It was supposed to be the sport’s sleek new engine. A streamlined, made-for-television league conceived by one of track’s most decorated champions. But just months into its debut season, Grand Slam Track is already showing troubling signs of instability. The league’s promise of athlete-centered reform has begun to buckle under the weight of financial missteps, and the cracks are no longer subtle.
Michael Johnson’s venture, which opened in spring with lofty rhetoric and aggressive scheduling, is now under intensified scrutiny. Local records reveal a failure to meet even the most basic obligations. The first warning flare came from Miramar, Florida, where the Ansin Sports Complex served as host for the league’s second competition, the Miami Slam. The City of Miramar reports that Grand Slam Track has yet to pay a cent of its $77,896 rental fee. This sum, originally due in two parts before the event, was rescheduled into a staggered repayment plan. Still, the July 18 deadline for a $30,000 installment came and went without a transaction.
This missed payment marks the first formal default on a revised schedule issued to accommodate the league’s delays. If Johnson’s organization could not meet even this renegotiated commitment, it raises serious concerns about the financial infrastructure behind the operation. The Ansin Sports Complex, by all accounts, was the least costly of the venues on the league’s calendar. Failure to meet this obligation casts significant doubt on Grand Slam Track’s capacity to cover the larger costs associated with athlete payouts and future event logistics. And now, the situation seem to have gotten even tougher for Johnson and team.
Renowned American journalist Cory Mull also shared his take on the matter. He took to his X account and shared a new update on the payment controversy. Mull wrote, “Per a public records request, GST did not pay the $30,000 that was due on July 18th. They owe a total of $77,896 for the entire facility rental.” The silence around the missed deadline has only deepened the unease.
Update on the outstanding Grand Slam Track facility rental fee due after their event at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar in May.
𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 $𝟯𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆…
— Cory Mull (@ByCoryMull) July 23, 2025
While the league continues to promote its upcoming events, questions linger about its solvency and internal oversight. Johnson, who positioned himself as both architect and spokesperson for the enterprise, has not publicly addressed the outstanding debts. For a league that entered the professional circuit promising transparency, empowerment, and a reimagined athlete experience, the quiet lapse into delinquency speaks louder than any press release. Whether this is a temporary misstep or the early sign of systemic failure remains to be seen. But the optics, especially for a new league backed by an Olympic legend, are already damaging. Unfortunately, this is not all. Grand Slam Track has been plagued by numerous other complications that are causing looming clouds of darkness to hover around the league.
Grand Slam Track misses payment deadline as Sebastian Coe warns against “vanity projects”
Grand Slam Track’s ambitious foray into professional athletics is again under scrutiny, this time for an unpaid rental bill owed to the City of Miramar. The league, led by Olympic champion Michael Johnson, has yet to pay $77,896 for its use of the Ansin Sports Complex during the Miami Slam event in early May. Despite the original agreement requiring half of the amount to be paid before the meet and the remainder a month after, no payment has been made in over two months. The city has since amended the schedule, dividing the balance into three monthly installments, with the first $30,000 now overdue as of July 18.
Track & Field: Grand Slam Track Miami May 4, 2025 Miramar, FL, USA Michael Johnson reacts during the Grand Slam Track Miami at Ansin Sports Complex. Miramar Ansin Sports Complex Florida United States, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20250504_hlf_al2_126
While financial stumbles may not be unusual for new ventures, this situation has begun to take a toll beyond administrative concern. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, when asked about Grand Slam Track’s broader issues, particularly missed payments to athletes, acknowledged the discomfort the league’s behavior has caused. “It’s not good,” Coe said plainly. “The one thing that World Athletics has always stood strongly behind is the athletes. So yeah, this is not a good situation.” His concern reflects a wider unease within the sport, where athletes were reportedly promised appearance fees reaching $200,000 and championship bonuses of $100,000. Many have received nothing beyond the Kingston leg.
Though Coe made clear that World Athletics does not intend to operate as a rigid regulatory force, he did issue a pointed reminder: “They have to be suffused in practicality and deliverability.” Whether Grand Slam Track can meet those criteria remains uncertain. For now, the outstanding rental fee in Miramar serves as both a symptom and a signal, an indication that questions of sustainability and reliability are no longer abstract concerns.
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