ESPN reveals Patriot Games schedule with dodgeball, kickball

Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORKThu, August 6, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC

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The streaming partner of the 2026 Patriot Games announced Aug. 6 the competition schedule for the upcoming events.

The Patriot Games, organized by Freedom 250, will bring together teens from around the country representing states and territories in a days-long competition. It is part of President Donald Trump's vision for America's 250th Anniversary. Details about what competitions the kids will face have been sparse, even to the families traveling to Ohio for the games, multiple contestants told USA TODAY in interviews.

The games will be streaming live on the ESPN App from Aug. 9-11, with an additional, post-event special about the games airing on ABC Aug. 13. ESPN's newly announced lineup shows the high schoolers will be participating in dodgeball, kickball, tug-of-war and more. ESPN also announced its coverage would be anchored by Laura Rutledge, Matt Barrie, Beth Mowins and Tom Hart.

Here is the schedule of events, per ESPN:

More: Trump's Freedom 250 asks for another $10M in taxpayer funds

See the Patriot Games 2026 schedule

Here is the lineup for competitions being streamed on the ESPN App, according to the outlet. All times are in ET and the schedule is subject to change:

Sunday, Aug. 9:

10 a.m. - Boys Presidential Qualifier

1 p.m. - Girls Presidential Qualifier

3 p.m. - Boys Dodgeball

4 p.m. - Boys Kickball

6 p.m. - Girls Dodgeball

7 p.m. - Girls Kickball

Monday, Aug. 10:

11 a.m. - Boys Varsity Circuit

11 a.m. - Boys Operation Endurance

2 p.m. - Girls Varsity Circuit

2 p.m. - Girls Operation Endurance

Tuesday, Aug. 11:

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9 a.m. - Tug of War (Boys & Girls)

10 a.m. - Pop A Shot (Boys & Girls)

5 p.m. - Semifinal, Final & Closing

Details about events that make up Varsity Circuit and Operation Endurance were not provided. The one-hour ESPN special on ABC showing highlights of the competitions, features of the athletes and the moment the winners accept their awards, is scheduled to air Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

What are the Patriot Games by Trump?

The Patriot Games will be "a national athletic competition celebrating the character, determination, and excellence that define the American spirit," according to Freedom 250. The winners will share a $250,000 scholarship prize pool.

Trump announced the games in a video in December, calling it an "unprecendented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory."

He also added there would be no men playing in women's sports, a tagline of his campaign promise to restrict transgender people from playing sports.

Who is putting on the Patriot Games?

The games are organized by Freedom 250, which was also behind the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall, the “National Prayer Event” and the UFC fight at the White House.

The Freedom 250 events are separate from those being hosted by America 250, the bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 to lead planning of the country’s milestone birthday.

Trump launched Freedom 250 in December as a subsidiary of the National Park Foundation to fund his vision for the country’s milestone birthday, outside of efforts being planned by America 250. The organization describes itself as nonpartisan. Congressional Democrats and watchdog groups have raised concerns that the group lacks transparency, skirts federal rules and allows companies and wealthy individuals to buy access to the president’s office.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick, Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ESPN reveals Patriot Games schedule with dodgeball, kickball

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