“Now I’m being taught how to do it the right way,” Ryan says. “And I get paid to do it.”
Ryan hopes Enhanced can pave the way for truly “pure” event distribution and transparent juice competitions. He even calls for events like the Olympics to increase the rigor of testing.
“What we’re doing is completely different,” Ryan said during Friday’s media availability. “It’s marketing, it’s show business. And it should be different.”
The financial argument and the idea of helping aging athletes extend their careers make the most compelling case I’ve heard for Enhanced on its face—at least considering the athletes’ motivations. But it is the business side of the organization where some conflicts of interest become too severe to ignore.
Photo: Etienne Laurent/Getty Images
Go to product page of the Enhanced Site and you will find what appears to be the corporate development of the Hims phone company, but with PEDs. Products such as copper peptides, sermorelin and testosterone injections are available along with GLP-1s, semaglutide, and tadalafil.
Martin is clear about the mission: To bring these products to the masses. He talks about the necessary medical intake forms and regular check-ins with licensed company doctors to avoid the risks of misuse or overdose.
But if the mission of Enhancing succeeds, and PEDs become a bigger and more financially attractive part of sports, assuming that these products will only be sought after and used in responsible ways is as ignorant as pretending that doping has not happened before in supposedly “clean” events. If anything, athletes in poor financial situations may prioritize the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
That’s when the dystopian feel bubbling under the surface becomes easier. There’s an undercurrent of MAHA here, from investors like Thiel and Donald Trump Jr. to Enhanced Games founder Aron D’Souza describing RFK Jr. as “pro-human progress.”
While the organizers didn’t give me specifics on how much of Improved’s future will depend on product sales to fund the prize pools and operations, it’s probably safe to assume investors like these expect revenue to stay involved.
It’s fair to wonder if this is an attempt to de-stigmatize and change the game. The overconfidence shown before the actual competition only fueled the impression that this was more of a money making scheme than anything else.
So will Enhanced Sports usher in a new era of athletic ability and prowess? Maybe – at least if you can afford it.
