Update: Grand Slam Track LA Cancelled

Exactly my thinking. I think it would jibe well with what they're building and they could make it an opportunity to bring together all of the OAC groups, as well as their sprinters (Izzy Whittaker et al.). Late spring could be good for mid-distance/distance.

He already has!

Disney?

You have got to be joking!

The company that destroyed BILLION dollar franchises like Star Wars and Marvel.

OMG.

The ultimate irony is that today was the first day of open registration for NYRR Fall Races and the site went down due to high volume.

So, the participation element of running has never been stronger yet the professional side is dead in the water.

Because like the many terrible political opinions constantly expressed on this dumpster fire of a message board, track doesn't matter to 99% of the population.

I forgot...the latest Snow White and the Seven They Who Must Not Be Named People.

Fanbois clutch pearls with Disney.

MJ, Merber and Citius are con artists.

I just called the UCLA ticket office to ask for a refund, it sounds like they literally just heard the news themselves. Good news is they will be giving full refunds. What a cluster, fortunately I didn’t have to pay for travel in, but for people who did such a bummer.

That's good to hear. We have tickets for all three days- family of three. We also have an AirBnB that's too late to cancel without a big penalty. Now it's a long weekend in LA for nothing. This was a real gut punch.

Great post.

Michael J:

- Make each stop a one-day meet. That is plenty for fans who aren't already dedicated to track, who we need in the stands.

- Make a single points standing for each event or event group, without doubling in a given meet. (Like you might have the 100m at one meet, and the 200m at the next one, and they both go toward standings in "short sprints.")

- Make each category have a winner in each meet, and a series winner at the end of the season. Get away from the idea you can lose the second race in the meet, or even lose both, and still be a "slam winner."

Track and Field in the US crashing and burning. NCAA track and field included. About the only form of track in US that is thriving is highschool.

Fairly stupid post there.

Many thousands of people went and watched pro track at the three meets that happened; thousands more than would have gone to a track meet in Kingston, Miami, and Philly without GST.

OK, so this model couldn't make enough money to succeed in the uncreative pablum world of TV sports. (What a mentally impoverished definition of success.)

That does NOT meet that professional track isn't doing as well as it has for decades.

I was surprised when, at Penn Relays, most people I asked did not know about GST in a few weeks. It took a friend's initiative to get the local USATF (NJ and MidAtl) to publicize the meet to their membership... the sanctioning person at USATF said she had asked how can we help, but never heard back. I mean this is your core audience, how do you not try to reach them?

I went to GST Philly and had a great time. But my main takeaway from this league is that I'd pay for a subscription service that just showcased Marco Arop continuing in the double format, except with an 800m and then one other random sporting event. 800m then 1500m. 800m then marathon. 800m then dunk contest. 800m then equestrian. 800m then boxing. 800m then ping pong. 800m then biathlon. Etc.

Boy with all that negativity, living in your house must be an endless joy.

Sorry to hear that on the travel. The good news is the beach weather here should be amazing and there is a lot to do in LA, so I hope you guys can still have a nice time.

Thanks a lot fascists.

There. Feel better? Did you add to the conversation? Did my comment help? No, neither did. Keep the politics out of this discussion. There is more than enough to discuss on why GST isn't working.

So, if you think a pro league is viable , start your own.

Riots? they’re protests and they’re happening in a tiny part of LA. I’ve seen more violence and BS on these forums. Been on here since 2005.