The controversial Enhanced Games was founded by Aron D’Souza. (Credit: Enhanced Games) The Enhanced Games is the controversial multi-sport competition founded by Aron D’Souza, which permits athletes to compete freely whilst using performance-enhancing substances. Unlike at other major professional events, competing athletes are not subject to drug tests, with its creation born on the idea […]
The controversial Enhanced Games was founded by Aron D’Souza. (Credit: Enhanced Games)
The Enhanced Games is the controversial multi-sport competition founded by Aron D’Souza, which permits athletes to compete freely whilst using performance-enhancing substances.
Unlike at other major professional events, competing athletes are not subject to drug tests, with its creation born on the idea of pushing human capabilities and embracing scientific advancements. Caveats to the enhancements mean athletes can still only take medically prescribable and legally approved substances under clinical supervision.
The 2026 Enhanced Games program is set to feature athletics (100m sprint and 100/100m hurdles), swimming (50m and 100m freestyle and 50m and 100m butterfly), and weightlifting (snatch and clean & jerk).
World Aquatics has come out in support of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in condemning the Enhanced Games, citing it as dangerous and irresponsible. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has also made his position clear, previously claiming that Enhanced Games participants would face lengthy bans.
Facing bans in the traditional sports calendar is likely to be a huge deterrent for many leading athletes with an ambition to compete for further world and Olympic titles.
To date, the Enhanced Games has confirmed the participation of four athletes, all involved in swimming – Josif Miladinov, Kristian Gkolomeev, Andrii Govorov, and James Magnussen – three of which are over the age of 31.
On the same day that the Enhanced Games was announced, Greek swimmer, Gkolomeev, broke the 50m freestyle world record by 0.02 seconds on a performance-enhancing program, immediately showcasing the reality of the results expected from the Enhanced Games.
For most athletes getting involved in the event, it is about the financial reward, with financial gains largely limited for most athletes in these sports beyond the biggest stars. These limited opportunities are highlighted by the claim that 59% of US Olympians make less than $25,000 in an Olympic year.
The Enhanced Games offers lucrative money, with athletes set to receive an appearance fee and rank-based prize money. Athletes who break official world records are also in line to claim $250,000, a figure extended to $1 million for records in the 50m freestyle (swimming) and 100m sprint (athletics) events.
Performance enhancement use in sport is nothing new, athletes in every sport around the world are found guilty of the offence every year. Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, almost 50 cases of doping were found, with five positive tests also returned during the games.
This desire to win at all costs is fueled by a desperation to succeed and the pursuit of glory. Such a narrow focus channels this ambition above all else, not least the potential health ramifications. The Enhanced Games has been largely criticized by the world of sport and medicine for promoting and rewarding ‘cheats’.
But for athletes susceptible to using performance enhancements anyway, it offers them a chance to compete in an open forum. They do not have to fear getting caught or losing prize money. Affiliated athletes are more than likely to lose any held personal sponsorship deals, with most brands opposed to the negative connotations of drug use.
In appealing to athletes outside of the elite/champion level, held personal sponsorship deals are limited. Losing this type of revenue does not outweigh the potential fortunes on offer at the Enhanced Games.
The Enhanced Games can be seen as not only promoting but rewarding drug use, something traditional sport fights hard against. It goes against the ethical values bestowed at events such as the Olympics, offering a platform for fair and honest competition.
Athlete involvement invalidates the belief among audiences that perseverance and personal sacrifice pays off. The biggest danger of the Enhanced Games is its glorification of drugs, particularly among younger and more impressionable audiences. Associated athletes of the games are championing this, which is something that needs to be considered before signing up.
The Enhanced Games currently has no official sponsors. Brands want to get involved in sponsorship for fan access and to piggyback on the positive connections of a sports property. Although global curiosity in the Enhanced Games is expected, the size and demographics of its fans are unknown.
Official broadcasters of the event around the world are also unknown, and most likely will not be covered by mainstream networks, which further limits its audience reach. Furthermore, the event does not champion positive associations that brands want to attach themselves to.
Sponsorship at events such as the Olympics commands a high price tag because of its global reach and positive connections to elite, popular performance. The prospective sponsorship market for the Enhanced Games is niche and much smaller. With a smaller pool of prospective brands to target, sponsorship opportunities for the Enhanced Games are extremely limited and far from a certainty.
Without large sponsorship and media revenue being generated or taxpayer funding (as many sports events receive), the Enhanced Games will rely on its private funding to become a success, unable to rely on taxpayer revenue that so many other sporting events receive.
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‘This is never what college sports were meant to be’
However, while McCoy and her team are not responsible for how WSU got into this situation, they are accountable for how WSU responds to it. That is to say that the optics of a 10-minute Zoom meeting, in which 18-24-year-olds learn that their or their teammates’ athletic pursuits will no longer be supported by WSU, […]
However, while McCoy and her team are not responsible for how WSU got into this situation, they are accountable for how WSU responds to it.
That is to say that the optics of a 10-minute Zoom meeting, in which 18-24-year-olds learn that their or their teammates’ athletic pursuits will no longer be supported by WSU, followed by little communication or dialogue, are not great and could have been easily avoided.
Would a question-and-answer period during the Zoom meeting have changed the outcome of numerous current athletes and alumni scorning the university? No, probably not.
However, student-athletes, many of whom have moved across the country or the world to entrust their athletic and academic careers to an institution, deserve a little more grace than that.
“We were upset because they said they had known for weeks but didn’t tell us because a few of us had made it to Nationals and were still competing,” WSU sprinter Ashley Hollenbeck-Willems said.
The WSU track and field program has consistently produced national champions. While some of the program’s most decorated athletes were distance runners, four out of the five athletes to represent WSU at Nationals this past year were sprinters, comprising a 400-meter relay team.
One of those relay team members, Mason Lawyer, set the WSU record in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter dash this year and competed in the 100 and 200 at Nationals.
Days following WSU “limiting” his events and not renewing his coach’s contract, Lawyer is in the transfer portal.
He joins a slew of WSU athletes in the portal, including Hollenbeck-Willems and Lyons, who must cancel leases and figure out their next steps without the assistance of significant name, image and likeness deals or, for many track athletes, the benefit of full scholarships.
It also leaves three coaches and their families in a similar state of transition.
Coaches and pundits alike warned that Olympic sports could suffer drastically as schools attempt to reorder their budgets to prioritize revenue sharing.
Track and field was the first WSU sport affected. It almost certainly won’t be the last.
WSU, along with the rest of college athletics, is in uncharted waters.
Before any more programs drown at sea, the powers that be — college presidents and athletic directors, conference commissioners and TV executives — should come to terms with the weight of their actions and do everything they can to reverse course.
That won’t happen because TV executives are getting everything they want and everyone else is just trying to survive.
College sports may never be the same again and no one should be spinning it into a positive or spending any energy not attempting to fix what is clearly broken.
“This is never what college sports were meant to be,” Brooke Lyons said. “College sports are meant to build a spirit and community within the universities. Obviously, now we’re seeing it’s just kind of tearing them apart, and it’s lost its purpose. And I think people need to realize that quick, or else there’s going to be a lot more issues like this.”
Perhaps the powers that be in college athletics should start listening to the college athletes themselves.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Solanco freshman earns silver medal at New Balance Outdoor Track & Field Nationals | Local Sports
Lauren Eshleman is among the best in the nation. The Solanco jumper earned a silver medal in the girls freshman triple jump on Saturday’s third day of the New Balance Nationals Outdoors at Penn’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia, recording a mark of 11.37 meters on her second jump. Eshleman placed 13th overall and first among […]
The Solanco jumper earned a silver medal in the girls freshman triple jump on Saturday’s third day of the New Balance Nationals Outdoors at Penn’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia, recording a mark of 11.37 meters on her second jump.
Eshleman placed 13th overall and first among freshmen in Class 3A at the District Three meet last month. Elizabethtown’s Grace Mortha also participated in the event Saturday, placing 24th with a mark of 10.52 on her first try.
Manheim Township’s Cole Stevens finished eighth in the boys steeplechase in 6:01.99.
A pair of Hempfield throwers placed in the middle school girls shot put, with Evelyn Gates claiming 17th (10.49 meters) and Naomi Gates taking 23rd (9.93). Northern Lebanon’s Emily Weimer also finished 35th (8.98).
Conestoga Valley’s Brusvazion Baisch took 17th place in the freshman boys javelin, recording a mark of 41.96.
E-town’s Kate Ferris led a slew of locals in the middle school girls 800-meter run, placing 25th in 2:18.98. Teammate Sophia Short was close behind at 2:23.85, placing 58th. A pair of Hempfield runners, Giuliana Houseman (2:34.00, 124th) and Sienna Houseman (2:40.06, 131st), also ran in the event.
Cedar Crest’s Mikayla Fripps placed 34th in the freshman girls shot put with a mark of 9.41 on her third and final throw.
Penn Manor’s Ethan Kloppmann earned a tie for 37th place in the high school boys high jump, earning a mark of 1.97 meters.
Ethan Kloppmann’s first attempt at the high jump was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It…
Nick Keller of Ephrata took 43rd in the high school boys 400, finishing in 48.08 seconds. Keller placed fourth at the PIAA Class 3A meet last month in the event. Warwick’s Cooper Hollinger also placed in a high school track event, taking 53rd in the mile (4:16.16).
SHIPPENSBURG — Adam Kingston just wanted to be there for the kick.
McCaskey’s Alondra Grover placed 50th in the freshman girls 200 (25.80) while Cocalico’s Lia Augustine was less than a second behind at 26.34, taking 80th.
Two local squads competed in the 400 relay: McCaskey’s team of Davionne Stennett, Emery Plaza, Edwin Santana and Haneef Porter placed 54th on the boys side with a time of 42.71, while Annville-Cleona’s Miracle Hershey, Jada Morales, Sophia Caporaletti and Kendall Cooper took 60th on the girls side with a mark of 49.68.
Manheim Township’s Cole Stevens, and many of his fellow competitors, placed their hands on t…
Also, Manheim Central’s Kylie Mattice placed 91st in the girls 100 hurdles (15.29) and Lancaster Catholic’s Andrew Moore took 102nd in the freshman boys’ 400 (53.51).
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Chase Burns to make MLB debut for Cincinnati Reds Tuesday
Jun 22, 2025, 01:32 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB draft who has excelled at three levels of the minor leagues this season, will be promoted next week so that he can make his major league debut for the Cincinnati Reds. Burns, a right-handed starter who […]
Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB draft who has excelled at three levels of the minor leagues this season, will be promoted next week so that he can make his major league debut for the Cincinnati Reds.
Burns, a right-handed starter who is the No. 12 prospect in ESPN’s Top 50, will take the mound Tuesday at home against the New York Yankees.
Burns, 22, relies on an upper-90s fastball, and his 86 to 90 mph slider is possibly the best breaking ball in the minor leagues. He has made 13 starts in his professional career, the last of which came with Triple-A Louisville.
The Reds have had an up-and-down season, but at 39-38, they are still in the hunt for a National League wild-card berth, and Burns will bring added intrigue to the star-laden series against New York. Cincinnati has lost three in a row heading into Sunday’s series finale with the St. Louis Cardinals before it opens a homestand with the Yankees Monday night.
Burns is 7-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 66 minor-league innings. Prior to his 2024 selection, he pitched in the SEC for Tennessee Volunteers and the ACC for Wake Forest.
“We’re trying to give ourselves every chance to win and be in this, and right now, we feel like Chase gives us the best chance, and it’s time to go,” Reds general manager Brad Meador told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
While the Reds have been inconsistent offensively this season, their pitching has been solid. Through Friday’s loss, the Reds were 16th overall in team ERA at 3.90 and 10th with a 1.23 WHIP. But they placed left-hander Wade Miley on the injured list Friday and had to author a bullpen game Saturday.
“Trying to figure out when the time is right is always the toughest part. You never know for sure when a guy’s ready,” Meador said. “But he’s obviously pitched as well as you could possibly hope in the first year of professional baseball, and he seems to be getting stronger. Even when a guy’s ready, you never know, but he’s passed every test. I don’t think he’s going to be overwhelmed by the situation, for sure.”
Pitching for Double-A Chattanooga this season, Burns went 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA in eight starts before landing in Louisville. On Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, he is likely to oppose New York’s Carlos Rodon, who is 9-5 this season with a 3.10 ERA.
LEVELED UP: Recent success takes McAuley track and field up to Class 2 | Local Sports
McAuley Catholic High School’s boys track and field team has leveled up. The Warriors have used their growth over recent years in running and throwing events to breed success at the state level. ×
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Why the SEC, Big Ten impasse over CFP format for 2026 matters to everyone
The offseason is definitely not the slow season as yet another week delivered news impacting both the Pac-12 legacy schools and other universities across the region. Here are four developments you might have missed. 1. CFP negotiations stall Nitty gritty: The Big Ten and SEC control the model for the College Football Playoff starting in […]
The offseason is definitely not the slow season as yet another week delivered news impacting both the Pac-12 legacy schools and other universities across the region.
Here are four developments you might have missed.
1. CFP negotiations stall
Nitty gritty: The Big Ten and SEC control the model for the College Football Playoff starting in the 2026 season and have not found common ground. The former wants a 16-team field based on automatic bids for the power conferences (the so-called 4-4-2-2-1 model) while the latter favored the 5+11 format that’s heavy on at-large bids.
During a meeting this week in Asheville, N.C., commissioners Tony Petitti of the Big Ten and Greg Sankey of the SEC decided a restart is in order.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a leading contender right now,” CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters, “but they’re taking a fresh look at it.”
Why it matters: The CFP impacts everything in college football, and the model for 2026 has been the hottest topic in the sport for months. The impasse at the top of the governance structure creates the possibility, however remote, that the event won’t expand (to 14 or 16 teams) and, instead, will remain at 12. (That’s our preference, by the way.)
The commissioners are facing a Dec. 1 deadline to notify ESPN of any adjustments for 2026, when a new contract cycle begins. That might seem like plenty of time, but Petitti and Sankey, along with Jim Phillips of the ACC and Brett Yormark of the Big 12, have been discussing possible alterations for months and gotten nowhere.
Whatever format the Big Ten and SEC ultimately select will have sweeping implications for every major college conference, from the Big 12 and ACC to the Pac-12 and Sun Belt.
A model based on automatic qualifiers, for example, would free up the SEC and Big Ten to create a regular-season crossover series. That, in turn, would limit their opportunities to schedule non-conference matchups with teams in other leagues, particularly the ACC and Big 12.
There are other ramifications — too many to detail here, in fact.
Just know that distrust of the selection committee is rampant and common ground will continue to be elusive for the Big Ten and SEC. And they have the only votes that matter.
2. Commissioners mull new start date for football
Nitty gritty: Commissioners from the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences discussed moving the official start of the season up one week, to what is commonly referred to as Week 0: the Saturday before Labor Day weekend.
(If the change had been in place for the 2025 season, for example, everyone would start play Aug. 23. Instead, the season begins in full force Aug. 30.)
Why it matters: The Week 0 discussion has received little attention over the years but is one of the most important issues in the sport. In fact, it’s the key to unlocking the jammed postseason calendar.
College Football Playoff expansion to 12 teams created substantial overlap with the final weeks of the NFL season and playoffs. Last year, for instance, two CFP opening-round games (on Dec. 21) were up against a mammoth NFL doubleheader (Chiefs-Texans and Steelers-Ravens).
That’s a fight college football cannot win and should avoid at all costs.
(Another issue: Playing the semifinals on a random Thursday and Friday to get out from under the NFL’s wild card weekend.)
Starting the season earlier would reduce the frequency of CFP conflicts with the NFL’s stretch run. It would create an earlier date for the national championship. (The title game for the 2026 season is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027.) And it would allow more mid-December flexibility for additional opening-round games if the CFP expands to 14 or 16 teams.
The move to Week 0 needs to happen for the betterment of the postseason — August is the key to December — which means the change will take years to implement, if it happens at all.
3. Washington State downsizes track and field
Nitty gritty: The Cougars announced Monday a competitive shift “to a distance-focused approach,” meaning they will no longer sponsor field events and will reduce the “number of sprint and hurdle opportunities.”
Why it matters: The canary is chirping, except it’s not in a coal mine — it’s trapped in a financial vise brought about by the revenue-sharing era in college sports.
With a maximum of $20.5 million being shared with athletes, schools must make hard choices about sponsoring the dozens of Olympic sports programs that lose money. (Only football and men’s basketball generate a profit.)
Washington State isn’t the first Division I school to announce a reduction in sponsored sports — Utah is cutting beach volleyball; UTEP has eliminated women’s tennis — and assuredly won’t be the last.
In other instances, Olympic sports could have funding reduced to the point they essentially become club teams.
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