Olympic champion Michael Johnson is working with Winners Alliance to create a new track league that will debut in 2025. The league’s goal is to give track and field a more recognizable entity, similar to major U.S. pro sports leagues. Johnson is determined to bring back track and field, which for decades has only managed to catch the attention of the American public during the Olympics. Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
In an interview, Johnson declared, “I love this sport and owe everything I have to this sport.” “It has been a great disappointment to observe over the past few decades after my retirement that I am no longer able to give people the same incredible experiences outside of the Olympics.”The four-time Olympic gold medallist, who in the 1990s broke world records in the 200 and 400 meters, is working with Winners Alliance to help track and field athletes commercialise their rights in addition to developing a new entertainment platform.As the operator and funding partner, Winners Alliance is a global athlete licensing and sponsorship company. According to a source, the company has already invested the greatest amount in track and field history—a seven-figure amount. (It’s important to note that Nike signed a $500 million sponsorship deal with USA Track & Field in 2014, extending their support through 2040.)
Long-time BBC pundit Johnson, along with other stakeholders, has already started negotiations with possible sponsors, investors, and media partners.
“I don’t think anyone [until now] has tried to show the essence of the sport and really put the athletes front and center,” Winners Alliance president Eric Winston said in an interview. “It’s not just track; athletes are the main event. The NBA has made a push to put their athletes front and center and even the NFL, which was always a team-driven league, has done so as well.”
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