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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

@ovals.bsky.social

Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

The lesson for track & field (and all sports):
Flashy promises don't pay bills. Sustainable business models do.
Athletes deserve leagues that honor commitments. Athlos is proving you can grow responsibly AND pay people on time.
Grand Slam Track? A cautionary tale of going too big, too fast.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

Masai Russell won 100mH at Athlos. $60K hit her account before she finished celebrating.
GST athletes? Still chasing payments from April. Some got 50% after emergency funding. The rest? TBD.
GST's 2026 season: CANCELLED until debts paid
Athlos 2026: Expanding to full team-based league.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

ATHLOS took the opposite approach:
• Started with 1 NYC meet per year
• Women-only competition
• $773K total purse ($60K per winner)
• Secured Cash App partnership BEFORE making promises
• Paid athletes in 3 days (2024), now paying in MINUTES (2025)

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

GRAND SLAM TRACK launched with massive ambition:
• $12.6M total prize pool ($100K per winner)
• 4 global meets (Kingston, Miami, Philly, LA)
• Mixed gender competition
• Michael Johnson's name behind it
Result? Overspent, lost key investors, LA meet cancelled, $19M in total debt.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 12d

The track & field world just witnessed a masterclass in how to (and how NOT to) launch a new league.
Athlos 2025: Athletes paid within MINUTES
Grand Slam Track: Athletes still waiting 4+ months for $11M
Here's what happened and why it matters.
#TrackAndField #Athlos2025 #GrandSlamTrack

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 16d

After 18 years of dominance, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has officially retired from sprinting. 275 races. Countless medals. A legacy that transcends the track.
From Waterhouse, Jamaica to the world stage every second counted. 🇯🇲
#ShellyAnnFraserPryce #TrackAndField #JamaicaTrack #Athletics #IAAF

Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

The event hasn't taken place yet. I have high hopes for it. T&F needs something to revive the sport.

Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

What this means for track & field:
✅ Proof of concept: Fans showed up, athletes delivered
✅ Media partnerships secured (CW, NBC/Peacock)
❌ Financial model is unsustainable
❌ Trust severely damaged
Johnson: "No 2026 season until debts paid in full"
#TrackAndField #GST #GrandSlamTrack

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

October 3, 2025: Emergency bailout
Winners Alliance secures $5-10M emergency financing
Athletes receive ~50% of the owed money
The relief is real. But so is the remaining debt:

$11M still owed to athletes
$8M to vendors
Total outstanding: $19M

#Athletics

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

July 31 deadline: Missed
$3M scheduled to athletes: Never sent
Athletes put off buying homes, consult lawyers. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe expresses concern.
What launched with fanfare becomes a cautionary tale.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

The betrayal that broke everything:
A major investor (later revealed as Todd Boehly's Eldridge Industries) signed a term sheet for 8-figures.
The money never came.
This withdrawal right after Kingston created a "major, major cash flow issue". Yes, the same Todd Boehly of #ChelseaFC
#SportsBusiness

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

July 2025: The crisis goes public
Debts revealed:

$13M owed to athletes (prizes + appearance fees)
$8M owed to vendors
Total: $21M in obligations

Michael Johnson admits "difficult financial situation" due to "excessive spending".

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

June 12, 2025: Los Angeles Slam CANCELED
Just 2 weeks before the finale, the plug gets pulled.
Official reasons: Venue issues, "geopolitical climate"
Real reason: The money ran out
Savings: $3M+ in prize money not paid out
#TrackAndField

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

The numbers were stunning:
Kingston: Sparse crowds
Miami: Sold out success
Philadelphia: 18,000 strong
Fan engagement was growing. The concept was working.
So what went wrong?
#SportsAnalytics

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

Philadelphia Slam (May 31-June 1, 2025)
📍 Franklin Field
👥 18,000 fans (season-best)
⚡ Format shortened to 2 days
The competition thrived:

11 meet records on day 1
Packed stands energise world-class performances

But behind the scenes? Financial crisis deepening.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

Miami Slam (May 2-4, 2025)
📍 Ansin Sports Complex, Florida
👥 SOLD OUT (5,000 capacity)
💰 Another $3M+ in prizes
Johnson celebrates "$800K paid out"—but it's only on paper.
Reality: Both Miami AND Kingston athletes still waiting for their money.

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

Kingston Slam (April 4-6, 2025)
📍 Independence Park, Jamaica
👥 Poor attendance in 35,000-seat stadium
💰 $3.15M in prizes promised
Red flag #1: Empty seats at the season opener
Red flag #2: Zero prize money paid out at the meet
#GST2025

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

The innovation: A new meet format
Athletes compete in 2 events per weekend (e.g., 100m + 200m)
Winners earn $100K per meet
Total season purse: $12.6M
For context: This made each Slam richer than most track meets in history.
#TrackAndField

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

February 2024: The vision launches

$30M+ initial funding (led by Bill Ackman's Winners Alliance)
Promise: Four global "Slams" with unprecedented athlete pay
Goal: Elevate track beyond the 4-year Olympic cycle

The pitch was compelling. The execution? That's another story.
#Athletics

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 17d

Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track promised to revolutionize professional track & field with $30M in funding and $12.6M in prize money.
One year later: $19M in debt, a canceled finale, and athletes waiting months for payment.
Here's how ambition collided with reality.
#TrackAndField #GrandSlamTrack

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 19d

NBC News (lawsuit): www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Canadian Running (sexual assault details): runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/ny...

Distance runner Mary Cain files $20M lawsuit against Nike, her former coach

Nike let Alberto Salazar "weight-shame women, objectify their bodies, and ignore their health and wellbeing as part of its culture," Cain’s attorney said.

www.nbcnews.com

Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 19d

Sports Illustrated (toxic culture): www.si.com/track-and-fi...
ESPN (SafeSport): www.espn.com/olympics/sto...
#Sources

Inside the Toxic Culture of the Nike Oregon Project 'Cult'

Accounts from nine former Nike Oregon Project members, extending back to 2008, validate Mary Cain's claims about the toxic culture under Alberto Salazar, where female athletes’ bodies were fair game t...

www.si.com

Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 19d

Key sources for this thread:
Runner's World (USADA timeline): www.runnersworld.com/news/g293238...
NPR (Mary Cain): www.npr.org/2019/11/08/7...
#Sources

A Full Timeline of the Nike Oregon Project Doping Investigation

Here are the significant events that led to famed coach Alberto Salazar receiving a four-year ban.

www.runnersworld.com

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Sprint Stats & Analysis @sprintstats.bsky.social · 19d

Olympic medals won: 10+
Athletes permanently damaged: Unknown
Salazar's status: Permanently ineligible to coach
The question nobody can answer: How many people at #Nike knew what was happening and did nothing?

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