Yes, you read that right: sperm will soon be competing in a world-first speed race in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium, fit with a racetrack, commentary, and betting just like any other live sport.
The idea came from a team of four, Eric Zhu (Thor Ventures, Aviato), Nick Small (the youngest sold-out founder in cryptocurrency), Shane Fan (Waterfall Market), and Garret Niconienko (from the MrBeast team) who raised $1 million to bring their vision to life.
However, they insist it’s far from a joke, as the Sperm Racing manifesto reveals they want to swing the conversation into ‘something much bigger’.
Male fertility is declining ‘quietly’ and ‘steadily’ around the world, they say, ‘and nobody’s really talking about it’. So, to raise awareness of the concerning trend, they’ve conjured up the somewhat wacky idea.
Their noble mission aims to track sperm motility – how fast sperm moves – as how speedy a person’s swimmers are can play a ‘massive factor in fertility’.
They also found it’s trackable and can even improve over time and with training, like running a race or lifting heavy weights.
So, how are they going to track it?
Well, the Sperm Racing team have created a purpose-built and first-ever racetrack for sperm.
There will be two competitors, with two samples on the ‘track’, and just one microscopic finish line to reach.
Unlike the image you probably have of a sperm wiggling in a petri dish, the microscopic racetrack has been carefully designed to mimic reproductive system-chemical signals, fluid dynamics and synchronized starts.
The winner will be the sperm that crosses the line first.
And as for how the expected 5,000 fans in the stands will be able to see, Sperm Racing has thought of that too with high-resolution cameras capturing every microscopic move.
The event will also be live-streamed, with stats, leaderboards, instant replays and play-by-play commentary to boot.
