A new event dubbed Sperm Racing is causing a stir online — and not just for its eyebrow-raising concept. With visuals ripped straight from an adult site and marketing that toes the line between satire and softcore, the event is sparking a mix of curiosity, criticism, and not-so-subtle thirst.
The brainchild of 17-year-old CEO Eric Zhu and a group of crypto-savvy Gen Z entrepreneurs, Sperm Racing launches Friday night at LA Centre Studios. It’s being framed as a fun and disruptive way to spotlight male reproductive health. But let’s be real — from the tone of its promotions to its shirtless poster boys, the event feels like it’s selling more sizzle than science.
🎽 Team Tristan vs. Team Asher
The competition centres on two attractive college athletes: USC’s Tristan Mykel Wilcher and UCLA’s Asher Proeger. Just before the event, each will provide a sperm sample. These will be placed in temperature-controlled chambers and launched onto an 8-inch racetrack modelled on the female reproductive system, with a current to simulate the real deal.
The “race” will take place on a microscopic slide, magnified 40x for a live audience and online viewers. There’s also a wildcard match between influencers Noah Boat and Jimmy Zhang, because of course there is.
A sperm-costumed TikToker — with the actual surname “Gay” — is acting as the event’s spokesperson, promising “epic commentary” and “a battle for whose sperm is the healthiest, the fastest, and the tastiest.” Yes, they went there.
🎰 Big Crypto Energy
Make no mistake — the goal here is monetisation. Organisers have reportedly pulled in over $1 million in investments, including funds from gambling firms. Plans are underway for a crypto-based betting system, and the event is already being hyped in market circles.
It’s the latest in a string of new-age “sports” courting LGBTQ+ attention. Just last year, the Enhanced Games (dubbed the “Steroid Olympics”) tried to rebrand doping as a kind of liberation, using LGBTQ+ language like “coming out” to promote their chemically-enhanced athletes.
🧪 Health Messaging or Hype?
Despite the marketing antics, organisers claim there’s a meaningful mission behind the madness: making conversations about men’s reproductive health more engaging and less taboo.
A spokesperson told The Corsair, Santa Monica College’s student publication, that “the future of men’s reproductive health is dismal.” The sentiment echoes findings from a 2022 Human Reproduction Update study, which found male sperm counts have dropped by more than 50% in the past 50 years. Contributing factors may include rising pollution, unhealthy diets, and sedentary lifestyles.
Still, it’s a stretch to suggest Sperm Racing is a serious answer to a global fertility decline. At best, it’s a conversation starter with an attention-grabbing twist. At worst? A fetishised, fratty spectacle posing as public health advocacy.
