As Commissioner of the Grand Slam Track League, Michael Johnson has so many reasons to choose Philadelphia as the fourth venue of the contest. After all, the track contest will be staged on the iconic Franklin Field. For starters, the field is profoundly known for hosting the annual Penn Relays—a contest that invites participants both from the USA and Jamaica. Now, Johnson points out the rest of the part that drove him to take Philly’s name as the fourth venue. 

In his interaction, Johnson said, “Philly has a reputation for bringing intensity to every event, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for with Grand Slam Track.” Meanwhile, Chris Chavez, another stakeholder of GST, said, “I’ve had the pleasure of attending nearly 10 editions of the Penn Relays and it’s always one of the most knowledgeable and animated crowds of fans for a domestic meet. Jamaican fans flock to Franklin Field to wave their yellow, black, and green flags proudly.” Remember, the stadium has 52,000 capacity. So the marketing option will not disappoint the stakeholders as well. But something is off-footing in the entire presentation.

Previously, Johnson chose two other American cities as the venues. On the list, he kept Kingston’s name as the only global venue for the league with $100,000 prize money. Therefore, in the selection of the venues, the authority prioritized the Jamaican sentiment. Apart from that, at the number of venues, the USA region has received the first call. But isn’t that something questionable? 

Well, Jonathan Gault questioned the selection process of the venues. In his X-post, the veteran sports journalist wrote, “Very US-focused. This is a pivot from GST’s original announcement in June, which said there would be two international cities.” True, there could have been two international venues if the UK Athletics had joined the party. But they didn’t. On Reddit, someone raised that part. In their comment, the fan stated, “Looks like they tried to get a meet in the UK but it didn’t work out.” But what is the entire UK venue fiasco? 

The report says that the UKA had to back off from the scene because of its ongoing financial crisis. In the past, the UKA had to face a massive financial blow while hosting the London Diamond League. Because of the lack of audiences in the stadium, the revenue hit rock bottom. Ultimately, that financial loss worked as an alert for the organization. In fact, the chief body of the UK Athletics explained the same. 

“Three days of just track athletics is a lot of tickets to sell in the London Stadium and the cost base comes pretty high there,” Jack Buckner, UKA’s chief executive, said. But he admitted to receiving Michael Johnson’s call to join the league as host. “They did approach us and we had a really good discussion with them,” Buckner revealed. That bowing out left Michael Johnson with limited options. He had to find a venue in the USA with a vibrant sports culture. Meanwhile, Philly filled in. In his reason for choosing the venue, the four-time Olympic champion shared that. 

In his elaboration, Johnson said, “Philadelphia’s sports culture is something else, and it’s going to elevate the competition.” But the track and field sports fans are still confused about the decisions. On Reddit, they have written down a few. 

Michael Johnson faces bittersweet reactions from track and field sports followers

In Philadelphia, the fans usually flock in high numbers to follow the Penn Relays. Estimates say that the headcount usually touches more than 100,000 in the last three days of the four-day event. On that aspect, the Grand Slam Track may also turn the eyes of a large number. Furthermore, the site’s presence in the Eastern Time Zone would provide a hassle-free TV broadcast. Don’t those reasons suffice? Meanwhile, a fan posted on Reddit: “One of the most historic stadiums in the world, I’m glad it’ll be in the spotlight.” Undoubtedly, the elegant stadium is bound to create goosebumps for the fans. Why? 

A few months ago, the stadium held contests with qualifying standards for the Paris Olympics. Someone shared another reason. The fan mentioned, “Running at Penn in high school was surreal. That place is a real coliseum.” With 52,000 seats and an amphitheater-like building, the stadium promotes that comparison. But Michael Johnson’s decisions had their bad days as well. 

In the middle of the discussion, a fan quipped, “Guess there’s no Europe.” After UKA’s backing out from the list, that is the ultimate truth. But there are hopes. In his X-post, Tim Adams displayed that glimmer. In his post, the sports journalist penned, “I really hope that GST makes an appearance in the UK/Central Europe in 2026 + expands to Asia/Africa/South America/Oceania in the future.” But the fans have felt low witnessing the absence in the inaugural edition. 

Someone shared the emotion using a quirky reply. The comment reads, “Has anyone ever tripped on the lane 3/4 rail during a 4×400?” That could be a serious jibe at Michael Johnson, given his authority in the 400m event. And the ‘tripping’ could be the decision to move the venue to Philadelphia, ignoring a global venue. Or it could be because of prioritizing the Jamaican sentiment over and over again. What do you think about this?