Grand Slam Track’s Inaugural Season Is Complete. Here’s What They Got Right, And What Needs Improving

Grand Slam Track’s inaugural season ended earlier than expected in June when the start-up league, an innovative approach to the professional track and field landscape featuring Olympic athletes and backed by a reported $30 million in investment, announced the cancellation of its final meet on the calendar in Los Angeles.

Citing economic drivers, Grand Slam Track adjusted on the fly and announced its decision to move ahead toward 2026, closing its first chapter.

With the decision, the league saved over $3 million in costs, from prize money, to meet and event management, to travel costs for athletes and staff. Grand Slam Track’s first season included meets in three continental cities, from Kingston, Jamaica; to Miami, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“We launched with a bold vision to reimagine professional track racing and we could not be more excited about what we have accomplished so far, delivering amazing races to a rabid fan base,” Grand Slam Track commissioner Michael Johnson said in a statement.

“As we’ve said all along, we were going to have learnings, make adjustments, and continue to improve. Sometimes we have to make moves that aren’t comfortable, but what’s most important is the future and sustainability of the league.”

But while the league delivered on its promise to change track and field’s structure and bring high-level competition to the market on a more consistent basis, questions remain, from the long-term viability of its operation, to optimal presentation for both fans and athletes.

Year one featured some ups and downs for Grand Slam Track.

Here are three things that worked and three things that need improvement for 2026.

McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States is seen after finishing the Women’s 100 Meters, part of the Women’s Short Hurdles group, on Day Two of the Grand Slam Track Series at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Less

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The Good: A Highly-Professionalized League For Track And Field Athletes

We’ll give Grand Slam Track credit for being laser-focused on its premise. While it invited critics when it announced it would be devoid of field events, the league showcased extremely competitive fields across various racing disciplines over three meets, from the sprints to the hurdles, middle distance, and distance events.

The league ultimately got the results it desired, from an American record in the 100 meter hurdles by Olympic champion Masai Russell, to world leads in various other distances. Racing, it turned out, bred fast times, and it produced some truly fanatical finishes – from a wild upset in the men’s middle distance category in Jamaica by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, to superb moments in the men’s short hurdles in Miami by Trey Cunningham, to sprint repeats by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek in Philadelphia.

It also saw a rare moment from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who raced down in her final meet, competing for the first time in her professional career at 100 meters – and for the first time outright in seven years. The multiple-time Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 400 meter hurdles ultimately finished second in the women’s short hurdles category.

What’s more, Johnson’s league also brought professionalism to track and field.

Offering guaranteed salaries to “racers,” along with athlete ambassador fees, Grand Slam Track brought meritocracy to a sport often lacking consistent wages to the sport’s best athletes.

The Bad: Grand Slam Track’s Inaugural Year Was Hampered By A Meet Cancellation And Mid-Year Adjustments

It’s hard to look past the optics of a cancellation. The last meet set for Los Angeles was, in many ways, supposed to close out the first year with a bang. Instead, it came with a whimper.

One source told Front Office Sports the league was looking for a new strategic investor. Perhaps that came just a few days later. On June 18, Grand Slam Track announced a new partnership with Sundial Media & Technology Group, a creative digital media and entertainment platform home to brands like Refinery29 and Essence.

Following a poorly-attended meet in Jamaica and a packed audience in Miami – though the Ansin Sports Complex had a maximum capacity of 5,000 seats – the league cut a full day from its schedule, going from three days to two in Philadelphia.

That decision ultimately led to the elimination of the 5,000 meters, with Johnson eliminating the race after showings, he said, which did not fit the league’s standards.

“We felt the two-race concept wasn’t working as well,” Johnson told reporters after the Philadelphia meet. The decision also cut just over $250,000 in prize money from the distance category.

When pressed on the decision, Johnson added: “I mean, you just have to watch them.”

While attendance was much higher in Philadelphia, featuring fans that were spread across the grandstands, the stadium was not sold-out and likely topped out at around 25,000 for two days, according to a source.

The league was not without controversy, either. In Miami, a scuffle at the team hotel led to an arrest and the suspension of athlete Frank Kerley, a featured racer. The next month, a fan heckled Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas in Philadelphia, leading to that fan’s banning of a betting site.

United States takes a selfie after he wins the Men’s 3000 meters and the Men’s Long DIstance category on the second day of the third leg of the Grand Slam Track Series, held at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)Less

Anadolu via Getty Images

The Good: Greater Exposure For Olympic Athletes And a More Consistent Schedule

Grand Slam Track was broadcast effectively, though, from daily streaming on Peacock, to linear options on the CW. Network ratings saw Grand Slam Track reach an average of 243,500 households during the Kingston event on the CW, while 249,000 households tuned in during its Miami meet, per Sports Media Watch. The CW broadcast over the league’s final two days in Jamaica and Miami, while it aired each day in Philadelphia.

Overall, the viewing options offered consistent access to the league and offered greater production value, from high-level commentary to built-in stories featuring the league’s top stars.

Few would doubt the extent to which Grand Slam Track invested into its social media department, either. The league has offered robust media content before and after meets and continues to post on social media through June.

Growing its Instagram audience to 139,000 followers, X to 16,500 and YouTube to 25,200, Grand Slam Track is slowly but surely monetizing its efforts, creating supplementary revenue streams.

The Bad: Middling Fan Interest At The Gate

The league’s biggest pain point was at the gate, where operations did not go to plan. On its debut day in Jamaica on April 4, the competition played out before a stadium roughly one-third full. While later days improved on that outcome – as Grand Slam Track incentivized audiences with free tickets – it likely did not generate additional revenue from gate receipts.

And with economic forces – which most likely is escalating costs – driving the cancellation of its Los Angeles meet, the league certainly will need to improve on its strategy heading into 2026. The schedule played a role on that first day, with an early evening start time contributing to late arrivals at the Independence Park complex.

Curiously, the league’s decision to host meets across a wide variety of facilities also contributed to its uneven showing. Capacity for National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica (35,000); the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida; (5,000), Franklin Field (52,593) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Drake Stadium at UCLA in Los Angeles (11,700) all featured varying facility features.

The Good: A Total of Just Over $9 Million In Prize Money Was Awarded To Racers

Without investment, sports like track and field will struggle to survive.

And when Grand Slam Track was unveiled in June 2024, it announced a reported $30 million in financial commitments, mainly from Winner’s Alliance, a commercial and athlete licensing company anchored in sports properties. Later, Billionaire Robert F. Smith, the chairman and founder of Vista Equity, joined on the league’s board.

Just over $9 million was handed out to competitors over three meets, including “Racer of the Year” paydays to Jefferson-Wooden and Bednarek, each carrying an extra $100,000 distinction.

Athletes without contracts, meanwhile – such as Jacory Patterson, who worked with UPS on the side to support his professional track hustle – proved their worth to wider audiences. Patterson earned the respect of his peers and decision-makers after running 43.98 seconds for 400 meters, later signing with Nike.

In the end, those opportunities are what will have a lasting impact for those involved.

former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson, the founder and CEO of Grand Slam Track, introduces winners in every category, affter two days of competition of the Grand Slam Track Series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)Less

Anadolu via Getty Images

The Bad: An Uncertain Future For Grand Slam Track

The flip side to opportunity, however, will be just how long it will last.

Following the league’s Los Angeles cancellation – which came not after Grand Slam announced the decision but because news was broken – Johnson reaffirmed his ambitions toward Year 2.

“The decision to conclude the inaugural Grand Slam Track season is not taken lightly, but it’s one rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out in this pilot season,” he said, “and the importance of looking towards 2026 and beyond.”

Johnson added: “The global economic landscape has shifted dramatically in the past year, and this business decision has been made to ensure our long-term stability as the world’s premier track league.”

Johnson added that the league is in discussions with new venues for the coming season and believes Los Angeles, which remains its homebase, will be an important calendar event in future years.