The roar of the crowd in Boston wasn’t just for the finish line; it was for the man who has never shied away from speaking his mind. Noah Lyles ran in the 300m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, finishing in 32.15 seconds, just behind Jereem Richards’ 32.14. While the race got fans on their feet, it was Lyles’ comments off the track that brought an old issue back into focus.

From the moment he entered the arena, Lyles set the tone. He made a WWE-style entrance from the stands, inspired by wrestler Jey Uso, energizing the crowd and making the meet an experience rather than just a race. And after the race, when asked how interacting with the crowd impacts the sport, Noah Lyles didn’t hold back:

“We got to have the crowd. We got to keep them entertained because at the end of the day, we’re asking for more energy, asking for more money, asking for more TV time. You can’t have that without popularity. You got to give what you already have, the love and care that it deserves. The moment you give them that, they’re going to go out and tell everybody you need to be here.”

Money and visibility are two of the most long standing problems in track and field. Even at a Gold-level meet like New Balance, the winners of individual events earn around $3,000 per race. For athletes training almost every day, that’s a low reward.  So, why does track and field remain so financially limited?

Part of it is audience and exposure; the sport doesn’t attract huge and regular crowds outside of the Olympics. Reduced audiences translate to fewer TV deals and reduced sponsorship. Fragmented revenue is another factor.

Even such efforts as Grand Slam Track, which offered huge payouts, failed as attendance and sponsorship failed to meet the expectations, and organizers could not afford to pay out all the athletes the full price. And Lyles has been speaking about the problem for years.

On the Beyond the Records podcast, Noah Lyles said training for track and field sometimes felt “stupid” because athletes “we’re not getting paid enough. That’s why were are not getting there.”

These weren’t Noah Lyles’ complaints alone, but a grievance that countless other athletes have been discussing for a long time.

Track and field stars like Noah Lyles who are calling for change

Sha’Carri Richardson has been outspoken about visibility issues in track and field. She even once said, “The disrespect that track & field receives in the USA alone is nasty.” Even Sydney McLaughlin‑Levrone has acknowledged that money isn’t why most athletes choose track and field.

As she puts it, “No one becomes a track-and-field athlete for the money. There’s not a crazy amount of it in our sport, like there is in basketball or football. No one does it for the fame. Not a ton of that either. And while running can feel good, especially when your body releases endorphins, it almost always produces an extraordinary amount of pain.”

But there are signs that things are slowly improving. One such league is Athlos, a new female only track and field league founded by Alexis Ohanian that is transforming the game by compensating athletes in more contemporary ways.

Top Stories

Dana White Shares Update On Hospitalized Paddy Pimblett After UFC 324

Michael Strahan Forced to Intervene as Terry Bradshaw Visibly Struggles Amid Calls for FOX to Cut Him Loose

Matthew Stafford Shares Retirement Stance as Sean McVay Issues Statement on Rams QB’s Future After Rams’ Loss

Mike Vrabel Threatens to Bench Locker Room for Super Bowl After Patriots Win vs Broncos

Julian Sayin Faces Six-Figure Blow While Jeremiah Smith Reaches New Career High

Max Scherzer’s “Unfinished Business” Sends Clear Signal to Blue Jays After Honest Plea to All 30 MLB Teams

Every competitor gets a portion of the event proceeds, and the purse is significantly greater than traditional meets. It is also transforming the league into an athlete-focused, team-based format with several events taking place in cities in 2026.

Big names like Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis‑Woodhall are involved as advisor-owners. Athlos events already have generous rewards. To give an example, sprinter Brittany Brown earned $120,000 at the Athlos NYC in 2025, which can actually fund her training and career, which is not common in track.

In addition to Athlos, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship offers record prize money with gold medalists getting  $150,000 apiece and a fan-first model, ensuring that star athletes are in the limelight all year round, not just at championships.

Even though events such as Grand Slam Track attempted to provide large amounts of money, but failed, it shows that the sport is headed in the right direction towards a means of athletes earning a more sustainable income.