Money disputes usually harden opinions. But in the case of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, they did the exact opposite. Although Grand Slam Track owes her $365,250, the Olympic champion did not take the opportunity to tear the system down. Instead, she zoomed out to see the bigger picture.

McLaughlin-Levrone was candid about the loopholes that continue to make track and field unsustainable. She offered praise where it was due and a clear analysis of what the sport still lacks.

“This year, I know Grand Slam Track tried to pursue something a bit more professional, which I think the model of it really gave fans something exciting to look forward to,” McLaughlin-Levrone told Forbes in a recent interview.

And who could disagree that Grand Slam Track tried to reimagine how the sport could function outside traditional circuits like the Olympics? Launched in 2025 with stops in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia, the series promised large prize money, with winners getting $100,000 for each race.

The idea was simple to build fan interest over a season rather than single events. But it failed when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware as debts mounted.

“Obviously, there was issues on the back end there with the money side of things,” McLaughlin-Levrone said, not mincing words about the main issue.

However, she also recognized other newcomer leagues, such as Athlos by Alexis Ohanian, which are marketed well.

Athlos’s marketing was top-notch. For its inaugural, there was a star-studded stage featuring Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion, celebrity appearances by Flavor Flav, Marsai Martin, and Shonda Rhimes, and extensive coverage via ESPN+, YouTube, and DAZN.

But on the flip side, McLaughlin-Levrone knows that marketing is not all.

“I think being able to have both of those things combined with both the structure and the marketing is something that is missing in track and field,” the four-time Olympic champion said.

While fortune and fame surely bring attention, long-term development requires both financial underpinnings and savvy promotion. Grand Slam Track offered much higher prize money than Athlos, which handed out $60,000 for first place, but neither achieved long-term stability.

Sure, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s focus also went beyond diagnosing past failures. She highlighted what’s missing to truly professionalize track and field.

“We have such stars, and there are so many amazing storylines that could be followed,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I think right now we are missing that infrastructure to really set it up well.”

“Part of it is definitely the money to create a sustainable model that can function for years to come… a lot of it comes down to sponsorships… viewership… TV deal. We need people to be able to see these events… Because when people know it is on, the Olympics, they love track and field. It is one of the biggest sports to watch. I just do not think they have the access to us right now.”

McLaughlin-Levrone’s right: track and field already has superstars and great stories. But where are these stories? Often, they are hidden behind a paywall.

An example: the Diamond League, the most-watched round-the-year track-and-field circuit, sold most of its live broadcast rights to Flotrack. This required fans to pay for FloTrack subscriptions ranging from $29.99 per month to $149.99 per year, rather than watching them on freely available TV channels.

In the absence of TV contracts and the exposure that comes with them, track meets remain in the shadows, scrambling for the facilities necessary to become a truly professional and sustainable spectator sport.

McLaughlin-Levrone is not alone in her assessment. For years, fellow track superstar Noah Lyles has voiced similar concerns.

Noah Lyles calls out the gaps holding track and field back

Before Grand Slam Track went bankrupt, Lyles had been critical of many of the structural and commercial voids in track and field.

Calling athletics stuck in “a kind of institutional paralysis,” Lyles said, “I think at the moment we’re in a state of almost limbo. We have a lot of people who want to get in and don’t know how. We have a lot of people who believe that the sport needs saving, and it doesn’t so much need saving as much as it needs help.”

Lyles’ frustration was with the fragmented system that has no long-term infrastructure or plan for growth, not with relevance or a lack of interest. In his opinion, track and field doesn’t have a problem with apathy, but it has a problem with mismanagement.

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“My biggest concern is marketability – If a tree falls in the wood and nobody’s around to hear, did the tree fall?” Lyles questioned earlier this year.

Lyles also expressed caution to GST about streaming-only initiatives.

“I do want to see it on TV, and I want it to be consistent, that’s the most important thing,” Lyles said.

He has consistently argued that the sport needs to rethink how it presents itself, making meets more engaging, bringing fans closer to athletes, and using marketing strategically: the kind of practices that major leagues like the NFL and NBA have mastered.

His commitment to Grand Slam Track was always contingent on it being shown on TV. Yet GST did the opposite. And this led to the cancellation of the fourth meeting in Los Angeles in June 2025. Reason? Financial problems.

By December 2025, the Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed in Delaware, with between $10 and $ 50 million in debt. And that is the reason both Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone want the world to know: talent and rivalries are in track and field… but what is lacking is visibility, structure, and marketing, which are the core pillars for any sport to succeed.