Latest news with #SpermRacing
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The world's first sperm race was…oddly entertaining?
Warning: This article covers a sensitive topic that some may find disturbing. Discretion is advised. The world's first sperm race was held in Los Angeles on Friday night, and it was…interesting. Commercial real estate media outlet Traded reported that the Sperm Racing startup – which was the brainchild of Eric Zhu (Thor Ventures, Aviato), Nick Small (the youngest sold-out founder in cryptocurrency), Shane Fan (Waterfall Market) and Garret Niconieko (Vertical Media, ex-Mr. Beast team) — raised $1 million in their efforts to raise awareness to a relatively taboo topic: the worldwide decline in male fertility. Advertisement 'Male fertility is declining. Like a lot,' the Sperm Racing website's 'manifesto' reads. 'It's happening quietly, steadily and nobody's really talking about it.' 'Sperm racing isn't just a joke,' it continues. 'It's not just some viral idea for the internet to laugh at. It's something much bigger.' Sperm racing? A new sport is coming to Los Angeles Indeed, the actual event can be described as exactly that: something much bigger than expected. The competition itself was in a USC vs. UCLA-style format where four competitors went head-to-head at a movie studio in downtown Los Angeles. It had everything a normal fight-style event entails, including weigh-ins, statistics, pre and post-race interviews, betting opportunities, live commentary and trash talking; in fact, the competitors even sat down for an interview with TMZ to preview the competition. The world's first sperm race was held in Los Angeles on April 25, 2025. (KTLA) Two hosts, internet personality Nina Lee and YouTuber Rhino, took turns egging on the crowd of hundreds, most of whom were USC students and supporters (UCLA appeared heavily outnumbered in the crowd, at least when told to cheer), asking suggestive, relatively profane questions surrounding 'practice techniques' and lifestyle choices. Thousands more people were said to have been watching the event on a livestream. Advertisement The sperm samples were provided beforehand and presented to a 'lab assistant' using a microscope on the stage, and once the samples were under the microscope, the race began. Both competitors stood inside large glass tubes on stage as the sperm navigated the course. The microscopic racecourse, which was designed by Sperm Racing engineers was built to mimic the reproductive system, was projected onto several large screens around the room for optimal viewing by the screaming college students. A rendering of the microscopic sperm racetracks that will be constructed for the world's first sperm races, set to be held in L.A. on April 25. (Courtesy: Sperm Racing) And yes, for those of you wondering, the sperm were clearly visible maneuvering through the circuit. During the races, fans cheered, jeered and laughed, but it was clear by this point that some were enjoying it more than others. Advertisement After the 'preliminary card,' fans were treated to a halftime show from an A-list act: Ty Dolla $ign, whose set, while short, provided a much-needed energy boost. The second 'main card' (which was actually a best-of-three series) was 'won' by USC. The world's first sperm race was held in Los Angeles on April 25, 2025. (KTLA) Overall, the event itself was weirdly fascinating. There were some hiccups – audio issues, lateness from competitors, general dysfunction – but that's to be expected from the inaugural edition of an event organized and attended primarily by college students. And seeing that many young people cheer on four men's sperm was puzzling (and slightly alarming), but if the organizers were looking to raise awareness of male fertility rates, well…they definitely made people aware of something. Advertisement 3 girls under the age of 15 found in stolen car after crash: police Of course, the founders of Sperm Racing are not looking at this as some kind of one-time thing; they are building a 'real league' that will serve as a 'real path to greatness' and are set to host open tryouts. The founders have also invented a 'Sperm Racing Professional Sperm Analysis Kit' that is said to measure sperm concentration and motility and help potential competitors 'train.' The world's first sperm race was held in Los Angeles on April 25, 2025. (KTLA) 'And yes, you'll see your racers live in action,' the Sperm Racing tryout page says. 'When you're ready, you'll be placed onto the 'Sperm Racing Amateur Leaderboards,' where we scout the next generation of professional athletes. One day, racing sperm could be your full-time career.' Advertisement More information on the future Sperm Racing league is said to be coming soon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
News24
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
The fast and the fertile: SA-born student wins world's first sperm-racing competition
Conceived by a group of millionaire teenagers, the world's first sperm race – yes, really – was held at a Hollywood movie and TV studio, and livestreamed to home viewers. Sperm from two Los Angeles-based university students, Tristan Milker (20) from Cape Town and Asher Proeger (19), went head-to-head in a microscopic, 20-cm-long racetrack designed to mimic the uterus. The race – or rather, an animated version of it – was shown on big screens at the $1,5-million (R27m) event, attended by about 400 people, and livestreamed for home viewers last month. Eric Zhu (17), Nick Small (16) and influencer Shane Fan (22) are the co-founders of the Sperm Racing initiative. 'It's about making male fertility something people actually want to talk about, track and improve. We're taking a topic no one wants to touch and making it interesting, measurable and weirdly changing this paradigm,' they said on their website. While some research suggests male fertility has declined in the past four decades due to environmental and health factors, the speed or motility of sperm has no effect on male fertility – it's the sperm count that matters. This decline has been blamed on factors including obesity, sedentary lifestyles, smoking and exposure to certain chemicals and pesticides. Once Tristan and Asher's sperm were collected, the sperm cells were isolated and only the spermatozoa was collected for the race. A mild electrical current encouraged the racing sperm to stay on track, as sperm naturally swims upstream. Tristan won two out of the three two-minute races, and took home $10 000 (R180 000). Some controversy followed the race, with reports Eric had admitted the winner was known in advance because the races were recorded an hour earlier, and the footage was edited to make things 'more interesting'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BeastChild (@bstchld) 'I'm so proud,' the arts, technology and business student from University of Southern California said. 'I came to win.' Eric is adamant that his event 'isn't just a joke. It's not just some viral idea for the internet to laugh at. It's something much bigger. Male fertility is declining, like, a lot', he said. 'It's happening quietly, steadily and nobody's really talking about it.' A few days after the race, Eric posted on Instagram that he'd 'raised a new round' of funding – though he didn't share details, only that a new event would be announced soon. He has, however, expressed hopes that sperm racing might someday be an Olympic event.
Metro
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
World's first 'sperm race' in sticky situation after 'faking live event'
It's the one thing everyone on planet Earth's done once and only once: win a sperm race. So when two students set out to repeat the achievement in a 'live' race last week, it turned out to be a blockbuster event, attracting huge numbers of spectators and cash bets of up to thousands of dollars each. But doubts have since been cast as to whether the contest was all it was made out to be. The contest, held at the Los Angeles Center Studios on Friday, was billed as a dash between two sperm along a 'microscopic racetrack' ending at a finish line. But a renowned fertility doctor has since said that videos purporting to show this 'sperm racing' could not be footage of real human swimmers. 'I look at sperm all day under the microscope and these are not human sperm,' said Dr Steven Palter, medical director of Gold Coast IVF in New York. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'This is CGI, this is computer-generated,' he added, citing differences in the proportions, their swimming technique, and the fact they moved determinedly in one direction. He showed real footage of sperm in his lab in which very different-looking cells wiggled about in seemingly random directions. 'What's the real story guys, why are you doing this, why are you putting out fake videos?', Dr Palter asked. Dr Palter has said that the organisers could have tracked the speed of real sperm and used CGI to transpose it onto a 'racetrack'. A video journalist who attended the event for The Free Press has said he was told as much by PR representatives from organisers Sperm Racing. A document sent to Austyn Jeffs reportedly stated: 'For added entertainment value, the live positions of the sperm are mapped onto a dynamic 3D model of the track, creating an engaging visual experience.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However questions have been raised as to whether the 'live positions' were indeed used, given sperm tend to dart around randomly, or rather simply their speed. Dr Palter compared it to having blindfolded men trying to run on a track, followed by a group of professional athletes racing along another track basing their movement on the speed of the blindfolded men. 'I would have no problem if they had just said this is an interpretation,' he told The Free Press. 'But in reality, watching real sperm would be kind of boring. But they are encouraging people to bet on it.' Mr Jeffs also reported seeing prerecorded clips of the race being uploadedinto the 'live' video stream backstage, labelled with the name of the winner of each round. He said he confronted 17-year-old Sperm Racing co-founder Eric Zhu, and that Mr Zhu responded: 'So basically, what happens is you have to collect [sperm] samples before. . . so they actually did this an hour before.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Mr Zhu insisted the sperm had still run a real race, even if it took place earlier in private. He told The Free Press the sperm's movement is indeed traced and rendered 'in real time', so what the spectators saw was a real race. Posting on X after the event, the founders said: 'Live clip comparisons between 3D and raw footage, along with an in-depth bio doc, will be published this weekend to show results and verifications of the races.' Doubt has also been cast as to whether the race can indeed be called a 'world-first'. More Trending A BBC Two programme, Lab Rats, hosted a similar contest in a pub in 2004 – showing real zoomed-in microscoping footage in which sperm cells darted around erratically. Another was produced as part of the BBC's The Truth About Food in 2007. Mr Zhu reportedly acknowledged hearing about them days before the event but did not change his marketing. He has been approached for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Lottery winner arrested the day after claiming $167,000,000 jackpot MORE: Lorry spills 8,000,000 coins onto highway causing painstaking 14-hour pickup MORE: Kangaroo called Sheila escapes owner and causes absolute chaos
IOL News
30-04-2025
- Science
- IOL News
US students 'race' sperm in reproductive health stunt
Asher Proeger of UCLA is covered in a slime tube after losing to Tristan Mykel of USC in the Sperm Racing competition championship in Los Angeles last weekend. Image: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP A commentator yells excitedly as hundreds of spectators stand glued to a video of a racecourse -- but the athletes they are rooting for are actually tiny sperm cells. The unusual sport was invented by 17-year-old high schooler Eric Zhu, who raised over a million dollars to organize the event to call attention to male infertility. Zhu said he was inspired by social media posts that claim average sperm counts had halved over the past 50 years. Fearing that "there could be this dystopian future where no one will be able to make babies," Zhu said he wanted to use the competition to highlight the importance of reproductive health. Tristan Mykel of USC holds a golden sperm trophy after winning the Sperm Racing competition championship in Los Angeles. A man in a lab coat used pipettes to place samples of semen - collected from contestants ahead of time - onto tiny two-millimeter-long "tracks." The race track is magnified 100 times by a microscope, then filmed by a camera. Image: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP Scientists have not reached a consensus on whether humanity has experienced a dramatic drop in sperm count, with studies showing conflicting results. At the Los Angeles event on Friday night, a man in a lab coat used pipettes to place samples of semen - collected from contestants ahead of time - onto tiny two-millimeter-long "tracks." The race track was magnified 100 times by a microscope, then filmed by a camera that transferred the image to a 3D animation software before the final video was broadcast to the audience. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "There's no way to really tell if this is real, but I want to believe it is," Felix Escobar, a 20-year-old spectator, said. At the end of the brief race, the loser, 19-year-old University of California student Asher Proeger, was sprayed with a liquid resembling semen. Zhu's fears about fertility echo the talking points of many in the burgeoning pro-natalist movement, which include conservative and far-right political figures. But Zhu distanced himself from the movement. "I have nothing to do with this, I'm not like an Elon Musk, who wants to repopulate the Earth," the young entrepreneur said. Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has been vocal about his belief that population decline threatens the West and has fathered over a dozen children with multiple women. Zhu insisted he simply wanted to raise awareness of how sperm quality goes hand in hand with overall health. "It's your choice to sleep earlier. It's your choice to stop doing drugs. It's your choice to eat healthier, and all these different things have a significant kind of impact on your motility," Zhu said. Shanna Swan, a reproductive epidemiologist at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine, co-authored a study that found the sperm count decline cited by Zhu. She said the proliferation of "hormonally active chemicals" in recent years has had a negative impact on human fertility. But beneath the scientific veneer, the sperm race may seem more like an opportunity for college students to display their adolescent humor and participate in a viral stunt. Some attendees dressed in costumes, including one resembling male genitals, while the hosts made lewd jokes and roasted the competitors. A YouTube livestream of the event attracted over 100 000 views. "I can't say I learned stuff I didn't know before," 22-year-old student and audience member Alberto Avila-Baca said. | AFP
Economic Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
'Dystopian future with no babies: World's first sperm race winner gets $10,000 cash prize
Here are key things you need to know about world's first sperm race in LA: Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Two college students in America battled it out to the finish line in a ' sperm race ' on Friday, dubbed the 'world's first-ever reproductive health competition'. The unusual sport was invented by 17-year-old high schooler Eric Zhu, who raised over a million dollars to organise the event to call attention to male Zhu's concerns about fertility align with the views of the growing pro-natalist movement, which includes figures from conservative and far-right politics. But Zhu distanced himself from the movement.'I have nothing to do with this, I'm not like an Elon Musk, who wants to repopulate the Earth," the young entrepreneur told AFP.-A pair of American students have held the 'world's first" sperm race in a new competition at one of Los Angeles ' most well-known arenas. The live contest was the brainchild of a group of tech-savvy teens.-The combatants, University of Southern California student Tristan Milker, 20, and Asher Proeger, 19, were described as 'two legends' on the official Sperm Racing website.-Eric Zhu said he was inspired by social media posts that claim average sperm counts had halved over the past 50 years. Fearing that "there could be this dystopian future where no one will be able to make babies," Zhu said he wanted to use the competition to highlight the importance of reproductive health.-The event featured samples from two healthy young university students competing on an 8-inch (20 cm) racetrack designed to mimic the female reproductive system. Milker was declared the winner after a best of three races and took home a $10,000 cash prize.-The $1.4 million spectacle took place at the LA Center Studios, which normally hosts Hollywood productions such as Dune, Top Gun: Maverick, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Mad Men, according to Daily Mail. Tickets for the event were listed as $20 for students, $40 for general admission with VIP tickets priced at $999.9-The three young co-founders of the start-up are Eric Zhu, 17, Nick Small, 16 and popular influencer Shane Fan, 22. Their goal, they claim, is to raise awareness of male infertility.-At the event, a man in a lab coat used pipettes to place semen samples — collected from the contestants beforehand — onto miniature tracks just two millimetres long.-The tracks were magnified 100 times under a microscope and filmed with a camera, which then relayed the footage to 3D animation software before the final video was broadcast to the audience.-The semen samples were freshly collected shortly before the race began to maintain their viability. Initially kept in incubation chambers at body temperature, the samples were then centrifuged to concentrate the sperm cells at the bottom.-From there, they were loaded onto a two-lane track within a microfluidic channel. A mild electric current was applied along the racetrack to guide the sperm, leveraging their natural tendency to swim upstream.-The racetrack, measuring 8 inches in length, was designed to mimic the structure of the female reproductive system. The event featured giant screens, weigh-ins, stats, leaderboards, play-by-play commentary, a half-time show as well as influencers and YouTubers in the 500-strong crowd interviewing each other.
