The Grand Slam Track league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2025, less than a year after its inaugural season concluded in June, according to court filings.
Announced in February 2024 by American former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson, Grand Slam Track aimed to revitalize track and field by creating a league structure more akin to major professional sports in North America. Johnson, who conceived of the idea as early as the 1990s, envisioned a series of events running from April to September, ultimately shortening the schedule to April through June for the 2025 season.
The league attracted significant initial investment, with Johnson and billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman reportedly contributing millions of their own funds. The stated goals included increasing public interest in track and field beyond the quadrennial Olympic cycle and establishing a global athlete base. Former middle-distance runner Kyle Merber was employed as Senior Director of Racing, and Olympic champion Morolake Akinosun served as Head of Athlete Relations.
Despite initial enthusiasm, Grand Slam Track faced financial difficulties leading to the bankruptcy filing. The move initiates a period of reorganization for the league. The 2024 season saw a combined on-site attendance of over 3.36 million spectators across major tennis Grand Slam tournaments, with a cumulative TV audience reaching nearly two billion viewers globally, according to Tennis Temple. This success in tennis contrasts with the financial struggles of the new track and field league.
The Grand Slam tennis tournaments—the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open—continue to draw substantial viewership. The 2025 Roland Garros men’s final attracted 5.5 million viewers on French television, the largest audience in 14 years. The 2025 Wimbledon men’s final saw a 31% increase in viewership in the US, reaching nearly 2.9 million viewers on ESPN. The US Open men’s final was the most-watched tennis program of the year on ABC, averaging 3.3 million viewers.
As of January 10, 2026, Tennis Temple released a survey analyzing tennis viewers’ preferences regarding tournaments, surfaces, and players, but no similar data is currently available for Grand Slam Track.
