Grand Slam Track, the new track league founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, has called off its season finale in Los Angeles, effectively ending its debut year one meet short.
The slam (as the events are known) was scheduled for June 28–29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, and while no official statement has been issued by the league, multiple sources confirmed Thursday that it’s been canceled. The decision was delivered to athletes and agents during an all-hands Zoom meeting, as first reported by Front Office Sports.
The cancellation marks a significant shift for a league that launched earlier this year with bold ambitions: a four-meet season featuring elite athletes, big cash prizes, and a sleek, U.S.-based format designed to inject new life into professional track.
Instead, GST’s inaugural season now ends after just three events, Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia, and the road ahead feels increasingly uncertain.
Several sources close to the league cited a flawed venue deal with UCLA and growing concerns about the cost of staging the LA event. According to Front Office Sports, organizers are expected to save around $3 million USD in prize money and travel expenses by canceling the meet.
The Los Angeles leg will not be replaced with another city, and there’s no indication that the event will be rescheduled.
Behind the scenes, GST is preparing to announce a new round of investors, including Sundial Brands founder Richelieu Dennis and billionaire Robert F. Smith, who already sits on the league’s board. Organizers are reportedly shifting resources to focus on 2026 under a “new capital allocation strategy.”
Despite the financial maneuvering, the sudden end to the season is a blow to the league’s momentum and raises questions about its long-term viability. Johnson, who has been publicly bullish about the need to reimagine how track is presented and sold, has also been realistic about the challenges.
Grand Slam Track had promised a total of $12.6 million in prize money this season, with each event offering a first-place payout of $100,000 and $10,000 for eighth place.
The league’s pitch was straightforward: head-to-head competition among elite athletes, broadcast live on Peacock and The CW, in a format inspired by tennis’ Grand Slams.
The roster was impressive, including Olympic gold medalists Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas, world champions like Josh Kerr and Fred Kerley, and European stars including Dina Asher-Smith.
But from the beginning, there were signs the model might struggle. The opening meet in Kingston was sparsely attended despite ticket sales, something Johnson himself acknowledged. The Miami and Philadelphia meets fared better, but critics pointed to empty sections and limited media visibility as ongoing concerns.
Still, even with streamlined programming and high stakes, GST faced stiff headwinds.
Sponsorships and broadcast revenues didn’t meet expectations. A troubling incident at the Philadelphia meet, in which a bettor harassed Gabby Thomas, also cast a shadow over the league’s sports gambling partnership with data firm Stats Perform.
GST isn’t the only new player trying to modernize athletics.
Athlos, a women-only league founded by Alexis Ohanian, debuted in 2024 with a $600,000 prize purse and has already signed Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas as co-owners. That league will return to New York in October.
Meanwhile, other formats like Tracklandia continue to build fan bases through niche streaming and direct engagement.
For Grand Slam Track, the hope is that this early stumble isn’t a fatal one. League leadership is publicly framing this season as a “pilot,” not a failure, and insiders say they expect Los Angeles to return to the calendar in 2026.
That may be true, but after such a high-profile launch, expectations were higher than this.
Now the challenge for Johnson and his team will be convincing athletes, sponsors, and fans that this isn’t the end of the road, just a rerouting.
