In June 2024, American Olympic sprinter Michael Johnshon announced that he was starting the first global track and field league, Grand Slam Track. Track and field at the professional level is a largely individual sport. Competition is scattered across the world, with all the biggest stars meeting only at the Olympic Games or World Championships. So, a league format means big changes for the sport.
One of the biggest advantages of the league is that it provides track athletes with the VISibility and access that they deserve. To learn more, we talked to VIS Mentor and 2-time Olympian, Elise Cranny, about what Grand Slam means to her and the women’s track community.
Grand Slam: A New Era of Track VISibility
Unlike sports like basketball and football, track athletes haven’t had a consistent league for the best of the best. This makes the sport harder for the average viewer to follow, resulting in a much smaller fan base in non-Olympic years. But this is starting to change with Grand Slam Track. According to Johnson, he is “building this league for [the] fans and compensating the competitors to put on an amazing show for them. Everyone wins!”
Cranny says that Grand Slam Track has been a “dream” of hers for years. “I love watching other sports/sport documentaries and I vividly remember watching ‘Break Point’, wishing the sport of track and field had competitions structured similar to tennis,” she says. “To be a part of what I hope is the first of many seasons of Grand Slam is incredibly special and I feel honored that I will get to line up against the best in the world multiple times throughout the 2025 season.”
A league format, like the WNBA or PWHL, provides fans with high-quality rivalry, storytelling, and elite matchups. Grand Slam also compensates its athletes both for their appearance in the meets and has prize purses of up to $100,000 per “Slam.” They operate on the simple premise that more racing is good for the sport because it helps athletes pursue financial and athletic advancement and provides track fans with entertainment. And we agree.
The Power of Rivalry
According to the Grand Slam website, they have “one singular focus: rivalry in racing,” and they want “head to head competition and storytelling at the core of [their] entire existence.” The league has continuity between the racers competing in each meet, mandatory races within each event group, and a huge prize purse up for grabs. This creates storylines, close races, and some friendly fire between athletes and leads viewers to get more invested in the sport.
Cranny says that this format, where the best of the best constantly clash, will allow for more star-studded races. “This is going to bring visibility to rivalries in the sport and allows fans to follow individual athletes more closely,” she says.
“Track has taught me lessons that I likely wouldn't have learned elsewhere and it has changed my life. Bringing more visibility to women's track allows more young girls to see what is possible for them in the future.”
Fan Interaction and Inspiration
Grand Slam makes it clear that not only is the league meant to bring athletes more VISibility and fair compensation, but it prioritizes the experience of track fans all over the world. Their emphasis is on carefully selecting competitors, race distances, and locations that draw in more viewers to the sport. For Cranny, this kind of exposure is incredibly important for young women and girls in sport.
“Girls drop out of sport at a much faster rate than boys during development so women's track is important because the more girls see women in track, the more likely they are to want to stay in the sport themselves,” she says. “People need role models that look like them. Running helps girls and women feel confident, empowered, strong, independent, and offers a sense of purpose.”
In a time where “world records are being broken, women are running faster than ever before, and women are doing it their own way,” exposure to women’s track becomes invaluable for young women runners. Cranny makes the point that getting in on the growing sport is a good financial and social investment. “Track has taught me lessons that I likely wouldn't have learned elsewhere and it has changed my life,” she says. “Bringing more visibility to women's track allows more young girls to see what is possible for them in the future.”
Investment is the Answer
One of the biggest lessons we can learn from the recent growth of women’s sports and the progress yet to be made is that adequate financial compensation and ample athletic resources allow a league and its athletes to be more competitive. This, in turn, bolsters viewership and league profit. The cycle of investment and return is evident in the large prize pools for the Grand Slam league. Racers are paid a base salary for participating in the league and have the chance to win up to $400,000 dollars in prize money across the four meets.
“Larger prize pools ultimately allow for better athletic performances and allow athletes to make decisions on what races are truly best for their competitive season and their development rather than having to consider financial implications of certain meets or choosing one meet over another due to prize money availability,” Cranny explains.
This is particularly important in track because while brand deals provide many of the resources needed to be an elite athlete, contracts are not as lucrative as those in major league sports. Cranny placed 6th in the women’s long distance group at the first Slam in Kingston, Jamaica, winning a prize purse of $15,000. The next Slam starts on May 2nd in Miami, Florida.
“In a sport where sponsorships don't provide the same amount of money as other sports, prize pools are a crucial part of income for track athletes,” Cranny says. “This will allow the sport of track and field to continue to grow and will allow more people to enter the sport, stay in the sport, and have opportunities in the sport.”
As we can see from the massive success of other major sports leagues, this format greatly benefits the sport, the athletes, and the fans. The potential for elite competition, inter-league rivalry, and athletic challenges means greater entertainment for the viewers. And the sport’s biggest prize purse means athletes are fairly compensated for their appearances. Like Johnson says, this increase in VISibility means everyone wins!
