American track and field legend Michael Johnson is featured in Netflix’s Sprint, offering his insights as one of the veteran commentators on the athletes showcased in the series. However, as criticism grew over Sprint Part 2 primarily focusing on American athletes, Johnson took notice. The controversy escalated further when Olympic medalists, including Letsile Tebogo, joined the discussion.

However, after observing the situation and the fans’ verdict, the four-time Olympic medalist took to X to give his take in defense of the show. In a post titled “Perspective on SPRINT on Netflix” the 57-year-old presented his argument in favor of the creative decisions Netflix took. Johnson began by saying, “Netflix and the producers objective is to entertain a large audience (not just track fans).”

But, Johnson’s take didn’t sit right with many fans from the get-go. Track and field once again reminded him that the show didn’t focus on global athletes who they thought deserved their spot. “Not a larger audience, just Americans,” commented one fan. Meanwhile, another fan found it worrisome that Michael Johnson would attempt to justify what they saw as exclusion.

“This makes me worry for GST. “Good” storytelling does not rely on the loudness of the subject. Letsile lost his mom as a young adult and danced his way to gold over the biggest, loudest personality in the sport. Yet the “compelling” story is the guy who came second? Nah,” the fan commented on the post, adding how Sprint part 2 focused on Noah Lyles instead of Letsile Tebogo despite the former’s upset victory in the 200m event in Paris.

The comment came in response to Michael Johnson claiming why athletes such as Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas took center stage in the show. MJ argued that these athletes’ journeys had “A compelling and entertaining narrative.” The former world champion also said that Netflix took into account the overall popularity and the fact that the athletes in focus won medals. However, not everyone was quite so critical of the the track and field leged’s post.

Michael Johnson’s take on the show drew mixed reactions

Some fans agreed with Johnson’s take on Netflix trying to reach casual fans and even those not into the sport. “Yeah, I agree athletics can do with the attention, not just for major events. This is a positive light shined on it! Netflix has such a wide fan base that kids can watch this to hopefully one day be inspired to try.” one fan said about the Sprint Part 2.

Michael Johnson also highlighted something similar. “Most non-track fans I’ve spoken with loved both seasons, with some having become first-time fans. For the sport that’s mission accomplished,” argued Johnson. The eight-time world champion argued the backlash has mostly come from avid track and field fans.

Another individual agreed with the track and field legend. “For a sport that’s finally getting some high-end media coverage and shows there is surely a lot of complaining. You think the producers would feel good about the very athletes hating the series? What if they stop because of that, now what? Be grateful, it’ll improve over time,” stated the fan.

Michael Johnson explained Netflix focused on the most popular stars to drive interest from a larger audience. Johnson’s argument also came after Noah Lyles once again proved that few athletes can drive interest in the sport quite like he can. The 100m Olympic champion generated a lot of buzz worldwide after racing popular streamer IShowSpeed.

Their race garnered interest from IShowSpeed’s over 60 million subscribers and beyond on social media. However, the counterarguments also kept coming. “Well, who consists of this ‘large audience’? Must be mostly targeting Americans, because not showcasing some of the other country’s track stars shows bias & will turn off some. Are you saying people should look past the usual American insularity & support to ensure another season?” asked a fan about the lack of representation.

While the veteran sprinter didn’t specifically reply to every query, he did leave room for such a discussion. “Is there room for improvement? Of course. Always!” Johnson wrote while concluding his statement. Yet what did you think of Johnson’s argument? Tell us in the comments.