Noah Lyles offers advice on how to improve Grand Slam Track
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 19.03.25. | 15:42
Despite this progress, Lyles remains sceptical, raising another major concern; event scheduling.
Reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles has been vocal about his decision to opt out of the inaugural Grand Slam Track league, which is set to debut in Kingston, Jamaica, from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 April 2025.
Despite wishing Michael Johnson's ambitious project success, Lyles has pointed out several concerns that influenced his choice to stay away.
Initially, one of Lyles’ major concerns was the league’s lack of a broadcast partner, which he felt was a significant hurdle in attracting elite athletes and global viewership.
However, this issue has since been addressed, with the Grand Slam Track securing partnerships with Eurosport (Europe and Asia), TNT Sports (UK and Ireland), The CW Network, and NBC Sports for U.S. audiences.
Despite this progress, Lyles remains sceptical, raising another major concern; event scheduling.
From a marketing standpoint, he believes that the structure of the events needs fine-tuning to ensure long-term success.
He questioned how the league plans to maintain engagement over three days and what will drive audiences to stay invested throughout the competition.
Beyond his criticisms, Lyles offered constructive advice on how Grand Slam Track can position itself better and attract more elite athletes.
His biggest suggestion is for Johnson to capitalize on sponsorship opportunities and invest in building a dedicated stadium in the U.S that would host all four Grand Slam events annually.
“Do you know what I think they should do? I think they should allow one more year. I think they should build one stadium in the US, in one central city.
You think it’s expensive until you realize and you’re talking about all these sponsors he has coming in to sponsor this event you get in touch with Mondo, you get in touch with a city organization and you create this stadium that’s going to be used year-round and it’s going to host four Grand Slams each year. One place,” he said during an episode of Beyond the Records podcast.
Lyles also emphasized the importance of securing corporate sponsorships outside of track and field, mentioning that major brands such as watch companies, betting firms, and other high-profile sponsors should be involved to enhance the league’s commercial appeal.
“I have not even heard a block’s sponsor. I want to hear, is there a watch deal? I want to hear, you know if there's a betting company that is getting involved. Where are these other things that being in the U.S. provides you with?” he posed.
While Lyles has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Grand Slam Track league, he remains open to the idea of its success and admits he would be happy to be proven wrong.
“As my last, final comment on this. I would love to be proven wrong. 100 per cent, all the way. I would love nothing more than for this to be successful because, if it is, the number of benefits it would provide…
This could be a way for athletes to not have to only rely on World Championships because you could potentially be making more money consistently throughout the year,” he concluded.
