by Larry Eder
The Grand Slam Track Event 2 was held in Miami, Florida, May 2-4, 2025. It was the second event that Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track produced, and it was much improved over the first Grand Slam. Here are my five deep thoughts:
- From Kingston to MIami: The second meet was held at the Miramar Sports Complex. The facility sat 3,500 as opposed to 35,000 in Kingston. It was the type of facility and the size of facility that Grand Slam Track should have used for the entire season. A stadium full of enthusiastic fans looks great on television and Perception is Reality in the world of sports marketing.
- The Schedule: The idea of three days of track and field were alot of fun to watch. But for fans attending, it is expensive, and it could be just a bit too long. How many years have we heard that track meets always have too long of schedules. It was great to see that Micheal Johnson, soon after Miami, determined that the meet should go to two days in Philly.
- The Coverage: There are two commentating crews at GST. Steve Cram is always part of the event commentating team. John Anderson and Sanya Richards-Ross are part of the pre event and post event team. 2016 Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz, Jr. was heralded as part of the team, but did not appear in meet 2. He was replaced by Chris Chavez of Citius Magazine. The commentating was well done on the event commentating, and a little more organized on the pre and post event side. Track fans want to see races, and that is the key. NBC Sports, Peacock are showing pretty darn good coverage.
- The Drama: The Men’s short distances are the wonderful example of how exciting the build up can be! Josh Kerr, the World Champion at 1500 meters and World Indoor Champion at 3,000 meters, as well as Olympic silver and bronze medalist, overcame a poor showing in the first event in Kingston and delivered! The drama of his performances, and nis nineteen family members added to the drama. Kenny Bednarek continuing his excellent sprinting and Gabby Thomas changing distances was also fun to watch. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the best in her events, 400m hurdles and 400 meters. The only way Sydney gets competition is if MJ brings in Femke Bol. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is showing great guts on moving down to the short hurdles. Jereem Richards was impressive and his story added to the drama. Sports needs story-telling, and fans need to identify with the athletes, it builds drama!
- Grand Slam is willing to innovate: The change to two days from three days was important. So was the long distances moving from 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters to just the 3,000 meters. For Grand Slam Track to succeed, for GST to move into a second season, tough decisions will have to be made. It seems like GST is willing to make the tough decisions.
