Have you ever watched the Olympics?
If so, then you have probably heard of track and field. However, have you ever heard of track without the field?
Recently, Michael Johnson, four-time Olympic gold medalist, four-time world record holder, eight-time world champion, and seven-time Diamond League winner, announced his new track league called Grand Slam Track. The meet will bring 48 signed athletes and an additional 48 “challenger” athletes. The Grand Slam Track Racing committee picks the signed athletes based on world rankings, popularity, and championship performances, while the challenger athletes are picked based on potential talent.
The list of events is as follows: 100m, 200m, 400m, 100m/110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m.
The first thing you may notice is that there are no field events.
No long jump, no triple jump, no high jump, no pole vault, no shot put, no discus, no javelin, and no hammer throw.
Your first question may be, why? Why would the Grand Slam Track League not include the field events, when there are so many talented athletes such as Armand Duplantis, Ryan Crouser, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and many others? Michael Johnson made that decision for multiple reasons.
Firstly, the combination of track and field events going on at the same time makes it extremely hard for casual fans to follow along. So he excluded the field events to make the event more appealing to casual fans who are not familiar with track and field. Secondly, he doesn’t want the events to be rushed. What I mean by that is that he wants each event to be given equal opportunity to be celebrated and dissected. If there were field events, it would cause the camera to be constantly jumping around between events without truly showing appreciation for each event. Lastly, the Grand Slam Track Association has limited money. If they were to add field events, the prize money for each event would decrease significantly, as seen in the Diamond League, which offers $30,000 compared to the $100,000 the Grant Slam offers.
Now that I have explained the reasoning behind Michael Johnson’s decision to exclude field events, I pose another question: Can track and field leagues like this thrive without the field? In my opinion, yes.
Generally, track events are more popular than field events, as in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, the men’s 100m attracted 5.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched event in America since the 2012 Olympic Trials. Secondly, field events don’t have the same energy compared to track events. When I was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, I watched the men’s 100m finals, and the energy was unmatched. All eyes were on the competitors as they eagerly waited to see who would be crowned the fastest man. When the gun went off, everyone sprang out of their seats and cheered so loudly that my ears rang. In comparison, the men’s hammer throw was less exciting. With the occasional cheer after each throw, the energy was just not there. Lastly, track events are much easier to keep up with. No matter what country you are from, you innately understand how the races are won. In field events such as the shot put and long jump, there are additional rules that complicate the events. This makes it harder for viewers to keep up with the rules, as they are confused about them.
Those are my takes on whether the Grand Slam Track League will explode in popularity. I hope I didn’t make any field event athletes too mad, as I understand your event requires extreme dedication and strength.
