The Enhanced Games Wants to Be More Than a Steroid Olympics

On Monday, Roku was revealed as the “North American streaming home” for the Enhanced Games. They will also be available to stream on YouTube and other platforms, Martin said. “We decided not to sell our media rights,” he told FOS. “We wanted the games to be as accessible and easy to watch as can be. No subscription, no geographic restrictions.”

“What was really important to us was to maximize our reach,” he added.

‘There’s a Benefit for Anyone to Live Enhanced’

Enhanced Group, which is backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s investment firm, 1789 Capital, went public through a special purpose acquisition company merger on Friday that valued the business at $1.2 billion. Shares closed at $9.70 that day, up more than 20% from its opening price; as of Monday afternoon, shares were trading at $7.40 apiece.

The company is already planning for next year’s Enhanced Games, but simultaneously is building a consumer-facing business that sells supplements and other performance and longevity products. It will also offer telehealth services.

The idea is not to make everyone “look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime,” Martin said. Instead, the primary focus is boosting recovery and injury prevention.

It’s been a long road to this year’s Enhanced Games. The company first launched in 2023, billing itself as a “direct challenger to the Olympic Games that aims to celebrate the best of humanity and science.”

Not everyone agrees this competition should be billed as a celebration. The World Anti-Doping Agency has condemned the games, calling them “dangerous and irresponsible.” The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has warned that the event “is being done purely for the entertainment and shock value, with no bearing on the long-term health of the athlete.” The International Federation of Sports Medicine has also criticized the Enhanced Games, with president Fabio Pigozzi saying the organization’s “grave concern” is that “young individuals will be exploited in the quest for fame and fortune and the allure of the Enhanced Games.”

In August, Enhanced Games lodged an $800 million antitrust lawsuit against the World Anti-Doping Agency, World Aquatics, and USA Swimming because they told  athletes and other members of their organizations they could not participate. That suit was dismissed in November.

Martin stresses that the Enhanced Games are meant to showcase the heights athletic excellence can reach, that any substances are being taken in a safe and supervised manner, and that the athletes are benefitting from a total prize pool of up to $25 million—which equates to half of the total $50 million budget being used to put this year’s games on.

“If you win gold for team USA at the Olympics, you make $37,500, while the Olympics themselves make billions in sponsorship money and billions in media rights,” Martin told FOS.

Just as important as ensuring the athletes get paid commensurate with what they deserve, however, is showing everyday people can benefit from using FDA-approved performance enhancing drugs under controlled circumstances, according to Martin.

“It’s amazing that we can change 50 athletes’ lives for the first games, but why not extend this to the broader society?” Martin told FOS. “There’s a benefit for anyone to live enhanced.”

The post The Enhanced Games Wants to Be More Than a Steroid Olympics appeared first on Front Office Sports.