Last year, the track-and-field community was rocked when FloSports, the parent company of FloTrack, snatched up the broadcasting rights for the Wanda Diamond League. With a steep price tag of $29.99/month or $149.99/year—up from the previous $5.99/month and $59.99/year—fans erupted in outrage. The backlash wasn’t limited to spectators; even athletes slammed the move as driven by selfish motives. Now, the drama has reignited after a recent FloTrack podcast drew criticism for its glaring lack of knowledge about the sport.
Talking to the media, Petr Stastny, CEO of Wanda Diamond League, defended their stance as they mentioned, “This partnership represents our shared commitment to elevating the profile of track and field, providing fans with unparalleled access to our premier series of events. As we continue to celebrate athletic excellence on the global stage, we look forward to inspiring new generations of athletes and fans through this dynamic collaboration.”
Last year, FloSports acquired TFRRS and MileSplit, solidifying its status as the go-to powerhouse for all things track and field and delivering fans unmatched access to NCAA rankings, in-depth statistics, and high school competitions from coast to coast. Now, the community is already fed up with all of the fiasco that is currently happening in the sport, but the recent episode of The Meet Up triggered them again.
In a recent conversation on episode 21 of The Meet Up, Johnny Pace weighed in on Yared Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler’s performance in the 1500m race at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The co-hosts seemed fuzzy on the finer points of wild-card entries. Gibson admitted, “I’m actually not sure,” while Demitra Carter added, “I’m not sure of the exact details, but that’s the gist.”
For the unreserved, a wild-card entry is essentially a golden ticket. An invitation allowing an athlete to compete in the season finale despite missing qualification through points. These spots are typically reserved for reigning world or Olympic champions and other marquee names.
— Vernon L. Norwood (@Vernon400m) August 8, 2025
This sheer lack of sports knowledge was mocked by the fans as well as by the Tokyo Olympics Silver medalist, Fred Kerley, who reposted the video on his X handle with laughing emojis. And he is not alone in this endeavor; Tokyo Olympics 400m relay gold medalist Vernon L. Norwood also reposted the video on his X timeline with ROFL emojis.
FloTrack’s legitimacy in acquiring the broadcasting rights has been questioned by many within the sports community, and this is not the first time athletes have voiced their concerns about FloTrack’s rights.
Athletes are concerned about Flotrack’s new multi-year broadcasting deal
“Every time it seems like track and field builds momentum, something like this happens and just negates all of it,” 2022 world championship medallist and 400m hurdler Trevor Bassitt tweeted on X.
Even World indoor silver medallist over 1,500m Nikki Hiltz also took to her socials to call out the Diamond League for agreeing with the deal. “I hate it. Peacock literally charges $5.99 a month for access to sports, news, and 900+ TV shows and movies. Imagine having the audacity to charge $29.99 a month for some mediocre track and field coverage… like at least add The Office to your package or something.”
The agreement covers 14 Wanda Diamond League meets, excluding domestic events in the U.S., such as the Prefontaine Classic and the Eugene Diamond League. Additionally, it permits FloSports to keep streaming World Athletics Continental Tour Gold label and World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold label events. The timing of the acquisition doesn’t make sense either, considering that we are just 3 years away from the Las Vegas Olympics.
Recently, Tara Davis-Woodhall came forward, too, to voice her concern for the Flotrack acquisition. “There’s no one that really knows what FloTrack is. You have to pay for it, obviously, but like we’re already paying for so many streaming services as is, and putting another one just for track—that’s a hard thing to come by.” Tara expressed that she fails to understand the point of this, as the average US consumer might not be willing to pay such hefty fees just to watch the league.
Do you agree, too?
The post Fred Kerley, Vernon Norwood Throw Shade At Track & Field Streaming Publisher Over Diamond League Mistake appeared first on EssentiallySports.
