Track and field might deliver unforgettable moments every Olympic year, but outside that spotlight, the sport is quietly fighting for survival. Olympic long jump star Tara Davis-Woodhall spoke candidly about what she says is killing the sport.
Appearing on the “A Touch More” Live Podcast, Davis-Woodhall didn’t sugarcoat her frustration.
“It’s so difficult to watch,” she said.
“It’s not on television, and it doesn’t have its own network.”
The timing of her comments couldn’t be more significant. Michael Johnson’s much-hyped Grand Slam Track league, created to inject new energy and money into the sport, just folded before its final event. The reason being financial issues. It’s yet another reminder that track and field’s problems go beyond the track, they’re deeply rooted in visibility and marketability.
Davis-Woodhall specifically took aim at the Diamond League, track and field’s biggest annual competition series. Despite hosting the sport’s best athletes across 12 prestigious meets, it remains frustratingly hard to find.
“You have to go watch our Diamond League on another streaming platform called FloTrack,” she explained.
“There’s no one that really knows what FloTrack is.”
And even if fans find it, there’s another hurdle, a subscription fee. In an age when people already juggle Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, asking them to pay extra for a little-known service just to follow track and field feels tone-deaf.
“You have to pay for it, obviously,” Davis-Woodhall added.
“But we’re already paying for so many streaming services as it is, adding another one just for track? That’s a hard thing to come by.”
Davis-Woodhall’s call is a rallying cry to track and field’s leadership. If the sport wants to grow, it needs to be visible. That means moving away from obscure paywalled platforms and getting back on mainstream networks where both casual fans and diehards can tune in easily.
