University of Southern California’s very own student Tristan Wilcher claimed a victory in the first-ever recorded sperm race on Friday. The event was organized by Sperm Racing, a startup that raised over $1 million to host the race and bring awareness to decreasing male fertility rates.
The match, hosted at the Hollywood Palladium, took place in a boxing ring in front of the sold-out 4,000-seat venue. The event featured a mid-game performance by Ty Dolla $ign before the custom microscopic racetrack, aimed to replicate a reproductive system, was unveiled.
Wilcher faced off against Asher Proeger, a UCLA student. The race was displayed on large screens for the audience’s viewing experience.
Sperm rates have decreased 59% in the last few decades, according to a study published in the Oxford Academic in 2017. Wilcher revealed that the issue of infertility is what originally drew his interest to the event. Wilcher said he believes that using a fun, competitive and spirited environment like the sperm race is a great way to bring awareness to serious topics.
“Bringing awareness to more serious topics has always been a difficult thing, because people want to make it serious and heartfelt,” Wilcher said. “You’ve got to make it a competition, and we made media out of it in a thousand different ways, and I think that is 100% the best way to get people aware of it.”
Despite making a video claiming his routine involved waking up at 6 a.m., drinking two liters of pineapple juice and eight gallons of water, Wilcher told Annenberg Media the true routine he used to train for the event.
“I would wake up around 7 a.m.,” Wilcher said. “I go to the gym, make a smoothie, something high in antioxidants and have foods high in zinc.”
While the sperm race brought light to a serious topic in a fun way, it also played into the infamous crosstown school rivalry between UCLA and USC. USC student Modan Azam said he was excited to watch his fellow Trojan beat a UCLA student.
“We’ve been losing the UCLA-USC football games, so hopefully we can get the upset today,” Azam said.
Daniel Chaderjian, USC graduate and former Tommy Trojan mascot, said the event is a great way to unite the two schools while shedding light on declining men’s fertility rates. Chaderjian, like many attendees, was not only intrigued by the cause, but also wanted to show support for his school.
“I love USC and I think this is a great event to support men’s health,” Chaderjian said. “I think it’s a huge thing, and it’s a cool event to bring the schools together around the main issue.”
Despite backlash due to people betting on the event, Wilcher argued that allowing people to bet would engage more people, allowing for awareness to continue to spread.
Wilcher said his habits have significantly changed since the race, and that he is excited to share his journey with the world on his YouTube channel.