The track and field off-season has delivered no less drama than the sporting events that occurred early this year. And recently, Netflix has been caught up with some criticisms after the release of their sports docuseries, Sprint, season 2. Surely, the show was a hit, but there are many details that came under the limelight, especially during an episode that focused on a segment of Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas.

Both of the American athletes were able to become Olympic champions in the French capital and have made the whole nation proud. However, their representation in the docuseries compared to other non-American athletes was something to be concerned with, as pointed out by track legend Justin Gatlin. This is also not the first time the retired four-time world champion has had criticism for the Netflix show.

The contrasting look between the two types of athletes

On the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin has always discussed all the new things in the sport with his co-host, Rodney Green. This time was no different, as while he was watching the new season of Sprint, he experienced an unusual feeling about a specific segment of an episode. “I don’t know if it was box-to-box trying to create a perspective of what it is to be an American athlete, compared to be an athlete who is non-American and probably from a small country,” the 42-year-old said.

In track and field, two nations from the North American region, the US and Jamaica, have been at the top of the sport for a long time. However, whenever there’s any new Olympic champion or world champion, the perspective hugely changes in the community, as there are big comparisons until the next major event. But the way Netflix aligned their frames of the docuseries, it gave a negative portrayal of the American athletes, as Gatlin pointed out, stating, “There was one scene where Gabby and Noah are laying on the massage tables, getting y’know what I’m saying? Getting their legs rubbed out and they’re having conversation with each other, and they’re talking about how many followers they’ve gained, right? I’ve gained 5,000 a day. I gained about 10,000 a day. But then they cut the scene, and they start talking to like Julien Alfred, and then Julien Alfred is telling her story of, like, ‘I grew up in the ghetto. I went to sleep to gunshots.’ You know what I’m saying?”

As per the retired Olympic champion, Netflix gave out the two contrasting events that were showcased in consecutive frames. This led him to point out that the spotlight was on Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas, relaxing and having the time of their lives getting the massage and discussing social media fame, but the moment the camera shifted to Julien Alfred, it showcased a whole different scenario. The Saint Lucian runner who defeated Sha’Carri Richardson to become the women’s 100m Olympic champion didn’t have an easy childhood.

She had to go through plenty of major problems to establish her junior athletic career and even come to the US to participate in the NCAA. As Gatlin pointed out, drawing a comparison between athletes who live luxurious lives and those who struggle for survival was not a suitable display for newer fans of the sport. It’s not that Lyles and Thomas didn’t struggle to reach the pinnacle of the sport; just like Alfred, they also faced numerous personal challenges before reaching their current status.

Apart from this certain aspect, there are plenty of other flaws that Gatlin pointed out before the moment Sprint season 2 came out. Especially, there was one factor that the crew missed out on, which did have a ton of impact on the portrayal of the athletes from a different perspective, which, as per the 55-year-old, could’ve been a great addition.

Gatlin’s dissatisfaction with Sprint involving Noah Lyles and others runs deeper than it seems

Sprint is one of those Netflix series that brought a ton of attention to the sport. However, the way it was about to portray the lives of the athletes, it did miss out on a lot of details, as per Justin Gatlin. Firstly, he stressed that the series was much more American-centric, as it featured Noah Lyles in their major episodes. Undoubtedly, the Olympic champion is deserving of all the attention, but fans will also enjoy the inside stories of many other athletes, which will provide a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of track and field.

On his podcast, Gatlin mentioned another point, stating that the directors could’ve focused more on the storytelling aspects. He acknowledged that the crew was trying to focus more on the build-up to the Olympic Games, but these stories are much more common, and there could be additions beyond that scene. The co-host of the podcast, Green, also agreed that there was a lack of spotlight on the underdogs of the sport, especially the African athletes. Majorly, the best of the pack were featured in Sprint, but the track legends wanted to see more of those who’ve not received a lot of fame in the sport, despite their enormous skills.