Michael Johnson announces former runner as Director of Athletes and Racing for his new track league

By Nandika Chand

Modified May 02, 2024 14:56 GMT

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Michael Johson has roped in former American middle-distance runner Kyle Merber into his new track league as Director of Athletes and Racing. The legendary American sprinter has partnered with the Winners Alliance, a for-profit arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, to establish a professional, fan-focused league.

In February, Johnson told Sportico that he loves the sport and owes everything to it. He said:

"It's been a shame for me to watch it over the last couple decades since I retired not be able to continue to provide the same amazing moments to people, outside of just the Olympics."

Now working to build his league, Johnson, 56, took to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce that Kyle Merber has joined the team. He tweeted:

"Excited to welcome @TheRealMerb to the team! Great things ahead for this sport!"

The 8x world champion also shared Merber's post, which stated:

"I am excited to share that I will be the Director of Athletes and Racing working alongside @MJGold to help revolutionize track and bring it into the mainstream of sports."

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Michael Johnson strives to change the game for athletes

Michael Johnson at Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024

Johnson, who is one of the most decorated track and field athletes of all time, is passionate about bringing a much needed change to American athletics. He has been working towards establishing a league and will release more details about it next month.

The Olympian is working with Winners Alliance, as per Sportico, to develop the sport and better engage and make it interactive for fans. Johnson, through the league, wants to promote the track's biggest stars and attract fans with unique storytelling.

The 4x Olympic gold medalist expressed dismay that NBC did not broadcast the USATF Outdoor Championships. Johnson said:

"... over 3 billion people are watching the sport once a year during those major championships and have an expressed interest to continue watching the sport if there was a place to do so." (via Sportico)

He believes there's a real opportunity. Johnson shared that besides establishing a new entertainment platform, he wants to help professional track athletes monetize their rights. The former sprinting superstar hopes to boost the league to the status and position of the Diamond League. He wants to enhance track & field athletics and take it to a whole new level.