Track and Field Fans Frustrated With Tara Davis Woodhall & Hunter Woodhall Following Controversial Michael Johnson Remark

When Michael Johnson, the iconic sprinter, pitched his idea for a 2025 Grand Slam Track event, he probably didn’t expect to spark a firestorm. Johnson, who believes his new initiative could “save track” but not “track and field,” has now found himself on the receiving end of some serious backlash, and it’s coming from reigning Olympic long jump champ Tara Davis-Woodhall. The problem? Johnson’s plan excludes field events, and that’s a big problem for Tara, who thinks that’s not only unfair but downright wrong.

For context, Johnson’s Grand Slam idea is all about fixing the financial struggles that track and field athletes face. Unlike athletes in major team sports, track and field stars don’t get steady salaries. Instead, they rely on sponsorships and prize money, which can be hit or miss. Johnson wants to change that by offering huge prize pools at each event: $12.6 million, to be exact. The winners of each event group would pocket $100,000, with even the eighth-place finishers taking home $10,000. This has been getting some love from athletes like Noah Lyles: “There are a lot of great points; having a salary for athletes is amazing.” But Tara is not convinced that Johnson’s vision is the right solution.

In a heated video posted with her husband, Hunter Woodhall on X, Tara fired back at Johnson’s comments. “First of all, happy Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for everything and thankful for my sport,” she began. “About my sport, it does not need saving at all. It’s actually, Michael, you are ruining the sport if you are trying to save just track… it’s track and field for a reason.” Ouch. Tara made it clear she’s not just defending the field events for the sake of it—she genuinely believes they’re a core part of the sport’s identity. “The field events actually do have a lot of impact on the sport and we don’t need your saving,” she added.

And she didn’t stop there. Tara Davis also pointed out that Johnson had his chance to change things when he was an active athlete. Now that he’s retired, it’s a little too late to swoop in and claim he’s the savior of the sport. “Your time has passed and if you wanted to change the sport, you would have done it a long time ago,” Tara said, clearly frustrated. “Instead, you were skipping out of the sport. The sport does not need you.”

Hunter Woodhall, ever the supportive husband, jumped in with his two cents. He echoed his wife’s words, calling out Johnson for making bold claims just to stay relevant. “Stop coming back and just being so self-important and just saying wild things to just get a rise out of people because no one cares, to be honest, at all,” Hunter said. And he wasn’t done. He emphasized the Olympics to show that everything is well and dandy with the sport without Johnson’s influence. “I don’t know if you saw the Olympics, they were great,” he added, then putting it beyond the shadow of a doubt that track and field does not need saving for any reason, much less from Michael Johnson. As the controversy surrounding Johnson’s Grand Slam idea is far from being over, the fans have decided to get involved, defending the sport and telling Johnson everything he wanted to know.

Tara Davis Woodhall’s massive sponsorships spark backlash over track and field’s money crisis

Another fan pointed out the harsh reality for most field athletes: “Most field athletes can’t afford to continue without deals. She is in a very privileged position that she had many deals coming out of college, etc.” That’s true; maybe track and field has its flashes, but when it comes to money, well, track and field is still in the minor league. It’s very significant if one looks at how much athletes in major sports are paid compared to those that are on track. For instance, the NFL player initial pay in 2024 is set at $795,000; let alone, every NFL player earns more than many track athletes. On the other hand, many track stars can hardly get sponsorship that will meet their basic expenses. That, however, is not the case with Tara Davis; she is among those who have made it. One is that she has landed some serious sponsorships with such companies as Lululemon and Celsius, and by 2024 her net worth will be around $17 million.

That is why the idea of Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam has caused rather a stir in the industry. His vision for the Grand Slam series is to bring popularity to this sport, which in turn can help grow the chances of getting good sponsorships. It’s a great idea in theory, but the public response to this as an innovative product shows that not everyone is going to support this.  “I believe Michael Johnson is right,” one fan added. “I don’t see any Chanel Tv about Track and Field. Offcourse some athletes have good sponsors and are known a little bit.” Although the Grand Slam could make some of the athletes financially secure, as Noah Lyles pointed out for someone like Trevor Bassett, there’s still a long way to go to address the sport’s structural problems that have been festering for years.

Bassett, who made the 2024 U.S. Olympic team with a stellar third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, secured his spot at the trials but competed without sponsorships. Lyles noted that under the Grand Slam model, athletes like Bassett could receive a salary for several months, possibly covering a year’s worth of expenses, even without a traditional contract. “It changes the game,” Lyles said, showing how the Grand Slam could offer athletes a more stable income through merit-based participation.

Even Tara Davis herself has been open about the challenges track and field faces when it comes to visibility. Back in 2021, she expressed how crucial better broadcasting and more accessible platforms were for the sport’s growth. “There needs to be a better outlet for people to see these sports on a daily basis,” she said, emphasizing that track and field athletes deserve as much watch time as any other sport. She’s used her own platform to educate people about the sport. While Tara has certainly benefited from increased attention due to her success and sponsorships, she’s not happy as Johnson is excluding field events.

As one fan noted, “Goddammit I hate you now because I love Tara and her hubby so much they are so cute but I really do have to agree with you dammit. 😭 Not everyone is blessed with a sponsor that pays that highly (well I assume they do since Lulu is a huge global brand) and I’m sure pays even higher now given Tara’s now global fame due to her recent gold medal (plus the 1-2 punch in fame they both are receiving since Hunter has Paralympic gold now too)..”

While Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam series aims to bring more visibility to track and field, not everyone is convinced it’s the right solution.  As one fan put it, “Remember when you called them out last time, and they tried to gaslight you? You CAN’T hide your REAL FACE for too long, the mask will eventually fall.” With the controversy only continuing to grow, it’s unclear where things will go from here—will Johnson and Tara Davis-Woodhall ever see eye to eye, or will their paths remain at odds? Stay tuned to find out what the future holds for these two track and field stars!