“… look at the films of [the 1983 and 1987 world championships in] Rome and Helsinki. There were 60,000 people in the stands. They couldn’t get 25,000 in Russia [in 2013],” nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis reflected in 2016. He couldn’t help but think about the sport dying. Lewis blamed the education system for not having physical education in schools or even having the P.E. teachers also teach other subjects like math.

Speaking from his own coaching at the University of Houston, he stated, “When I get kids in college, I have to fix so much about their running, it’s amazing to me. They’re teaching things that are incorrect — the way they’re running, what they’re doing, all these things that high school coaches don’t know.” It looks like not much improvements have been made since then. It is now 2025.

It’s time to turn the clock back and relive the Paris Olympics, where some athletes came out victorious and immortalized themselves. Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband Hunter Woodhall were among the most popular athletes on the field. Tara flew to golden heights in the women’s long jump with a mind-boggling 7.1 meters (yes, almost twenty-three feet!) in her fourth leap, which none of the competitors could match that evening.

At the same time, Hunter won the men’s 400m T62 final just a few weeks after Tara’s triumph. Altogether, they were winning gold medals while also showcasing their love story, which left fans in awe. But here’s the twist: the golden duo has something to discuss. They are angry and vocal, and they have shone the light on the cracks and issues that athletes endure in a sport that they love and cherish.

In a new sneak peek from the latest episode of ‘Beyond the Records’ podcast, Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall joined forces to tackle a big question: “How would you improve the current state of track and field?”

The clip posted on Instagram had fans excited with Hunter going straight to the point. “I mean, we’ve talked about this for years, bro. It’s like, we want to change the sport. Like, the sport is like down in the dumps, bro. We love the sport. We know how big the sport could be.”

“If I explained to you a track meet and an F1 event without specifics of it, it would sound like the same thing. So how can we do it so much worse than them?” Tara joined in with her usual sarcastic tone and stated, “When we’re actually using our bodies, not a car.”

Hunter continued with the energy and explained the difference between track and field and F1. “You have a practice day, they got prelims, they got finals—it’s all set up like this big event. You got teams that are only trying to get this person as fast as possible. There’s teams, but it’s also individual sport,” he explained. But Rai Benjamin decided to bring the heat into the conversation and fired a shot, stating, “I think they win $160 million.”

Tara, ever the quick wit, responded, “We get $160 in track and field,” and everyone agreed.

Let’s be real for a moment—Formula 1 makes a lot more money as compared to track. The drivers are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. According to One Stop Racing, the data presented in 2020, F1 generated an astonishing $2 billion in revenue. A single race can generate between one hundred to one hundred and forty million dollars, and that figure is steadily rising each year.

However, at the Olympics, gold medalists were offered $50,000 for every victory, as per several reports. The distribution of the prize money is fairly obvious: $2.4 million split between 48 men’s and women’s tournaments, $50,000 for each of the winners of the gold. Relay teams split the winnings, with each member of a gold-winning relay team receiving $12,500. Yeah, the pay gap? It’s not only big, but it is colossal. And here’s the kicker: This is not the first time Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband has vented about athletes not being paid enough.

‘No money’: When Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband shared his candid thoughts!

Track and field might steal the spotlight every four years during the Olympics, but let’s face it—the fame starts to fizzle out faster than a 100-meter dash once the Games are over. The sport is crying out for a makeover, and thankfully, voices like Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Hunter Woodhall, are stepping up to the mic.

Having returned from the Paris Olympics victory, the two took their moments in the spotlight to draw attention to the gap in the track and field world. Track and field obviously doesn’t draw the same fan base as the NFL, NBA, or even UFC, but it does have a smaller, albeit expanding, audience because of the larger sponsorships and the coverage during prime time.

But here is the problem—the financial scene has not evolved to that level. Athletes still feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick, even after putting on world-class performances. Hunter, who himself is a Paralympian, and Tara, a long jumper, know this reality all too well.

“For us specifically, a long jumper and a Paralympian, there’s no money,” Hunter told GQ in an interview as reported by them on December 4, 2024. Tara, quick to back her husband’s sentiments, chimed in with a painfully relatable comparison: “Teacher salaries.” 

What really stings is the blatant disparity even within track and field itself. Hunter explained that Olympians can get a $37,500 bonus from the USA’s Olympic governing body and another $50,000 from the World Athletic Olympic Committee. But as a Paralympian? Hunter does not get to see that extra $50,000.

“I didn’t get the $50,000, because the Paralympics doesn’t pay that. So I made thirty-seven-five. That’s it,” he said. Despite their deep love for track and field, Tara and Hunter can’t turn a blind eye to these issues and are using their voice to spread awareness and demand change.

Do you think track and field athletes should make more? Share your thoughts in the comments below.