3 Main Reasons Why Michael Johnson Pulled the Plug on Grand Slam Track's Final Leg

Track and field fans have been left in a state of shock following Michael Johnson’s move to cancel the Grand Slam Track series, just two months after its debut.

The first edition of the Grand Slam Track was held in Kingston, Jamaica, from April 4 to 6, before proceeding to Florida, at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, from May 2 to 4.

The third edition of the event was held at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field on May 31 and June 1. The final edition, scheduled for Los Angeles at UCLA's Drake Stadium on June 28 and 29 but has since been cancelled.

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Michael Johnson, the founder of the event, started the event with great ambitions, looking forward to giving athletes what they deserved, as he promised that the winner of each slam would walk away with $100,000.

Some of the top athletes who had signed up for the Grand Slam Track include 400m hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, and two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek.

However, Michael Johnson called an emergency meeting, announcing that the final event has since been cancelled and therefore, the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track is now over.

With such a hefty prize money set aside for the top eight finishers, Grand Slam Track had to secure enough sponsors, but seemingly, that has been a major challenge.

The winners of each slam would walk away with $100,000, with the second and third-place finishers set to bag $50,000 and $30,000, respectively.

The athletes who finish fourth, fifth and sixth in each slam will walk away with $25,000, $20,000 and $15,000. The seventh and eighth-place finishers pocket $12,500 and $10,000.

The money earned from selling the rights to broadcast events was not enough to meet financial needs or expectations.

According to The Times, there was not enough money coming in from TV, and that was most likely due to low viewership.

Insufficient broadcast revenue might have impacted the organisers’ from funding operations and paying athletes.

Grand Slam Track also struggled with convincing fans to go and watch the events live in the stadium. For instance, the stands at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, were almost empty, leading to a huge loss.

It is reported that cancelling the event would save organisers $ 3 million in prize money and travel expenses.