From the UK’s infamous cheese-rolling spectacle to Wales’ bog snorkelling championships, bizarre competitions are nothing new — but the latest event in Los Angeles may just top the list. Enter: the world’s first live sperm race.
Hosted at Los Angeles Center Studios, after the original venue—the Hollywood Palladium—backed out due to media buzz, the event brought together 400 intrigued spectators. The sperm race, brainchild of 17-year-old entrepreneur Eric Zhu, was more than just a quirky contest; it was a bold attempt to raise awareness about the global male fertility crisis.
The contenders? Two young men, 19-year-old Asher Proeger and 20-year-old Tristan Mykel, who underwent weeks of preparation.
Under the gaze of a lively audience, their samples were displayed using high-powered microscopes, and the competition was broadcast on a giant screen. Ring girls presented the samples before they were placed in a “microfluid device” for the race. Mykel clinched the win after a closely contested three-round showdown, while the loser faced a slimy penalty — a playful yet symbolic finale.
Despite the laughs and eccentric format, the event carried a serious message. Fertility expert Stephanie Sabourin offered advice on maintaining sperm health, highlighting diet, lifestyle, and age as key factors. With average fatherhood age in the U.S. rising from 27.4 in 1972 to 31.5 in 2022, and declining sperm counts making headlines, organizers say it’s time to take male reproductive health seriously.
Sperm Racing, which has already raised over $1.5 million in funding, joins a growing conversation — from AI-powered sperm-injecting robots to tech moguls like Elon Musk weighing in on population decline. As Musk himself put it: “Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming.”
What started as a spectacle may just spark a long-overdue dialogue.
