The Olympic season always draws a lot of attention to sports with modest fan followings. However, a sport like track and field has reached a critical point where it requires a considerable increase in the number of viewers. While many track giants have raised this issue in the past, Noah Lyles has now entered the discussion about making it more than just an Olympic event.
The American athlete gave an exclusive interview to Dazed Digital, where he discussed overhauling track & field. Many sportsmen, including him, want to see the sport expand way beyond what it is currently. They even have higher expectations from the sport because they understand the possibilities that track and field offers.
Despite each season having a plethora of track and field events across the world, viewership drops considerably in the gap years between two summer Olympics. Lyles recognized this issue, and while talking about his Olympic aspirations, also encouraged fans to continue loving the sport, saying,
“We have to break away from the Olympic model, meaning that we can’t put all of our eggs in that basket.”
The athlete underlines that the sport cannot solely rely on the Olympic season. They must innovate, as other prominent sports do, to attract new audiences while still keeping their existing fanbases satisfied.
Since track and field has been stagnant for such a long time, the six-time world champion even expects to see some modifications in the regulations, as they may have the potential to introduce fresh challenges.
“We have to find other ways to modernize the sport and give it more sufficient legs to stand on.”
Prior to this interview, the athlete demonstrated his willingness to go to any length to improve the sport’s status. In collaboration with Adidas on his YouTube channel, Lyles assumed complete responsibility for live-streaming the Atlanta City Games.
Noah Lyles showcasing his interest in the growth of track and field
Noah Lyles is deeply committed to the sport, in addition to winning medals in several track events. He is conscious of track and field’s declining audience, and before the start of the Atlanta City Games, revealed that he would be live-streaming the event for free. Many people noted the track star’s initiative and expressed gratitude for making such a large event available for everyone interested in the sport.
The stream received approximately 200k views when combined with the pre-race program, which was a huge success. Meanwhile, Lyles has other goals for this year as well, but he recognizes that the fans are very important to the sport since they are the ones who fuel it.
