Michael Johnson, the legendary sprinter and founder of Grand Slam Track, recently addressed fans’ concerns over the broadcast of his upcoming track event. The track superstar provided insights on how he and his team will operate and manage the league’s coverage and audience engagement.
During an interview, Johnson spoke with Citius Mag’s Anderson Emerole, and they extensively discussed his Grand Slam Track for the 2025 season.
Eventually, the journalist raised a concern about the broadcast, “Do we have an idea of how this is going to be shown to fans?” With a straightforward remark, Johnson described the league’s commitment to reaching out to the audience:
“We are committed to making sure that we grow this sport through our television partner. We’re working on that now.“
Johnson, an experienced track veteran, was aware of the sport’s declining popularity. Nevertheless, he and his broadcasting partners, including television organizations, streamers, and others, were committed to growing track and field.
Johnson emphasized that selecting the ideal broadcasting partner for Grand Slam Track is critical, as they will eventually help the league create its audience in the coming years, which would be much broader than the existing fanbase. He highlighted another crucial element in this process:
“It’s also important for us, given how we’re structured, and the amount of money that we raised for this, and what would value that.“
Johnson understood the monetary significance of GST, but with so much at risk for the sport, he was willing to find the finest broadcasting partner on television, only to reach the biggest audience possible.
He acknowledged the fanbase’s unhappiness with track and field, which often failed to fit into “prime time” on TV. However, while this would be a big hurdle for the league, Johnson was ready and determined to face it.
“We’ve to be in that position…Failure’s is not an option for us.”
Despite the challenges that lay ahead, he felt gratified by the strong interest from potential partners for the project. Johnson had complex feelings about the impending GST contract negotiations, knowing that such critical decisions demanded careful consideration and could not be rushed.
While the broadcast and funding were critical, he noted that obtaining event rights was also significant because it would allow the athletes to upload many moments to their social media accounts, resulting in increased reach for the event.
Numerous factors must be considered when launching an event, and Johnson simply asked the audience to believe in him and his crew so that they could bring the greatest version of the sport back to the forefront.
