“You know what hurts me the most? I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their heads. World champion of what? The United States?” Now, that’s quite a bold statement from Noah Lyles, which he made back in August 2023 after his epic triple gold medal performance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. But it wasn’t just a throwaway line. It was a moment that caught fire online and stirred up a lot of strong reactions. NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Aaron Gordon jumped in, mocking his words and defending their league’s title. But what many didn’t realize was the deep frustration behind Lyles’ words, a frustration he finally unpacked two years later in a YouTube interview with the American former professional football player Cam Newton.
Lyles explained that the comment came right after he achieved a rare feat, winning the 100m, 200m, and 4×100 meters relay at the World Championships, making him only the fifth man ever to do so. When, at that time, a reporter asked about the recognition track and field gets in the U.S. compared to Europe and the rest of the world, Lyles didn’t hold back.
He opened up about the struggle of being a world-class athlete in a sport that often gets overlooked back home. “It’s frustrating at times because we’re doing such amazing things, and we’re representing the U.S. every year,” he said. “But sometimes they only pay attention during the Olympics.” That lack of consistent respect was a raw wound for him.
What made Noah Lyles speak out was the misuse of the term “world champion” by American sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB. These leagues call their champions “world champions,” but all the competition is limited to teams within the United States. Noah made the distinction crystal clear: “When you are competing for a league that only faces teams in one country, that’s a national title. When you compete against everybody in the world, and they have all agreed to show up in this one place, that’s a world title.”
His point? Real-world championships involve battling the best from every country, not just within one nation. It’s a tough pill for many fans and players to swallow, but it’s a fact he feels passionately about. Noah still acknowledges that he appreciates the story and marketing that keep sports interesting for fans. “And I love it and I love the marketing and I love the storytelling,” he said.
He argued that by referring to an NBA or NFL title as a “world” championship, you are lessening the value of what athletes accomplish at global sports events. Such frustration comes from the gap he sees between what he thinks and what is. Noah Lyles’ words on respect, recognition, and being a world champion became a key topic in the sports world.
It made fans, players, and leagues look again at how valuable national contests are when compared to international tournaments. Athletes like Lyles, by competing on a world level, try to win and claim a title as the top athletes on the globe. That’s a position he thinks should be recognized in the way it truly is. So, when Cam Newton wondered, “If you could change how they express their excitement for winning, what would you prefer them to say?” Lyles didn’t hesitate. His answer?
Noah Lyles vs. the system, not the stars
Noah Lyles not only criticizes different sports. He focused on reflecting within the track and field community. When questioned about what he wanted to change, his answer was very open: “I think it’s more our fault for not giving a better way of marketing. I think that world champions are fine and all that. I think our problem is that we are not organized enough. We’re too amateur. In fact, we are amateurs. Track and field as a sport is amateur.”
That kind of honesty cuts deep, especially coming from one of the sport’s brightest stars. His words show a fundamental issue: track and field, despite its global scale, struggles to present itself with the professionalism and polish seen in leagues like the NBA or NFL. The problems go beyond just medals and records.
Track and field has long battled with low visibility outside of Olympic years, even though it’s one of the most participated-in sports at the high school level in the U.S. Inconsistent event scheduling, limited storytelling, and scattered promotion make it difficult for athletes to become household names. A clear example? The controversy involved Lyles and NBA star Anthony Edwards during his contract talks with Adidas in 2024.
It wasn’t just about shoes; it was about respect, recognition, and the message brands send when they overlook world champions in favor of flashier, more commercially backed sports. During that time, Noah Lyles was invited to attend the launch event for Edwards’ signature sneaker, the Adidas AE 1. But the invite didn’t sit right with him.
“You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?” he said in a TIME interview. As a six-time world champion, Lyles wasn’t questioning Edwards’ talent; he was highlighting how companies like Adidas still treat track athletes as second-tier, even when they’re performing at the very top of their sport globally.
The backlash came quickly, with critics accusing Lyles of shading Edwards. But Noah Lyles clarified online that his frustration wasn’t personal; it was about the system. “There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case—he definitely deserves his shoes; he is an amazing player,” he tweeted.
“The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements.” The dust eventually settled, and Lyles signed a new contract extension with Adidas through the 2028 Olympics, one of the richest in track and field since Usain Bolt. But the moment made one thing painfully clear: until the sport steps up its game in marketing and structure, its champions will keep fighting for the recognition they’ve already earned.
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