President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 18, 2025 the Patriot Games, a four-day athletic competition for high school students in celebration of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. The games are expected to take place in Washington, D.C., in November of 2026. They will feature one female and one male high school student from each state and territory who will compete in separate divisions.
The Patriot Games have sparked initial controversy. While some see no harm in the event, others are criticizing the Patriot Games for being politically charged or exclusive towards transgender athletes. On social media, the event has been compared to the Suzanne Collins novel, “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian book in which teenage tributes are made to fight to the death in an arena.
Junior Sara Haxhi made this connection when she first heard about the Patriot Games.
Others view this correlation as unrealistic. Social Studies Teacher Laura Rodey recognizes the resemblance between the Patriot Games and “The Hunger Games”, yet she finds the recent comparison amusing due to the deaths involved in “The Hunger Games” series.
Haxhi and Rodey both believe that the games will not attract the same attention as prestigious athletic events like the Olympics.
“I get when people get into the Olympics, where countries are competing against other countries, but I just don’t know that high school athletes are going to become a phenomenon when they’re competing. Also, it’s a lot of pressure to put on a high school student,” Rodey said.
Rodey doubts that the Patriot Games will lead high school athletes to alter their training routines or mindsets in hopes of participating.
“If each state can only pick one male and one female, most students won’t focus on qualifying for it [the Patriot Games] because most students have a very low chance of competing,” Rodey said.
Haxhi remarked that she was not surprised by the announcement of the Patriot Games in comparison to Trump’s other policies and decisions as of 2026.
Haxhi suspects that, despite the similarities to “The Hunger Games”, the main goals of the Patriot Games will be to promote sportsmanship, spirit and a sense of teamwork.
Rodey has a similar view on the purpose of games, which she compared to the military parade held by Trump in the summer of 2025.
“The parade was celebrating soldiers and the history of service in this country and the strength of our military. I feel like this is similar to that, this celebration of what makes America a good place to live and how strong we are,” Rodey said.
