Grand Slam Track has completed its first two meets, with two left to go. As this is the half way point I thought that it would be a good time to give a preliminary assessment given that all of the previous comments being made were done without actually seeing the product in action!
I’ll say right up front that I give it a strong “B” at this point, primarily because it is causing needed change within the sport. Let me start with the meets themselves. Excellent locations, even though the meet in Kingston had light attendance. The follow up in Miami was well attended, with the next two competitions scheduled for Philadelphia and Los Angeles. All great cities and more importantly sports cities with great infrastructure. Important when you’re trying to build a sport and a brand. When professional sports leagues think about expansion – and in many ways this is an expansion of track and field – they look for cities that offer rich cultural experiences, diverse culinary options, well developed infrastructure, walkability, attractive landmarks, historical significance, vibrant night life, safe environment, accessible transportation, natural beauty nearby, and a unique character that sets it apart from other destinations. Essentially offering a mix of engaging activities, ease of movement, and a distinct local atmosphere. Yes, the game/meet must be entertaining, but being able to get there easily; have a nice place to stay, and the ability to have a memorable time outside of the stadium, are all important too! Sadly this has been missing in US track and field with all important meets shoved into a single location with zero infrastructure and nothing more than a nice stadium. Where your meets are held is extremely important for fans! These four Grand Slam meets are actually getting us back to prominent locations where our top athletes can get the proper exposure to the public. The type of exposure they have had to go to Europe to get, they can now get at home. So kudos to Grand Slam for that.
Speaking of top athletes, this is what Grand Slam (I’ll refer to as GST) has been touting in its marketing – only the fastest. I will give them props for the attempt to garner the best athletes to compete, but that is a tall task in today’s environment. In part because of its newness, as several elite athletes wonder about its sustainability. Stating they aren’t sure they want to compete for a group that may not be around long. While I understand that sentiment, the athletes also need to understand that THEY can assist in that sustainability by participating! The more top level athletes that compete, the more eyes that become focused on the meets. Again this is not new, prior to “professionalism” creating change in the sport in the late ’80’s, early’90’s athletes competed more frequently, meets had an easier time attracting fans, and the sport was incredibly popular in the United States.
Aside from the skepticism of some top athletes, I think what’s more important is the timing of GST meets, as they are being run too early in the season for many athletes. The biggest meet of the year, the World Championships, is in September. National team selection meets, National championships, are in August. It’s hard to hold a peak much more than 4-6 weeks, if that. All of which means to run your best right now could put you at risk of making the team and competing in Tokyo. This has happened to elite collegiate athletes for decades. They have to peak for the NCAA Championships; turn around 2-3 weeks later and attempt to make the US national team; and if successful, be prepared to compete at Worlds or Olympics a month later. In the end it’s very difficult, and success is rare. This is why we have yet to see many elite athletes open their seasons this year. Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin, Sha’Carri Richardson, Femke Bol, among others are not competing yet, and that’s why. We may not see them for weeks yet. So the timing of GST has been a problem in it’s fledgling season. At least in terms of gathering talent. While it doesn’t have all of the fastest, it does have many fast individuals, so how has that gone?
The athletes that are competing in GST have been on fire! We’ve already seen 48.67 in the women’s 400m from Salwa Naser, with a PR 49.14 from Gabby Thomas making her the 6th fastest American woman ever. Gabby is also #2 in the world in her signature event, the 200m, with a 21.95 with the 3rd thru 6th best also competing in GST. As a matter of fact, the women’s global leaders in the 800m, 3000m, 5000m and 10000m are all GST competitors. As are the global leaders in the men’s 200m, 400m, and 800m, and where GST athletes aren’t number one, they are number two or three. In short, getting top athletes together is doing what it always does, create outstanding marks. Not just great times however, but also great competition. Sterling finishes, and close races have been common place in Kingston and Miami. I must admit the two race format has been great. Athletes competing in their signature event (there’s no such thing as “specialists” in track and field), then again in a secondary event has created exciting races. With some athletes doing as well or better in the secondary race! Of course, with your combined race results determining how much money you earn, THAT is to be expected! With $100k for first, $50k for second, $30k for third, $20k for fourth, $15k for fifth, $12k for sixth, $11k for s seventh, and $10k for eighth place. How you finish has major implications for your wallet and it shows in the competition.
Bringing us to the two biggest items in GST in my opinion. One is getting elite athletes on the track, not once, but twice in the same competition. Getting athletes to compete outside of championships has been difficult, especially here in the US due to lack of elite meets in prime locations. GST has solved that. The big thing however, is the money. Eighth place in these meets is as good as winning in many European meets, which until now were the highest paying meets on the planet. Placing well enough twice and out scoring your opponents creates a $100,000 payday – previously unheard of in track and field. Of course, the payout and getting the athletes to compete are interrelated. The payout being the attraction, and if I’m being honest, it’s the already highly compensated athletes (via shoe contracts and endorsements) that have been the most difficult to garner support from. What we’re seeing in GST are the “hungrier” athletes, which is incredible to think that athletes of the caliber we’re watching could even be considered “hungry” in this sport! Yet this is where the sport is, and why GST is important! It’s a major step towards bringing a greater level of professionalism to the sport. From competition locations to the experience for the fans, to the compensation for the athletes. These things are all positives and deserve support.
Are there negatives? Yes, as there are in anything new and trying to get going. I think that three days of competition is a lot of fan commitment, both those in person and those watching on television. Though I must also give kudos to GST for having meets that are universally available and free to watch via TV and streaming. On that note, I think the “pre show” could be shortened. There could be less “dead time”, and the announcers could be more knowledgeable. Though I am a fan of Steve Cram and John Anderson, the others could be better. I would also like a bit less of Michael Johnson as I think the focus should be on the athletes and not him. As I said earlier, we’re missing a lot of top level talent, though I’m hoping that the success of the first half will see more join the second half. Though I do believe that having future seasons a bit later would help tremendously.
Overall however, I like what I’ve seen so far and am looking forward to the second half. I’m very curious to see how GST competitors do overall the rest of the season, including Nationals and Worlds. As that will also affect how athletes view participation. If you’re a true fan of the sport, you’re rooting for Grand Slam to succeed. It’s much needed here in the US and for the sport in general.