Michael Johnson has been looking to change the face of the sport known as track and field. A sport that often gets overlooked despite the golds and records, it never really approached the fame and money of others. But the Grand Slam Track was supposed to be all of this, no? But as Noah Lyles has once already mentioned, this wouldn’t work. But while a ton of backlash has followed him, from Michael Johnson to his fellow sprinters, one guy is not pulling his punches as he agrees with Lyles. You must get it by now. Yes, it is Rai Benjamin.

But before we come to Rai, shall we see what concerns GST is facing? While the league is supposed to be all kinds of appealing and financially viable for athletes, it has sparked more debates than intended. Mainly due to the inherent tension between its ambitious promises and the practical realities of professional track and field. Fundamental questions about whether the league’s business model, scheduling, and overall structure remain to be fully explored but promiment track maestro Rai Benjamin has his own concerns amid skepticism.

Recently, in a podcast ‘Beyond the Records’ along with Noah, Olympic medalist, Rai raised concerns about the potential risk posed by the incessant scheduling of the league.  ‘I didn’t really like the scheduling and the back-to-back competitions that early in the year…””.” . He added, “Honestly, if they could consider changing the structure, then it makes sense because if you want me to come out and run 44 low and then come back the next day and run 46-47. True! else, how can athletes make balance? ‘ You never know what might happen; I might run 44 today and be sore tomorrow. Now I am like at risk of getting hurt.

Rai, visibly frustrated, revealed he asked for the possibility of rescheduling,

‘but there was no budge’. He isn’t shy about speaking his mind and his take on the Grand Slam Track League. He’s basically saying, “I’m not here for a paycheck; I’m here for the history books.” No one is gonna remember if I run in a Grand Slam but people will remember if I win a gold medal at Olympic games’.

And honestly, who can argue with that? He’s right—no one’s gonna remember a random Grand Slam race in a few years, but an Olympic gold? That’s forever. And let’s get to the money thing. Benjamin is not just concerned about his own paycheck. He’s worried about the league’s sustainability: ‘How’s this gonna make money?”. And Noah? Well, Noah has made it clear that he’s not being negative.

No Noah has firmly said that this is simply common sense to be wary. He mentions, “One of the big kinds of red flags to me was having that meet in a very small place; unless you’re selling those tickets for $1,500 ahead, which no one is in track and field to buy, you’re not making any money.”  But perhaps in his pragmatism he said a bit too much for his own good. Yet this doesn’t remain the only instance of such a comment, as he had already riled the fans once before. Just this time instead of Americans, it was Jamaicans.

Noah Lyles’ Apology After Jamaican Track Comments

As if his harsh comments for the GST weren’t enough a couple of days ago, Lyles made some off remarks about Jamaican track events. In the podcast, when Jamaica’s track passion came up, Noah apparently quipped, “Yes, when it’s free. When the track is free,” and then, get this, about Boys and Girls Champs, he said, “Boys and Girls Champs is free. Have you ever seen the crowd at their national championships? That back row, actually almost beside the home stretch—none of that is full.”

You can imagine how that landed! Jamaican track fans, rightfully so, were quick to jump online and gently remind him about the “paid ticketing system” and the absolutely “immense cultural significance of the championships in Jamaica.”. It’s like, everyone collectively went, “Oops, Noah!” But Noah didn’t double down or anything. He actually hopped online pretty quickly with a video apology.

He was pretty straight about his apology, saying, “Hey, everybody. I’m Noah Lyles from Beyond the Records podcast… I did make a comment that provided misinformation. I said that boys and girls camps were free to attend and thankfully, the community informed me that that is not the case.”   So while Noah Lyles can get a little carried away, he does make his moves when necessary.

He further continued, “I’m sorry that I spread this misinformation. It was never my job to mislead. It’s just that I didn’t fact-check enough, and I’m trying to, you know, grow from this moment. But thank you to everybody for informing me.” So yeah, a bit of a stumble, but he recovered well, and it just goes to show how much passion there is for track in Jamaica and how important it is to get your facts straight, even for a world champ