With the inaugural Grand Slam Observe (GST) season simply over a month away, the league made extra headlines Tuesday going in opposition to the established order in monitor and discipline. The league, based by four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, introduced it would associate with betting service Stats Carry out to convey playing to the forefront of competitors to attract a wider viewers.
In response to the announcement on X, Johnson stated he’s excited to be altering the sport to convey sports activities betting to athletics.
The variety of instances followers have tweeted at me saying @GrandSlamTrack ought to have betting, and I couldn’t reply! However right this moment we announce! 📣 We’re altering the sport!!! https://t.co/TuqppcWo5g
— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) February 25, 2025
Athletics is comparatively new to the betting world, and outdoors of followers having the ability to wager on winners of Abbott World Marathon Majors, the chance to wager isn’t accessible in lots of sportsbooks. Causes for this embody late submissions of starter lists (lineup playing cards for racers) and structural points, akin to the game’s lack of TV presence.
Steve Gera, president of Grand Slam Observe, stated in an interview with Sportico that they noticed the high-interest stage in playing on the Paris 2024 Olympics. “When you go and also you take a look at everybody from DraftKings and FanDuel and past, even the sportsbooks in Vegas… a variety of them took bets on the Olympics, and it did properly,” stated Gera.
In comparison with the everyday monitor and discipline meet, the place a number of disciplines happen concurrently on the similar venue, GST plans to function one race at a time. Johnson believes this format supplies a possibility to amass the most important viewers attainable for every race—each for followers and sports activities bettors.
“We look ahead to setting a brand new commonplace for our sport with Stats Carry out’s in depth community of trusted media and betting companions, eye-opening expertise, and their true ardour for the ability of sport to unify and entertain,” stated Johnson in a press launch.
Stats Carry out is a sports-AI firm fashioned in 2019 by the merger of research firm Stats LLC and sports-media agency Carry out Content material. The corporate presently has partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, the WTA, plus FIBA Basketball. The way it works is GST will license its knowledge on racers’ performances to Stats Carry out and its media companions. Stats Carry out will deal with the integrity of Grand Slam Observe’s knowledge and the betting product whereas promoting the info to sportsbooks on Grand Slam Observe’s behalf.
Whereas embracing sports activities betting can convey considerations of competitors manipulation and harassment of athletes, GST believes it would convey alternatives to athletics and profit the publicity of the athletes. “That is what skilled sports activities do,” Gera stated. “They reap the benefits of all of the alternatives to construct fan bases … and likewise to create a platform the place the athletes will receives a commission extra in the long run.”
Firstly of February, GST introduced a streaming media rights deal with Peacock and NBC Sports activities. The league will even broadcast weekend races on the CW Community. Every Slam will span three days, and Peacock will stream all days reside, offering unique protection of the primary day of competitors. Along with Peacock, The CW Community will broadcast the Saturday and Sunday occasions reside.
Grand Slam Observe’s inaugural roster options 48 Racers, together with prime monitor athletes from across the globe, competing in opposition to 48 Challengers throughout 4 Slams in Kingston, Jamaica; Miami; Philadelphia and Los Angeles, beginning April 4-6. The star-studded lineup contains 400m hurdles world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, triple Olympic gold medallist Gabby Thomas, British distance star Josh Kerr and Canadian Olympic medallist Marco Arop.