Noah Lyles had returned to track and was better than ever. After a multi-month break, the Olympic champion finally donned a sprint suit at the Monaco Diamond League on July 11, 2025. And against the odds, won the 200m in 19.88s, narrowly defeating Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo, who clocked 19.97s. At the London Diamond League on July 19, 2025, Lyles ran 10.00s in the 100 m but was beaten by Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville, who clocked 9.86 s, still his fastest season opener in 100m though. He is someone to watch at the USTAF Championships, but what if we tell you that you will have to pay for two different platforms to watch him race?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is participating in the USATF Championships as a 400m runner. Any track and field fan who would watch Noah in the 100m would also love to watch this star, who broke the world record in 400m hurdles six times, perform in the 400m, especially when she is reportedly hunting for the 400m American record. But again, what if we were to reveal to you that to watch both of them, you would have to use different subscriptions? You might not want to watch the championships, and that is the harsh reality Noah Lyles & other US stars would have to accept. But why is this happening?

NBC and Peacock will broadcast the final two days of the competition (Saturday and Sunday) from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET. While there are some inconsistencies between Peacock and USATF regarding Saturday’s broadcast duration, it appears Peacock will continue streaming beyond 6:00 p.m., likely to include coverage of both steeplechase events. Events on Thursday and Friday, along with those not shown during the TV broadcast windows on the weekend, will be available exclusively on USATF.tv. The subscription costs $12.99 per month for non-members and $9.99 for USATF members.

To sum it up, like a fan said, “So you have to pay 2 different people to watch just one meet? Wow“. Thursday and Friday’s events, including key races like the 10,000 meters and a bunch of early rounds, are only on USATF.TV, which charges a monthly fee. Later on Friday, the men’s 100m final, featuring stars like Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, takes center stage at 6:50 p.m. PT (broadcast on USATF.TV, not NBC/Peacock). Other major finals, including the 200m, 1500m, and steeplechase, are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and those later rounds will air on NBC and Peacock.

But even then, not everything is covered on TV, so you still need USATF.TV to catch the morning sessions or events that fall outside the broadcast window. So to catch every race and final, fans must pay both Peacock (or have a cable login for NBC) and USATF.TV, effectively paying two different providers just to follow one meet start to finish. This, in turn, only harms the sport, and that is what the fans are saying.

Fans concerned about the Nationals after seeing the broadcast schedule

A casual track and field fan is not in any way going to pay for two subscriptions to watch the USATF championships, and if they do not convert the casual fans into the very core fans, track and field will always be fighting for its existence. That is the concern pointed out by one user who wrote, “So, the most anticipated events at most meets are the 100m and mile/1500m.. At the National Championships, the men and women’s 100m will not be televised!! And to watch them stream will cost $13!! And people wonder why the sport has difficulty getting traction in this country!!” Sha’Carri Richardson‘s form is one of the biggest topics of the time, and the women’s 100m not being televised speaks volumes about how bad it can be

Another concerned fan took to X to say, “And they wonder why this sport can’t get a good foothold among the general public? The “Grand Slam fiasco” and not being able to watch. Casual fans need FREE TO AIR broadcasts to bring them in.” Bringing in Grand Slam track is a good example; the league faced major criticism for long delays between races, with 40-minute gaps and filler clips that killed the event’s momentum. Noah Lyles and Grant Holloway both called it out. And while U.S. viewers got it on Peacock, international fans were stuck behind paywalls like Eurosport and TNT, making it nearly impossible for casual fans to tune in.

One fan also said, “Why is it always a struggle to watch track & field every year? So stupid. Every event deserves to be broadcast, smh.” In 2023, NBC didn’t air the USATF Outdoor Championships live on its main network for the first time in nearly two decades. Instead, events aired on CNBC, Peacock, and online via USATF.TV, making the competition harder to find for a casual viewer. Sha’Carri Richardson voiced out, saying, “These companies continue to make it HARDER for track and field to have exposure!!! All they want is to continue to exploit sports!!!”.

If you’re not a USATF member, the total cost per month to stream the full USATF Championships lineup is $12.99 for USATF.TV plus $10.99 for Peacock Premium, which makes it $23.98/month in total. This fan is not wrong to question, “You know how many ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ CDs I could buy with all these streaming fees?“. And this is exactly what the point is, a casual fan would like to spend his money on something else rather than taking two subscriptions for one single meet. What do you think of this move? Let us know in the comments.