• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 17, 2025
exclusive
Leagues

Grand Slam Track Misses Deadline to Pay Athletes $3 Million

Three agents for athletes who won prize money in Jamaica told Front Office Sports that instead of payments promised by Thursday, they received an email.

Michael Johnson
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Grand Slam Track, the debt-ridden startup led by Michael Johnson, promised athletes last month that it would pay the first tranche of prize money it owed by the end of July.

It has missed that deadline. Athletes are seeking just over $3 million that they were promised from Grand Slam’s debut event in Kingston, Jamaica in April.

Three agents for athletes who won prize money in Jamaica told Front Office Sports that instead of payments expected by Thursday’s deadline, they received an email.

Grand Slam lured in many of the world’s best athletes with promises of significant prize money: $100,000 for the winner of its two-race Slams, $50,000 for second, down to $10,000 for eighth place. (Some athletes also separately signed contracts that paid them salaries.) But that money has not been paid; only the appearance fees for the Kingston event have been paid so far, a source confirmed to FOS on Thursday.

All told, Grand Slam owes athletes at least $13 million in prize money and appearance fees from its three events in Kingston, Philadelphia, and Miami. None of the prize money or appearance fees from the Philadelphia or Miami meets have been paid, and the league has said it would honor the appearance fees from the Los Angeles meet. It canceled its fourth event in Los Angeles after what Johnson eventually admitted to FOS was a cash crunch caused by an investor pulling out of an eight-figure commitment.

“Our plan is to make payments for Kingston prize money before the end of July and the remaining payments due by the end of September, which includes the honoring of Los Angeles appearance fees,” the league told agents at the beginning of the month. It is now pushing back that deadline.

“Grand Slam Track is anticipating investor funds to hit our account imminently, and the athletes are our top priority,” the league told FOS in a statement Thursday. 

“Once these funds are received on our end, we will work to immediately process them to the athletes, noting all banks have different timelines for receiving and depositing funds into individual accounts.

“We are in the process of recapitalizing the company, and we are committed to distributing funds to athletes as soon as we receive them. As we continue to receive funds in the upcoming months, we will distribute payments as they come in. We will continue making progress toward completing full payments at the earliest date possible.”

Johnson told FOS in an interview last week that he was working to fill the gap caused by the unexpected shortfall. The league had launched with $30 million in “commitments” from investors.

“We’ve been working very hard over the last couple of months to make sure that we can get everyone taken care of and making sure that we can actually get to next season,” Johnson said.

A league spokesperson told FOS that though no payment had been made yet Thursday, “Funds are coming imminently, and will be immediately paid to the athletes as soon as received.”

The deadline could prove existential for the league. 

“Tomorrow would be the last day before I think people get pretty upset,” Grant Fisher told reporters Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, ahead of the U.S. track and field championships, which began Thursday afternoon.

Fisher won his long-distance event group in Kingston and was supposed to be paid $100,000 by Thursday. Fisher is one of 45 athletes owed a total of $3.12 million from the Kingston meet. Those athletes include sprinters Gabby Thomas and Kenny Bednarek, who are each owed $100,000 in prize money alone from Kingston. Thomas left a comment reading “Pls pay me” on Grand Slam’s TikTok account recently.

“The thing is, if the money doesn’t come through, then no athlete is ever going to want to take a chance on a new idea, no investor is going to want to take a chance on a new idea,” Fisher said Wednesday, according to Letsrun. “It’s just going to be an all-around bad thing for the sport if things don’t come through. So my fingers are crossed. I hope it all works.”

Fisher also mentioned the possibility of legal action and said the league had no chance of returning in 2026 if it failed to pay athletes. Johnson and the league’s lead investor, Winners Alliance, say they plan on holding meets again next year.

“If they aren’t able to pay out the debts that they have for this past year, I don’t think it will exist for next year,” Fisher said. “And even if it did somehow exist and they’re still in debt to athletes, no new athlete is going to sign on for the following year.”

His agent, Alistair Cragg, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dave Checketts

Former Knicks President: When David Stern Accused Me of Circumventing Cap

The Knicks walked away clean when accused of cap circumvention in the 1990s.
Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Semaj Morgan (0) makes a catch for a first down in the first half against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Michigan Board Publicly Opposes Big Ten Investment Proposal

“The Big Ten does not need to be sold to save college sports.”

Steelers’ Shared Stadium With Pitt Comes Under Fire for Bad Turf

The conditions at Acrisure Stadium have been subpar this season.

Featured Today

May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Second place Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) sprays champagne on winner Mercedes driver George Russell (63) at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Apple Officially Taking F1 Rights From ESPN in $700M Deal

ESPN has broadcast F1 in the U.S. since 2018.
WNBA
October 16, 2025

WNBA Says All-Star Game Will Return to Chicago Next Year

The league’s CBA expires in two weeks.
October 16, 2025

NHL Expansion Fee Soars to $2B As League’s Value Surges

The buy-in price for the league will more than triple.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 15, 2025

NHL Raises Concerns Over 2026 Olympic Arena’s Delayed Construction

The commissioner says construction progress in Italy remains a deep concern.
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena.
October 14, 2025

Dawn Staley Says NBA Far From Ready to Hire a Female Head..

South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach interviewed with the Knicks.
October 14, 2025

Cavaliers Go All In, Lead NBA With Record $392M Payroll

The Cavs are the only second-apron violator in the NBA.
Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and Portland Trail Blazers logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.
October 13, 2025

NBA Reopens Doors in China—and Eyes the WNBA Next

The Mavericks and Rockets are set to play games in Macao next year.