‘We’re the good ones. I really believe that’: meet the German billionaire behind the Enhanced Games
The Guardian
Overall Assessment
The article profiles Christian Angermayer and his controversial Enhanced Games, which permit performance-enhancing drugs. It presents his arguments and some counterpoints from anti-doping authorities but relies heavily on his assertions without sufficient independent verification. The tone leans toward personality-driven narrative over rigorous investigative scrutiny.
"‘We’re the good ones. I really believe that’: meet the German billionaire behind the Enhanced Games"
Loaded Labels
Headline & Lead 55/100
The headline centers a self-justifying quote from a controversial figure, subtly aligning reader sympathy with him. The lead follows with colorful, personality-driven details (dinosaur skulls) that prioritize spectacle over substance. While engaging, this risks framing the story as a profile of a maverick visionary rather than a critical examination of a medically and ethically fraught event.
✕ Loaded Labels: The headline uses a direct quote from the subject that frames him sympathetically ('We're the good ones') while omitting critical context. It personalizes a controversial figure without signaling the debate, potentially biasing readers before they engage with the content.
"‘We’re the good ones. I really believe that’: meet the German billionaire behind the Enhanced Games"
Language & Tone 55/100
The article employs colorful, subjective language and metaphors that prioritize narrative engagement over neutrality. Phrases like 'super villain' and puns in the closing line inject opinion and drama. While lively, the tone occasionally undermines journalistic objectivity.
✕ Loaded Adjectives: The article uses loaded adjectives like 'controversial' and 'audacious' to describe Angermayer, subtly shaping reader perception. Descriptions like 'bounty hunters' and 'nightmare to insure' add flair but lean into sensationalism.
"arguably the most controversial man in sport"
✕ Loaded Labels: The phrase 'super villain' appears in the reporter’s question and Angermayer’s reply, introducing a moralistic, pop-culture frame that undermines serious ethical discussion.
"some people reading this will think he is a super villain, while others will think that you’re a pioneer."
✕ Editorializing: The final sentence — 'try picking the bones out of that' — uses a pun that trivializes the serious debate, leaning into editorializing rather than neutral reporting.
"try picking the bones out of that."
Balance 65/100
The article includes voices from both the subject and official critics, achieving minimal viewpoint diversity. However, it lacks independent expert validation of medical claims, relying heavily on Angermayer’s assertions. This gives him disproportionate authority in shaping the narrative.
✓ Viewpoint Diversity: The article includes direct quotes from Angermayer and counters them with positions from WADA and US Anti-Doping, giving institutional critics space to voice concerns. This creates a basic balance of viewpoints.
"The World Anti-Doping Agency calls the Enhanced Games “a dangerous and irresponsible concept”, I reply, while Travis Tygart, the CEO US Anti-Doping, says it is a “clown show.”"
✕ Source Asymmetry: Angermayer is repeatedly allowed to make claims without immediate correction, such as asserting cancer risks from HGH are myths. The article does not cite independent endocrinologists or anti-doping scientists to verify or challenge these claims, creating source asymmetry.
"There’s not a single study in the world. It’s in fact the opposite."
Story Angle 60/100
The article adopts an episodic, personality-centered frame, focusing on Angermayer’s eccentricities and convictions. While it includes counterarguments, the narrative structure elevates his perspective as the driving force. This risks normalizing a radical proposal through the lens of individual charisma.
✕ Episodic Framing: The story is framed as a personal profile of a provocative entrepreneur rather than a systemic investigation into the future of doping in sports. This episodic framing centers Angermayer’s charisma and beliefs over broader structural implications.
"Before we get to doping and psychedelics, arguably the most controversial man in sport is discussing how he came to own the largest triceratops skull ever discovered."
✓ Steelmanning: The article engages with opposing views by quoting WADA and US Anti-Doping, and the reporter challenges Angermayer on health risks and ethics. This shows an effort to avoid pure advocacy and include critique.
"But the World Anti-Doping Agency calls the Enhanced Games “a dangerous and irresponsible concept”, I reply..."
Completeness 70/100
The article provides some important historical and medical context, including past doping tragedies and regulatory positions. However, it includes unverified claims without sufficient pushback or sourcing. It balances some risks and benefits but leans on anecdote over systemic analysis.
✓ Contextualisation: The article includes historical context about East German doping and 1990s cyclist deaths, helping readers understand long-term risks. It also references past WADA studies and methodological critiques, showing awareness of data limitations.
"But a lot of young cyclists died in the 1990s and early noughties and many suspect EPO abuse was to blame, I point out."
✕ Cherry-Picking: The article omits data on current doping prevalence beyond Angermayer’s unsupported claim about seven UK athletes in Paris. This leaves readers without reliable benchmarks to assess his argument.
Angermayer is portrayed as a trustworthy, principled innovator challenging corrupt systems
Despite promoting a highly controversial event, Angermayer is framed as sincere and morally grounded ('We’re the good ones'), with his past advocacy for psychedelics used to bolster his credibility. The article does not sufficiently challenge his unsupported claims, enhancing his perceived trustworthiness.
"We’re the good ones. I really believe that."
Biotech is framed as a positive force for human enhancement and health
The article repeatedly presents Angermayer’s claims about biotech substances (testosterone, HGH, peptides) as safe, medically sound, and beneficial when used under supervision, while downplaying or dismissing risks cited by anti-doping authorities. The framing favors biotech innovation as progressive and misunderstood.
"These are medically good things, if done properly. You can abuse everything. You abuse people, you can abuse substances. But if it’s done properly with a doctor, it is good for people."
The current state of sports and medicine is framed as stagnant and in need of disruptive change
The article uses episodic framing centered on Angermayer as a visionary disruptor. His comparison of IOC selling junk food to his selling performance drugs reframes the status quo as hypocritical, suggesting a systemic crisis in sports ethics that demands radical intervention.
"What about the IOC, who is selling burgers, sugar drinks, and alcohol? That is the business model of sports. I didn’t invent it, I’d be proud if I did."
Public health safeguards are portrayed as overly restrictive and out of step with medical progress
The article allows Angermayer to dismiss long-standing public health concerns about doping (e.g., EPO, HGH risks) without sufficient counter-sourcing. His claims that 'there’s not a single study' linking HGH to cancer are presented without independent rebuttal, undermining the credibility of public health warnings.
"There’s not a single study in the world. It’s in fact the opposite. A moderate increase in human growth hormones in older people than 30, is actually very healthy because your immune system goes up."
US anti-doping authorities framed as adversarial to progress and innovation
Travis Tygart of US Anti-Doping is quoted calling the Enhanced Games a 'clown show,' and the article presents this as a quote Angermayer welcomes for marketing — subtly framing US officials as out-of-touch opponents of innovation rather than legitimate health regulators.
"Travis Tygart, the CEO US Anti-Doping, says it is a “clown show.”"
The article profiles Christian Angermayer and his controversial Enhanced Games, which permit performance-enhancing drugs. It presents his arguments and some counterpoints from anti-doping authorities but relies heavily on his assertions without sufficient independent verification. The tone leans toward personality-driven narrative over rigorous investigative scrutiny.
Christian Angermayer, a German investor in biotech and psychedelics, has launched the Enhanced Games, a sporting event permitting banned performance-enhancing substances. The event has drawn criticism from global anti-doping agencies over health risks, while Angermayer argues for medical supervision and personal autonomy. The debate touches on broader questions about the future of human enhancement in sports and society.
The Guardian — Sport - Other
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