In August 2023, Noah Lyles stood on top of the world. Fresh from a historic triple gold medal haul at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the American sprint star made a comment that sent shockwaves across the sports world.
“You know what hurts me the most? I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their heads. World champion of what? The United States?” Lyles said in a press conference with LetsRundotcom.
It was a bold, unfiltered moment. One that quickly sparked heated reactions from NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Aaron Gordon, who rushed to defend their league’s coveted title.
But what many missed in the frenzy was the deeper frustration behind Lyles’ words, a frustration he unpacked nearly two years later in a candid YouTube interview with former NFL quarterback Cam Newton.
A World-Class Athlete in an Overlooked Sport
Noah Lyles isn’t just another athlete with an opinion. He’s one of the fastest men on the planet, joining an exclusive club as only the fifth man ever to win the 100m, 200m, and 4×100m relay at a single World Championships.
But even with those accolades, Lyles confessed that back home, track and field rarely commands consistent attention outside the Olympic cycle.
“It’s frustrating at times because we’re doing such amazing things, and we’re representing the U.S. every year,” Lyles admitted.
“But sometimes they only pay attention during the Olympics.”
That lack of steady recognition stings, especially when global achievements are overshadowed by national league titles celebrated as “world championships” in the United States.
The Real Meaning of a “World Champion”
At the heart of Lyles’ message is a simple, powerful distinction.
“When you are competing for a league that only faces teams in one country, that’s a national title,” he explained.
“When you compete against everybody in the world, and they have all agreed to show up in this one place, that’s a world title.”
While leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB attract top talent globally, their competitions are limited to franchises based in the United States (with occasional Canadian teams like the Toronto Raptors or Blue Jays).
In contrast, events like the World Athletics Championships, FIFA World Cup, or Olympic Games pit country against country, with athletes earning their place through rigorous qualification standards.
Fair Recognition
To be clear, Lyles isn’t dismissing the talent or spectacle of American sports leagues. In fact, he praised their marketing, storytelling, and cultural impact.
“And I love it, and I love the marketing, and I love the storytelling,” he noted.
What he takes issue with is the casual misuse of a title that means something very specific to athletes like him, those who battle the best of the best, from every nation on the planet, under one unified banner.
By labeling a national league title as a “world championship,” Lyles argued, it inadvertently diminishes the hard-earned recognition of those competing, and winning, on truly global stages.