It was just one random day. No warnings. No hints. The bomb was dropped that the Grand Slam Track was canceled. Now the league was hit so bad in its financial aspect that they are still trying to pay their athletes. Gabby Thomas asked for her money through comments. Matthew Hudson‑Smith, Josh Kerr, and multiple top finishers in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia are all reportedly waiting on significant sums. This has brought a lot of bad-mouthing for not only Grand Slam Track but also Michael Johnson.

Justin Gatlin stated that Johnson’s comments about only saving track and excluding field events ruffled a lot of feathers and introduced unnecessary division in a sport that needed unity. But then again, it is Justin Gatlin who is asking tough questions of the Grand Slam Director and listening very patiently to him, and the track and field legend comes out honestly.

“We all knew that when we found out, and it’s why we ended up, you know, certainly I can speak for myself why it’s like, okay, for a week I’m not sleeping because I know that we’ve got to get this right. I know we have to turn this around. I know we’ve got a hard road ahead now,” said Michael Johnson in the latest episode of Ready Set Go, while informing them of how their $30 million dreams were crushed after one of their sponsors had a problem that trickled down to them. The investor attended GST’s debut in Kingston and then reversed course, citing economic instability following a surprise tariff announcement by President Trump, diverting their funds elsewhere.

But he just couldn’t cancel the league then and there. He talked of raising investments being a difficult thing for startups, and he too fell victim to that and said, “You can’t give up at that point because you’ve already made commitments to other people and so you know in that position for us it was a matter of okay how do we move forward working with our existing investors working with new investors and our board to figure out how we continue to move this forward.” In May, FOS reported that Vista Equity’s Robert Smith stepped in with a last-minute investment to keep the league afloat long enough to stage its third event in Philadelphia.

Johnson revealed how he launched Grand Slam Track with a bold vision: to treat athletes like true professionals, with first-class travel, private rooms, and strong branding. He believed that real change required high standards and investment, and the original investors supported that mission. “But once you’re in the middle of your season and you get this, you know, news, it’s really difficult in that moment to then shift and pivot and say, Okay, we’re going to change now and we’re no longer going to be able to have the same quality of broadcast…fly people first class….same sort of fan experience for our fans in person and our fans watching on television. It’s too late to change,” he added.

“So, we had to stay with all of those things that we had committed to get through the season, and then um and and figure out from there how we move forward,” he concluded. Even though it’s not the end of problems for Johnson, there’s some good news on the horizon about a new sponsor for the 2026 season.

Michael Johnson makes new friends ahead of the 2026 season

No matter what happened in this season, the track and field legend is adamant in his claim that his league will eventually save track and for that, he is gearing up, and well, let’s say he got some extra help as well. Grand Slam Track has entered a multi‑year strategic partnership with Sundial Media & Technology Group (SMTG), announced on June 18, 2025. SMTG with brands like Essence, AFROPUNK, and Refinery29 will be responsible for securing sponsorships for the 2026 season and beyond.

Notably, 10% of all sponsorship revenue brought in through SMTG will be paid directly to the athletes (Grand Slam Track™ Racers), marking a bold shift toward athlete equity and narrative control. The old buddies are going nowhere either. For its media distribution, Grand Slam Track continues to leverage major U.S. and global platforms. In February 2025, the league finalized deals with Peacock (exclusive live-streaming of all events) and The CW Network (broadcast coverage in the U.S.), along with an NBC Sports highlights special.

While we are not clear if it was a multi-year deal or not, the overseas market is assured. International coverage is expected via Warner Bros. Discovery, reaching fans across Europe, Asia, and beyond through platforms like Max and Eurosport. What do you think, can GST pull it together for the 2026 season?