In the United States, 4000 people will attend a giant…sperm race

An unusual competition, seemingly harmless, is set to take place across the Atlantic. On April 25 in Los Angeles, almost 4000 people will attend a sperm race.

The idea came from four young American millionaires: Éric Zhu, Nick Small, Shane Fan, and Garrett Niconienko. The quartet have experience in various sectors, including new technologies, finance, and cryptocurrencies, reports the media outlet Demotivateur. These four science enthusiasts have decided to pit two universities against each other, the University of California (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC), in a competition that is rather "extraordinary". In order for their project to come to fruition, they managed to raise nearly 1.5 million euros in funding.

During this remarkable race, sperms (previously collected from two students) will set off on a microscopic track shaped like a uterus. Named “Sperm racing”, the competition will be captured by high-definition cameras and broadcast live at the Hollywood Palladium, one of the most legendary venues in the City of Angels, with a capacity of over 4,000 people, reports Demotivateur.

What's the goal then?

According to the quartet, it's intended to raise awareness about the decline in male fertility and the demographic drop that the United States could potentially face. “This isn't just a viral idea,” stated Éric Zhu, noting that a millilitre of sperm today comprises 49 million spermatozoa (recorded in 2018), whereas in 1973, there were 101 million.

Troublingly, concerns about male fertility are a central theme in pronatalist movements (sometimes harbouring white supremacist ideas), supported by many far-right figures. Although the young scientists behind the project claim to be outside of this movement, their motivations raise quite a few questions…

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: Demotivateur - Illustration: ©Unsplash)