McRunnin wrote:
Some notes and observations from the official announcement and video, from someone who has been one of GST's most vocal supporters here:
- They stated the LA meet hasn't been cancelled but rather "postponed until the 2026 season." That's an intelligence-insulting spin. Just take the L and admit this year's LA meet was cancelled.
 
- Michael Johnson said, "We feel that we've proven everything that we needed to in this year in the first three Slams." Hard disagree! They didn't prove that they could deliver on their promise of putting on four meets! They didn't give us the Sydney vs Paulino vs Naser race we all wanted to see!
 
- Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden have been named the Racers of the Year. Good on GST for at least honoring them. They better pay them too!
 
- They intend to keep the two-day meet format moving forward. That makes me think they're going to keep the forced doubling, which I believe is a mistake.
 
- They're cancelling/postponing the LA meet to save on costs and ensure longer-term stability, but I think they may be underestimating the long-term costs of not holding the LA meet as advertised. They may be saving dollars in the short-term, but I think cancelling the meet on such short notice is going to have severe long-term repercussions in the form of damage to their image, credibility, and goodwill from fans and athletes alike.
 I'm most disappointed in the end of the announcement: "Grand Slam Track™ will have no further comment at this time, but will provide updates on plans for the 2026 season in due course." It then provides the names and email addresses of two GST contacts for further information. I think that's unacceptable.
Come on, MJ. If you're going to disappoint your fans like this (I've been one of your biggest fans since 1996!), the least you could do is hold a press conference. Face the media and answer the difficult questions. Don't hide behind a press release, video, and two GST contacts. Come out and directly face the PR storm that you've created.
End of rant.
This is a great post, I agree completely. As someone who had tickets to the LA event, I would have appreciated (1) not insulting my intelligence by calling this a postponement (if that were true they would be giving us the option of using our current tickets next year; 2) not insulting my intelligence by saying things have gone so well they are truncating the season (huh?!); (3) some direct reach out to those with tickets (what happens if someone doesn’t see their press release?); and (4) most importantly, a simple apology (“we apologize for letting down our LA fans and for any inconvenience this may cause them”). Tone goes a LONG way, and they appear quite tone deaf on how they are handling this. I actually like the concept, but their approach to the cancellation is the reason I won’t buy tickets next year.