Leave it to Los Angeles to turn one of the world’s most urgent demographic challenges into a spectator sport.

Last weekend, hundreds gathered at LA Center Studios to witness the world’s first-ever competitive sperm race — a strange but oddly fitting intersection of science, entertainment, and public health messaging. Two college students, UCLA’s Asher Proeger and USC’s Tristan Mykel, spent weeks optimizing their health — ditching alcohol, cleaning up their diets, and managing stress — to give their microscopic racers the best shot at victory.

Under the gaze of high-powered microscopes, the students' sperm cells navigated a fluid-filled course designed to mimic the female reproductive tract. The first cell to cross the finish line crowned its human “trainer” the victor. (Spoiler: USC came out on top.)

At first glance, it looked like just another piece of viral internet culture. But underneath the humor was a serious warning: we are racing against a future where fertility, particularly male fertility, may no longer be something we can take for granted.

A Sporting Event for the Longevity Era

The race was organized by 17-year-old entrepreneur Eric Zhu, who believes gamifying reproductive health can help dismantle long-standing taboos.

“The general public doesn’t talk about it because it’s so taboo," Zhu said. "We want to make it more like a sport-a different type of entertainment-but one focused on optimizing health."

The event might sound like a novelty, but it lands at a time when alarm bells about fertility are getting louder.

According to a sweeping 2022 study published in Human Reproduction Update, global sperm counts have plunged by more than 50% over the past 50 years — a trend that has only accelerated in the 21st century.

Meanwhile, global fertility rates have continued their historic decline. In 2024, the global total fertility rate stood at just 2.2 births per woman, down sharply from 4.9 in 1950. Projections now suggest that by 2050, the global rate could fall to 1.8 births per woman, far below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain stable populations.

And the declines are not uniform. Some regions are plummeting faster than others.
In South Korea, the fertility rate reached 0.68 in 2024, the lowest ever recorded worldwide.

In the United States, while the CDC recently reported a slight 1% increase in total births for 2024, the general fertility rate — 54.6 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 — remains well below historic norms. The U.S. total fertility rate now stands at 1.6265 births per woman, still well below the replacement level.

The world is heading into uncharted territory, and fast.

Why This Race Resonates Now

The sperm race captured public attention because it was weird, funny, and a little uncomfortable — and that’s exactly why it worked.

It made an invisible crisis visible. It gave people a reason to cheer for something that, under normal circumstances, would be met with silence or discomfort.

It’s also a glimpse into how younger generations are thinking about health and longevity. In an era where everything from sleep cycles to glucose levels are optimized, it’s no surprise that reproductive fitness would eventually enter the public conversation — even in bizarre, gamified forms.

Zhu and his team are already planning future races. They hope to build an entire series that encourages men, especially young men, to start paying closer attention to their reproductive health before it becomes an irreversible problem.

In a world where fertility is no longer guaranteed, even unconventional efforts like this might not just be a form of entertainment. They could be survival strategies.

The Broader Demographic Story

At Population Next, we explore the big forces reshaping the future, and few are bigger than fertility decline. What’s happening isn’t just about personal choice. It’s systemic.

Lower fertility rates mean smaller future workforces. They mean slower economic growth. They mean aging populations that place heavier burdens on healthcare, pensions, and infrastructure.

Governments around the world are already experimenting with pro-natalist policies — from cash bonuses to childcare subsidies — with mixed success. No country has yet found a solution that sustainably reverses long-term declines in fertility.

And even if they did, it would take decades for any new generation to fully enter the workforce. The demographic lag is real — and it’s growing.

In this environment, issues once considered private, such as sperm counts and reproductive health, are becoming matters of national concern.

What was once taboo is now essential for future planning.

What Happens Next

Declining fertility doesn’t have to be framed purely as a crisis.

It also offers opportunities for more sustainable economies, better care for children and the elderly, and a rethinking of what growth really means in the 21st century.

But it does require facing reality. It demands honest conversations about health, longevity, and what it takes to build a thriving society when nature no longer does the heavy lifting automatically.

Sometimes, those conversations start in unexpected ways — even under a microscope, in front of a cheering crowd, in a city that’s never been shy about reinventing the future.

In the years ahead, expect more odd experiments, more creative campaigns, and more cultural shifts aimed at grappling with the profound realities of demographic change.

The race has already begun.

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