. Some of the events will test strength and speed, while others will focus on skill and strategy,” said Alvarez.
Because the students are applying online and submitting video statements about themselves, it is expected that ESPN will use the material to build reality show-style profiles of the competitors.
“You want to see character. You want to see commitment, strategy. You want to see and really hear an original and compelling story,” said Alvarez.
