Unless you were a Fox News devotee you probably didn't know the Patriot Games were even a thing. The competitors ranged in age from 14 to 17, and they did not have to go through qualifying events for the privilege of competing.
A CNN analysis found that a specific demographic of kids got a shot to compete. They were overwhelming White and most attended private Christian schools. One critic referred to the event as a dystopian Hunger Games.
How were the kids judged? They recorded video essays describing why they should be included. Some students were chosen to represent states they didn't live in.
Don't mind me but the process sounds rather inclusive and hardly representative of the whole population.
Especially when competitors were required to answer questions about American patriotism according to Trump's twisted version of it.
When describing the event organizers made it sound like the students were really competing in physical challenges. They tried to make it sound like Olympic performances, but the reality was somewhat different.
Events like Pop-A-Shot basketball (ever been to a state or country fair?), tug of war, and a final course featuring ropes, monkey bars, and climbing a wall. You know, like you sometimes see in malls and gyms.
It was painfully obvious that none of the students were exceptional athletes after watching them compete in the finals doing the 100-yard dash, 55-meter hurdles, and the broad jump. Trump touted it as the American Ninja Warrior course. I'm not kidding.
The two winners, a boy and a girl, received a $125,000 scholarship each to a Trump approved college.
As it Stands, like the other Freedom250 events most Americans ignored the great Patriot Games produced by our first felon and sexual abuser.
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