The good times are coming back to track and field, it seems. Ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics, things were looking quite problematic for the track. Athletes complained vigorously about not getting enough payments to sustain their careers. Thus, in order to shake things up, the likes of Alexis Ohanian and Michael Johnson came forward. With the advent of ATHLOS and Grand Slam Track, the finance received a major boost. While the ATHLOS focused on female athletes, the GST came up as a more comprehensive event. However, with both events completing their initial edition, it looks like the good old Diamond League has significantly outperformed in terms of garnering crowd attention! 

The event in focus is none other than the London Diamond League. As the authorities announced an electric showdown between Josh Kerr and his arch-rival from Norway, Jakob, the fans went into overdrive. With the meet scheduled for July 19, 2025, already 50,000 tickets were being sold for the meet. Now, this was a huge number compared to the recent lack of interest in the track and field realm. As a matter of fact, taking $40 per ticket, the event had already made roughly $2,000,000 in revenue in mid-April. And now, a latest update on the same has just gotten the hype shooting through the roof again. 

In a now-deleted post, it was reported that the London Diamond League has managed to sell 57,000 tickets so far. This translates to an approximate revenue of $2,280,000! And in a surprising turn of events, these numbers put to shame the ones that both ATHLOS and Grand Slam Track achieved. Now, the ATHLOS NYC 2024 edition was a huge success. With almost 3 million digital viewers, the likes of Gabby Thomas and more made the event reach a lot of track fans. But the in-person attendance was something that the league really needs to work on. 

The initial edition of ATHLOS took place in the Icahn Stadium. While the capacity for the stadium was 5000, it was still not full. The same happened with Grand Slam Track. And while the event suffered a lot of flak for scheduling the initial round in Jamaica instead of the USA, the poor crowd turnout created another fuss.

Empty stands undercut Grand Slam Track’s Kingston launch

The lights were on, the stars showed up, but the seats told a different story. Grand Slam Track’s highly anticipated debut in Kingston, Jamaica, promised Olympic-level action and record prize money. But much of it played out before rows of empty bleachers. Despite standout performances, the energy inside the 35,000-seat National Stadium never quite matched the stakes on the track. “Worryingly empty,” wrote Thom Gibbs, as vast sections of the stadium, particularly the turns and back straight, remained barren all weekend.

Even free bleacher seats failed to spark interest. Gregory Bryce noted that organizers made the last-minute decision to waive admission fees, yet turnout still fell short. Leighton Levy summed up the weekend bluntly, “A hit with performances and a miss with the crowd.” A lack of local marketing, inconvenient scheduling, and limited parking only deepened the woes, with many fans unable or unwilling to make the trip. The absence of homegrown stars like Shericka Jackson also dulled the allure.

Former Diamond League director Patrick Magyar didn’t hold back. “Boring, lifeless, with long stretches of inactivity,” he wrote, dubbing the meet “Grand Flop Track.” While Michael Johnson’s bold new vision has just begun, the haunting image of Kingston’s empty stands now looms over what was meant to be track and field’s grand reinvention.