Michael Johnson and Noah Lyles don’t exactly share the warmest of relationships. In an effort to address the financial struggles in track and field, Johnson introduced a groundbreaking initiative—Grand Slam Track. With a $100,000 prize for race winners, the league aims to revolutionize the sport and provide athletes with greater financial opportunities. However, while Johnson has been successful in bringing some of the biggest names in track and field under his banner, he’s hit a major roadblock with one star in particular—the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, Noah Lyles.

Over time, big names like Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and more have signed up for the Grand Slam Track. However, when it came to Lyles, he had some specific issues with the league. The very first thing that Lyles mentioned was that the league lacked proper exposure. Terming the league as ‘stagnant,’ Lyles raised the issue of GST not having a broadcasting partner. 

In an interview with LetsRun.com, Lyles opined how the lack of exposure was the biggest weak point of the league. The Olympian further stated that there was no use in throwing extra money at the athletes if enough people were unable to watch it. However, soon after Lyles’ comments, Michael Johnson came up with a big announcement. He stated that Peacock will be streaming all the races live in the United States. 

And after having covered all his bases, Johnson has lashed out in a veiled manner at Noah Lyles. In a recent post on his official X account, Johnson wrote, “Peacock, The CW, NBC, Eurosport, TNT. I’m a damn lumberjack! I cut down all the trees in the woods and everybody heard them fall. Well almost everybody.”

Although he didn’t name anybody, the signals were pretty clear as to who created the most fuss about not having a proper broadcasting partner. Meanwhile, we only spoke about Peacock. So what do the other names that Johnson mentioned in his post signify? Well, the announcement of Peacock pacified most of the concerns regarding the exposure-related narrative for the league. But what about the international audience?

Surprisingly, Johnson seems to have that covered too. In a recent announcement on X, the US track and field legend mentioned that the Grand Slam Track will be available for streaming for European and Asian audiences as well! In Asia, it will be Euro Sport who will take charge of broadcasting the races, while in the European continent, TNT will serve as an official broadcaster. Sadly, even after the latest developments, the gold medalist did not look satisfied. He immediately suggested some more changes that were ultimately debunked by his co-hosts recently!

Noah Lyles pushes bold vision for Grand Slam Track—but is Michael Johnson listening?

Noah Lyles isn’t holding back when it comes to Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track. Even after the league secured a major streaming deal with Peacock, addressing one of Lyles’ biggest concerns, the Olympic gold medalist still isn’t sold on the idea. Instead, he has a new vision—one that could redefine the league’s future but also presents an enormous challenge.

“You know what I actually think they should do? I think they should hold up one more year. I think they should build one stadium in the U.S. in one central city,” Lyles suggested on a recent episode of Beyond the Records. According to him, GST needs a permanent home. He suggested that the league must have one central venue where the league can run consistently rather than being scattered across different locations. Additionally, he proposed a more structured format with four Grand Slams in a single year, mirroring tennis and golf’s biggest circuits.

Lyles is convinced that a dedicated stadium would cement GST’s legacy. However, one of his co-hosts immediately pointed out the financial hurdle, calling track and field a “non-revenue” sport. Building an entire stadium from scratch, securing permits, and maintaining year-round operations would be a massive undertaking. One that GST may not be prepared to handle!

Meanwhile, Johnson appears unbothered by Lyles’ critiques. The track legend has already made it clear that the sprinter won’t be part of the league. No matter what his suggestions are! With GST moving forward without him, the question remains—will Lyles’ vision for a centralized track and field league ever come to life, or is it just another ambitious idea without the financial backing to make it happen?