As the Grand Slam Track league inches closer, the buzz around it is only intensifying—especially when it comes to its biggest challenge yet: securing the right broadcasting deal. Fans, and athletes like Noah Lyles have been vocal about the need for better TV coverage, and the criticism hasn’t gone unnoticed. Michael Johnson, the mastermind behind GST, has addressed the issue head-on, revealing just how tough it is to land the perfect partner. His words? A reality check for the sport.
Securing top-tier broadcasting deals isn’t just about getting airtime—it’s about convincing networks that track is worth the investment. As the Grand Slam Track league nears its debut, Michael Johnson has made it clear that one of the toughest battles isn’t on the track but behind closed doors with television executives.
“The next big hurdle was going to television broadcasters and saying, one, put this on TV, and two, pay us,” Johnson admitted, emphasizing the challenge of making track and field a commercially viable product. “You know, that’s not easy to do. Regardless of what people might think, it’s very difficult,” he added while in conversation with Citius Mag founder Chris Chavez. Indeed, it’s not always easy, or so it seems; a lot goes on behind the scenes to provide what fans expect.
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For years, fans of the sport have struggled to find consistent coverage, jumping between fragmented broadcasts and unreliable schedules. After all, we are aware how track and field lacks proper promotion and often struggles with not getting prime TV slots. And if you look at the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, NBC happened to air many events on delayed broadcast. Then there was the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where NBC frequently delayed or cut short the track races to focus on other sports. Talk about the frustration that the tracks must’ve felt!
Johnson, however, sought to change that. “I’m very happy that we were able to go out and get what I wanted—TV and broadcast deals that would allow the avid fan, who’s been working really hard to find and support this sport, to access it more easily.” Amidst the controversy about the broadcast, or GST’s streaming, Johnson has taken it upon himself to ensure that GST is an experience for track and field fans.
The GST isn’t just about showcasing world-class talent; it’s about making the sport more accessible than ever before. Avid followers can finally watch the events. “With consistent times to watch the sport, to watch our races, and to find them easily, fans will now have better access without any complications,” Johnson further added. No more clawing online looking for the streams, or crossing your fingers for the upcoming races; the 57-year-old’s idea lies in a sport that goes to the fan directly and easily without complications.
The former track and field legend signed a deal with NBC Sports and The CW Network last month, establishing Peacock as Grand Slam Track’s exclusive streaming home and The CW Network as its exclusive U.S. broadcast home. Further, Warner Bros. Discovery and GST announced a multi-year partnership to bring live racing to fans across Europe and Asia. Eurosport (Europe and Aisa) and TNT Sports (UK and Ireland) will offer linear coverage. With this, all the events on the 2025 calendar will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Max and Discovery+.
For the uninformed, the inaugural Grand Slam kicks off April 4-6, 2025, in Kingston, Jamaica, featuring 96 athletes—48 racers and 48 challengers. Furthermore, the other three slams will be held at Miramar (near Miami), Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Los Angeles, California, from June 27-29.
While it looks the league is headed towards brighter days, that wasn’t always the case.
Grand Slam Track showdown: Controversy, clashes, and the battle of perspective
When Michael Johnson first introduced the Grand Slam Track (GST), the vision was clear—elevate track with a groundbreaking competition that offers substantial financial rewards to athletes. However, turning that vision into reality has been anything but smooth. Sponsorship roadblocks, athlete skepticism, and public disputes—GST has faced it all, starting from the sponsor’s back out. One of the first major hurdles for GST came in November 2024, when UK Athletics (UKA) publicly withdrew from Johnson’s ambitious $30 million competition. The reason? Money—or the lack of it.
With UKA prioritizing financial stability, CEO Jack Buckner made it clear that investing in GST wasn’t feasible, especially when the federation was already focused on making the London Diamond League profitable and considering a bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships. It was a significant blow, raising questions about whether GST could secure enough backing to become a sustainable long-term competition.
Then came Noah Lyles—the sport’s biggest showman and a vocal advocate for change in track and field. But when it came to GST, Lyles wasn’t sold. In early 2025, Lyles publicly questioned GST’s structure and viability, expressing doubts about its centralized ownership and marketing strategy. Unlike the Diamond League, where each meet is run by independent directors, GST is fully controlled under a single umbrella—a setup Lyles feared could lead to power imbalances and a lack of transparency.
This even led to a back and forth between the two. Noah Lyles voiced, “If a tree falls in the woods and nobody’s around to see it, did that tree fall?” And of course, Johnson’s had to get back. He retorted, ‘Peacock, The CW, NBC, Eurosport, TNT. I’m a damn lumberjack! I cut down all the trees in the woods and everybody heard them fall. Well, almost everybody.”
If this is not enough, the GST founder also made it clear a few days back that GST was built for athletes—especially those who wanted more financial opportunities in track and field. “GST participants won’t need to cry for money,” he stated, in what many perceived as a direct response to Lyles’ past comments about low earnings in the sport.
The debate surrounding GST vs. Diamond League, athlete pay, and the future of track and field is far from over. Will GST prove its critics wrong and establish itself as a powerhouse competition? Or will it struggle under the weight of skepticism? The answer lies in the coming months, as the first-ever GST showdown unfolds.
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