So, you know Michael Johnson is not just resting on his laurels. He’s looked at the sport he dominated and thought of fixing things up. And that’s where his big idea comes in: Grand Slam Track, or GST. After the launch, he declared:“Grand Slam Track is track—that is what we’re doing. I am going to save what I think I can save,”  pretty directly, when he kicked it all off. He’s put up serious cash and he’s dreaming of a world where track isn’t just something we only pay attention to every four years during the Olympics. He wants it to be exciting, year-round. But is everyone on board? Nope! 

Take Rai Benjamin, for example. He has run many races but GST’s format threw him into a loop. “It’s like you have this three-day meet, and a lot of people work jobs, like no one has time to go to a three-day meet in the middle of the week or on the weekend,”. Is Michael’s grand plan really hitting its stride, or is this three-day thing throwing a wrench in the works? But even with that good stuff happening, there’s still that lingering question about how GST is structured. Is the three-day format really the best way to make his vision happen?

Which brings us back to Coach Rob, the analyst who’s seen it all. He dug into this three-day format on his YouTube channel, and you could tell he was trying to figure it out, but also a bit skeptical. He was even fumbling over his words, trying to explain it, “It’s weird how it feels like day two is almost like—thus far, I mean day three… It does feel like day two is a peak—normally Saturday’ For him, the rhythm just feels off. Saturday seems to be the main event, while days one and three feel less important, almost like warm-ups or cool-downs.

He uses a baseball analogy that kind of hits the nail on the head. “They’re an event. Okay, because the same way in baseball—like their regular season slate—they play series… they’ll play three games in Boston in Fenway Park, the Yankees and the Red Sox,” Rob explained. “But the thing is, each of those games is an independent game that all adds up to something… nobody buys tickets for the most part to all three games… They buy a ticket to… watch the Yankees and the Red Sox.” Although Rob seems to be pretty resolved in his perception, fans do not necessarily agree with this banter.

Fans agree to disagree when it comes to criticizing GST’s format

So, Michael and the GST crew feel good about the first couple of events, right? But then you’ve got folks like Rai Benjamin, a seriously talented hurdles star, who reportedly isn’t totally on board. The buzz among fans is that he’s supposedly slamming the three-day format, thinking it’s just too stretched out for both the people watching and the athletes competing. It makes you wonder, are other fans feeling that same kind of disconnect?

Well, if you peek into the online track communities you’ll see the fans are actually pushing back pretty hard against that idea. They’re not quiet about it either! One fan posted, “I love the 3 day format. Whether you go for a day or 3 days, the comparisons to football and basketball games aren’t really appropriate.” Their point? Track isn’t a single-team game; it’s different. Another fan totally agreed, doubling down with, “This is a sport more akin to tennis, golf and F1 with individual performances over multiple days.”

Now, for the fans who got to be there in person? It sounds like a different ballgame. Like the fan who raved on Reddit, “I went to Day 3 Miami. 20 minutes from my house. I’m hooked!” They were already watching Kingston and the earlier Miami days on Peacock, but being there live? That was something else. “being there was igniting! It’s fun, compelling, and very entertaining,” they added. Another dedicated fan echoed that, saying, “I like the 3 day event as a track junkie I was there every day and enjoyed each race and the atmosphere.” These folks weren’t just passively watching; they were in it, soaking up the energy race by race.

Some fans are even getting big ideas for where GST could go. “This is definitely enough to save the sport, they just need investors to make the payouts even better and also have more grand slams over the season.” So, there’s clearly a lot of excitement and hope wrapped up in GST. But hold on, not everyone’s ready to call this the definitive “savior” of the sport just yet. What’s still holding some people back?

But interestingly, that same fan who wanted more athlete connection also had a strong opinion about critiques from established stars. They put it pretty bluntly: “I don’t rock with athletes like Rai Benj putting it down, its like he don’t wanna see ppl with lesser talent eat and make a good living in track lol.” That taps into a really important part of GST – the huge prize money. For many, this isn’t just about the top stars; it’s about creating a way for more athletes, maybe lesser-known ones, to make a good living in the sport. As GST heads towards its next stop in Philadelphia, can GST fine-tune things just enough to win over the skeptics, even folks like Benjamin?