Track and field legend Michael Johnson’s ambitious $30 million Grand Slam Track (GST) league is facing early skepticism from some of the sport’s biggest names.
Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles has openly questioned the league’s long-term value without securing mainstream visibility.
The Olympic champion noted that without consistent mainstream visibility, even a $3.1 million purse per event would struggle to generate the kind of traction necessary to sustain such an ambitious venture.
“I just don’t see the value if you don’t have a major TV deal,” Lyles remarked.
Michael Johnson unveiled the GST with a bold promise to revitalize global series and a staggering $3.1 million prize purse for each even. Organizers chose Kingston, Jamaica, the hallowed ground of sprint royalty, as the ideal starting point. Big names like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Kenny Bednarek, and Gabby Thomas headlined the meet, with twelve athletes pocketing $100,000 apiece on opening night.
But despite the glittering athlete lineup and generous payouts, reality on the ground told a different story. The expected electric atmosphere at the Jamaica National Stadium fell flat. Large sections of empty seats and a quiet atmosphere were hard to ignore, especially for an event built on spectacle.
Reports indicated that barely 50% of the main grandstands filled up, while the back straight remained nearly deserted. Even athletes themselves were reportedly sending out complimentary invites mid-event in an effort to salvage the turnout. Organizers eventually resorted to opening bleacher seats to the public free of charge — a telling sign for an event banking on premium ticket sales and packed venues.
On the Beyond the Records podcast, Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist Rai Benjamin echoed Lyles’ concerns, questioning GST’s financial sustainability.
“If you’re not getting 65-70% capacity at these venues, I don’t see how this model remains profitable,” Benjamin said.
While he applauded the increased athlete compensation, with last-place finishers still earning a respectable $10,000, he worried about the league’s longevity.
“It’s great that athletes are finally being compensated, but will this last three years, or twenty?” he pondered.
Early estimates pegged GST’s annual operational costs at around $15.2 million, a figure covering prize money for 48 athletes per meet, international travel expenses, and premium venue rentals. While a massive budget signals serious intent, it also underscores the necessity of consistent ticket sales, strong attendance figures, and a viable broadcast revenue stream to avoid bleeding cash.
Michael Johnson, however, sees the Jamaican leg as a learning curve rather than a crisis.
“We’ve had one competition. It’s just the beginning,” he insisted.
“If there’s ever been a group of athletes that could carry the future of the sport forward, it’s this group.”
Nevertheless, Michael Johnson and his team face a steep uphill climb. While GST boasts a projected broadcast footprint in 189 countries, no major TV partner has officially signed on, leaving questions about accessibility for casual fans. The absence of marquee personalities like Sha’Carri Richardson also didn’t help draw attention to the Kingston opener. With the next event scheduled in Miami, all eyes will be on whether the league can generate the buzz it promised.
