Noah Lyles recently made his stance clear about being a professional athlete. The American explained that track and field doesn't have a professional league like other sports as amateur and pro athletes compete in the same competitions.
Lyles has been vocal about bringing multiple changes in track and field to elevate the sport to a wider audience. He feels the sport gains popularity during major events like the Olympics and the World Athletics Championships but fails to bring about a lot of traction during other events like the Diamond Leagues and the Grand Prix races.
Noah Lyles, in his podcast 'Beyond the Records' with Rai Benjamin and Vernon Norwood, expressed that track meets can be classified as amateur meets. This is because athletes, who are still in college or are juniors and surpass the qualifying standards, can compete in major races.
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"Don't get involved with the Olympics. The Olympics is amateur," he said.
When asked by Rai Benjamin whether he considered himself to be a professional athlete, he replied:
" Well, now I say, I'm the world's fastest man. Legally, no I'm a contractor for Adidas. We're amateurs. You didn't realise that. We're not getting paid."
Furthermore, he revealed he felt Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track is the only professional league as it has only pro athletes, including some of the fastest runners in the world.
"To be honest, I would distance myself from... To be honest World Athletics is amateur. All this is amateur. That's why grand slam (track) is the only thing that is technically almost professional. It's only going to be pros. They get to choose," he concluded.
Noah Lyles on elevating the sport to a larger audience
Noah Lyles spoke about making efforts to increase the sport's popularity among the masses in an interview with Olympics.com. The American athlete insisted the sport should be more fan-focused, which would make the fans excited to witness their favorite track stars compete.
He feels even the competing athletes should increase the event's energy, eventually leading to an unforgettable experience for the fans.
“Where are we going to push people? We need to push them back into track meets, get the energy and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I want to be there for that moment!’ When people come to see me, they get excited because they know a special moment is going to happen," he said.
Noah Lyles expressed how bringing in such minor changes will have a huge impact on the sport in the long run.
