• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

Michael Johnson’s New Track League Gets Boost With Media Deal

Olympian Noah Lyles said he was holding out on the league until its deal was announced.

Credit: Grand Slam Track

In an important step in making professional track more mainstream, the new startup league Grand Slam Track announced its media rights deal Monday with The CW Network and NBC Sports.

Peacock, which has about 36 million subscribers, will stream all events, with most of them also broadcast on The CW Network, and NBC will show a special with highlights from the opening weekend on May 10. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Anticipation for the fledgling league’s media deal has been building largely thanks to Olympic gold medal sprinter Noah Lyles, who has said his participation in the league hinges on a strong distribution partner.

“The problem with our sport right now is we have great performances, but nobody is able to see it,” Lyles told ESPN last year. “So until I’m able to hear that TV sponsor, I don’t know that I can make a decision on that yet, because we could have the greatest performances at the Grand Slam Track, but if a tree falls in the middle of the woods and nobody’s there to see it, did it fall?”

Grand Slam Track announced the final racers in its 48-spot inaugural season in December, a list that does not include Lyles. (The league signs 48 “Racers” for all events, and another 48 “Challengers” for each event, meaning there’s still room for Lyles should he want to run.) On Monday, Lyles reposted an announcement of the media deal from Grand Slam Track on X, but didn’t add his personal thoughts to the post.

The new league, which was created by four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, is part of a larger movement in the sport aimed at getting more highly touted and highly compensated events in the sport. The first season of the league will feature four “Slams,” beginning in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 4 before traveling to Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles over the next two months. Athletes like Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Fred Kerley, Josh Kerr, and Cole Hocker are all committed as “Racers.” Following Johnson’s vision, the league won’t make athletes wear paper bibs.

“Racers” will get a base salary in addition to prize money, which starts at $100,000 for first place and totals $12.6 million for the entire first season.

Grand Slam Track will bolster the live sports offerings on Peacock, which will be largely dormant this spring without the Olympics or NFL playoff games. The CW has increased its sports portfolio in recent years with the WWE, NASCAR, ACC football and basketball games, and Pac-12 football. The CW and Peacock will give Grand Slam Track a larger distribution than what competitor track startup Athlos had at its first event in New York in September, which aired on YouTube, X, DAZN, and ESPN+.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court on Jan. 22, 2025, ahead a game against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Unrivaled Makes NIL Splash During WNBA All-Star Weekend

The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league signed 14 college players to NIL deals.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

Manfred Says MLB Had Wrong Approach to Creators Like Jomboy

“You gotta go where people are going,” the commissioner said.
(NCL_OSU_11_SUGAR_LAURON 04JAN11) Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) slips around the Arkansas Razorbacks defense during first half of the Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, January 4, 2011.

Terrelle Pryor’s Case for NIL Backpay Dismissed in Court

Pryor played seven years in the NFL after leaving OSU amid a scandal.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.

Netflix Beats Projections Again—and Plots Big Holiday Sports Slate

The streaming giant again beats analyst projections in every respect.
Jul 15, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; National League designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the swing off of after the 2025 MLB All Star Game ended in a tie at Truist Park.
July 16, 2025

MLB All-Star Game Viewership Dips Despite Historic Swing-Off

Game viewership falls 3% despite late dramatics in the unique tiebreaker.
July 17, 2025

ESPN Bidding Against NBC, Apple for MLB Rights Package

The league continues to negotiate with multiple media-rights bidders.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 15, 2025

MLB Home Run Derby Draws 5.7M Viewers on ESPN, Up 5%

ESPN reverses the trend from last year and registers audience growth.
July 15, 2025

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
exclusive
July 15, 2025

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game’s relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
NBC Sports
exclusive
July 14, 2025

NBC Hiring Ex-Hawks Exec Grant Liffmann As NBA Front Office Insider

Liffmann spent the last three years with Atlanta after covering the Warriors.