In a seismic shift for professional track and field, Grand Slam Track, the innovative league founded by four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, has secured an exclusive media rights deal with The CW Network and NBC Sports.
This unprecedented partnership ensures that the league’s highly anticipated inaugural season will receive widespread broadcast and streaming coverage across the United States.
Under the terms of the agreement, The CW Network will serve as the exclusive U.S. television home for Grand Slam Track, while Peacock will be the league’s dedicated streaming platform. To cap off the season, NBC will air a special highlights program featuring the most thrilling moments of the league’s debut year on May 10, 2025.
“We’re delighted to finally be able to announce this incredibly exciting broadcast and streaming partnership to all our fans in the United States,” said Grand Slam Track Commissioner Michael Johnson. “I’d like to personally thank both our great friends and partners at The CW and NBC Sports for putting together this agreement, which will help us continue to revolutionize the sport of track. We were determined to make sure that Grand Slam Track would be seen by millions of fans across the country, and we’re delighted to be delivering on that promise. We can’t wait to get started with our Slams in April; you won’t want to miss this.”
The birth of a new track & field powerhouse
Grand Slam Track, launched in 2024, has already captivated the global track and field community. Featuring an elite roster of 48 world-class Racers, the league will bring the sport to a new level of competitiveness by pitting these top-tier athletes against 48 Challengers across four high-stakes events, known as Slams. The action will unfold in Kingston, Jamaica; Miami, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Los Angeles, California.
Among the star athletes already confirmed are world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, and 400m Olympic gold medalist Quincy Hall, alongside international luminaries such as Josh Kerr and Marileidy Paulino. With 48 more Challengers yet to be announced, anticipation for the league’s debut is reaching a fever pitch.
Where and when to watch
Peacock will provide exclusive live coverage of each event’s opening day, while The CW will broadcast all Saturday and Sunday competitions nationwide, with simultaneous streaming on Peacock.
The 2025 Grand Slam Track schedule
Kingston, Jamaica
Friday, April 4: 6:00-9:00 PM ET (Peacock Exclusive)
Saturday, April 5: 6:00-9:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Sunday, April 6: 3:00-6:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Miami, Florida
Friday, May 2: 5:00-8:00 PM ET (Peacock Exclusive)
Saturday, May 3: 5:00-8:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Sunday, May 4: 3:00-6:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Friday, May 30: 4:00-7:00 PM ET (Peacock Exclusive)
Saturday, May 31: 4:00-7:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Sunday, June 1: 3:00-6:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Los Angeles, California
Friday, June 27: 7:00-10:00 PM ET (Peacock Exclusive)
Saturday, June 28: 7:00-10:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
Sunday, June 29: 3:00-6:00 PM ET (CW & Peacock)
A thrilling new format
Breaking away from traditional track and field competitions, Grand Slam Track puts head-to-head matchups at the heart of the action. Unlike conventional meets, where finishing times dictate success, this league focuses on pure racing battles.
Competitors will vie for supremacy in six distinct event groups:
Short Sprints (100m/200m)
Short Hurdles (100H or 110H/100m)
Long Sprints (200m/400m)
Long Hurdles (400H/400m)
Short Distance (800m/1500m)
Long Distance (3000m/5000m)
Each athlete’s final placement will be determined by their combined finishing order over two races per Slam. The stakes are monumental, with winners of each event group taking home a $100,000 prize, while even the eighth-place finisher secures a $10,000 payout.
In keeping with the league’s commitment to raw, unfiltered competition, Grand Slam Track has eliminated pacemakers and pacing lights. Every race will be a pure test of speed, endurance, and strategy.
Industry leaders applaud the historic partnership
Brad Schwartz, President of The CW Network, expressed enthusiasm about the addition of Grand Slam Track to the network’s growing sports portfolio, which already includes ACC football and basketball, Pac-12 football, WWE NXT, and NASCAR Xfinity Series racing.
“We are thrilled to welcome Olympic Champion Michael Johnson and the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track to the CW Sports family,” Schwartz said. “Michael and his team have assembled an impressive roster of the top athletes from around the world for intense head-to-head competitions. We look forward to introducing Grand Slam Track to our broadcast audience and believe it is an exciting addition to our growing roster of sports on The CW.”
Joe Gesue, Senior Vice President of NBC Olympics & Paralympics Programming, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing NBC Sports’ long-standing commitment to track and field.
“Michael Johnson is a legend in the sport, and we’re excited to partner with him and the Grand Slam Track team to deliver his vision to devoted track fans and new audiences on Peacock,” Gesue stated. “Following the incredible success of the Paris Olympics, which featured one of the all-time memorable track meets, we’re looking forward to this new opportunity to showcase these phenomenal athletes and engage viewers with their dynamic performances and stories.”
With an electrifying line-up of world-class athletes, an innovative competition format, and an unprecedented broadcast partnership, Grand Slam Track is set to redefine the landscape of professional track and field. As the countdown to April 4 begins, fans across the country can prepare for a thrilling season of high-stakes racing that will be unlike anything the sport has seen before.
