Amidst Pay Disparities in Track, Noah Lyles Makes Another Demand: “Need One Really Bad”

In a plea against the ongoing problem of pay disparities, track and field star Noah Lyles has added his voice to the cause. He even called the sport a “Dying” sport. To understand the roots of these inequalities, we need to look back to early April when World Athletics grabbed headlines by becoming the inaugural international governing body to introduce prize money at the Olympic Games in Paris. While the announcement promised $50,000 for each gold medalist, totaling an impressive $2.4 million prize pool, concerns promptly surfaced regarding how other athletes would be compensated.

Since this announcement, discussions surrounding pay disparities in track and field have dominated the news. Just days ago, Sha’Carri Richardson cited disparities as a contributing factor to her withdrawal from the Miramar Invitational. Similarly, Kyree King recently shared his experience of not receiving payment after his victory in 2022, highlighting unpaid bills.

Now, Noah Lyles has joined the conversation, echoing sentiments expressed by fans about the need for a Track & Field Hall of Fame to elevate the sport’s status and address these discrepancies. As a fan’s plea, “Need a Track & Field Hall of Fame!!! Glamorizing our sport will allow its status amongst the masses to grow and give it a greater allure as well as grandeur.” 

To this Noah Lyles echoed the sentiment, stressing the urgent need for such an institution. He said, “I been Telling Mark Wetmore this. We need one really bad.” Mark Wetmore is Noah Lyles’s agent. By supporting the idea of glamorizing track and field, Noah sees a Hall of Fame as a way to raise the sport’s profile among the general public and bring a sense of grandeur that could lead to greater recognition and fairness for athletes. However, it seems a former Olympic champion will be making the change in the realm of track and field

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