“Come help me build the future!” This is what Alexis Ohanian has urged as he rallies support to elevate track and field. It all started on July 6, after the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, when an X user posted the intense photo finish between Yared Nuguse and Niels Laros, wondering how track isn’t already the world’s biggest sport. Ohanian jumped in with a bold promise: “It will be one of the most popular.” He followed up with the rallying call and dropped a link to his upcoming Athlos NYC event on October 10, 2025. The tech entrepreneur has big plans for the sport, though one has to wonder if he’s keeping the Grand Slam Track fallout in mind.

The track and field world had been eagerly awaiting the final leg of the Grand Slam Track in Los Angeles. But on June 12, Michael Johnson announced the abrupt end of the league’s inaugural season, cancelling the much-anticipated LA event. The news disappointed many, especially after the excitement generated by the previous stops in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. So what caused the cancellation? While Grand Slam Track has consistently denied financial troubles as the reason, there are clear signs the once well-funded venture is scaling back. This wave of cost-cutting has directly impacted the athletes, enough to prompt Alexis Ohanian to finally speak out.

Front Office Sports published a report on July 12 featuring Alexis Ohanian’s take on the situation. Tensions between Grand Slam Track and Ohanian’s Athlos NYC had flared up before, with public back-and-forths between the two sides. Still, the sudden collapse of Michael Johnson’s ambitious league didn’t please Ohanian. He remarked, “No one is celebrating this. … No one wants to see less investment in the sport.” As for the ongoing payment disputes with athletes, Ohanian didn’t hold back: “Nothing could prepare me for the broke-ness that exists in the infrastructure around this sport, and the sort of low-integrity behavior. … It’s sad.” But what exactly are these payment disputes about?

At its launch, Grand Slam Track promised a groundbreaking financial model: $12.6 million in prize money spread across four events, plus salaries for its 48 core “racers” and smaller appearance fees for “challengers” making single appearances. Winning an event group came with a hefty $100,000 payout — far more than traditional track meets offered. However, by canceling the L.A. meet and the Philly 5K, GST saved over $3 million. Despite that, many athletes still haven’t been paid for their performances in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. GST executive Kyle Merber addressed this in an email, saying, “We plan to make payments for Kingston prize money before the end of July and the remaining payments due by the end of September, which includes the honouring of Los Angeles appearance fees.” Whether this timeline is realistic or not remains uncertain, but the cautious tone in their messaging is unmistakable.

On top of that, Michael Johnson’s league faced another awkward moment last week. Grand Slam Track’s TikTok account, which is still active, posted a video featuring Gabby Thomas, the dynamic sprinter and triple Olympic gold medalist from Paris, who was also one of the league’s marquee athletes. Thomas commented on the post, writing, “So dope!!” followed by a blunt reminder: “Pls pay me.” Amid all this, the question remains — what does Alexis Ohanian plan to do differently to change the landscape?

Alexis Ohanian is on his way to mend things. 

Last year, Athlos NYC made waves — but for Alexis Ohanian, that was just the beginning. He saw a bigger opportunity, a chance to reshape the very foundation of track and field. So for 2026, Athlos isn’t just coming back — it’s evolving.

Ohanian is building a team-based women’s track and field league, with multiple meets set in major cities, designed for the fans, powered by innovation, and — most importantly — led by the athletes themselves. This isn’t just another competition series; it’s a reimagination of how the sport can be seen, felt, and celebrated.

And the athletes? They’re already dreaming about it. Gabby Thomas, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Tara Davis-Woodhall aren’t just competitors here — they’re advisor-owners, steering the vision from the ground up. On May 29, Gabby couldn’t help but share her excitement: “I dreamt about Athlos last night.” A day earlier, Sha’Carri lit up X with three simple, loaded words: “It’s time!” With momentum building, one thing is clear — for Athlos and for the sport itself, a new era is just beginning.

The PGA TOUR’s pivot to digital-first content production is no longer a gamble—it’s a strategic bet on the future of sports media. With its latest venture, Truth or Putt, a collaboration with ATTN: and Dunkin’, PGA TOUR Studios has crafted a blueprint for merging viral social trends with traditional sports storytelling. This show isn’t just entertainment; it’s a masterclass in leveraging Gen Z’s content preferences to diversify revenue streams and secure a seat at the table of the $150 billion digital media market. Here’s why investors should take note.

The Rise of “Truth or Putt”: Short-Form Gold

Truth or Putt embodies the “fast, fearless, and built for the feed” ethos needed to captivate younger audiences. Each episode blends high-stakes putting challenges—think “three-putt the 10-foot shot or answer a personal question”—with candid interviews. The format is inherently shareable: failed putts lead to awkward confessions, while viral-worthy trick shots (e.g., sinking a ball into a Dunkin’ coffee cup) create bite-sized clips perfect for TikTok and Instagram Reels.

The series’ distribution strategy is equally shrewd. By fragmenting content across platforms—long-form interviews on YouTube, FAST channels, and short-form snippets on TikTok—PGA TOUR Studios ensures maximum reach. This approach mirrors the success of Our Great National Parks, which leveraged similar cross-platform tactics to attract 10 million+ viewers in its first season.

Why It Works: Data-Driven Dominance

The PGA TOUR’s investment in analytics isn’t confined to tracking strokes gained; it’s now central to content creation. Here’s how Truth or Putt aligns with proven strategies:
– Platform Optimization: 70% of TikTok users are under 30, and PGA’s short-form clips target this demographic directly.
– Brand Synergy: Dunkin’s co-branded campaigns (e.g., limited-edition merchandise) convert viewers into customers, creating dual revenue streams from ad sales and retail partnerships.
– Player-Centric Storytelling: Highlighting personalities like Max Homa’s sarcastic humor amplifies organic reach—players’ social followings act as free promotional channels.

The Investment Case: Diversification Meets Growth

For investors, the value proposition is clear: PGA TOUR Studios is transitioning from a golf-centric media entity to a digital content powerhouse. Key catalysts include:
1. Revenue Diversification: Truth or Putt reduces reliance on traditional TV rights fees. Ad revenue from FAST channels and social platforms, plus Dunkin’s co-branded deals, create scalable income streams.
2. Audience Expansion: Golf’s Gen Z viewership has surged by 40% since 2020, per Nielsen. Shows like Truth or Putt accelerate this trend, broadening the PGA’s fanbase and appeal to advertisers.
3. Production Efficiency: The new PGA TOUR Studios facility, opening in 2025, enables high-quality, cost-effective content creation—a moat against competitors scrambling to replicate this model.

Risks and Mitigations

Critics may argue that short-form content’s shelf life is fleeting, but PGA’s strategy mitigates this:
– Evergreen Content: Interviews and highlight reels can be repurposed across platforms for months.
– Brand Loyalty: Dunkin’s multi-year partnership ensures steady revenue even if individual shows fade.

Conclusion: A Hole-in-One for Investors

PGA TOUR Studios’ shift to viral-native content isn’t just a trend—it’s a strategic realignment for the digital age. With Truth or Putt setting the standard for engaging younger audiences while monetizing through ads, partnerships, and merchandise, the company is primed to outpace rivals in sports media. For investors, this is a rare opportunity to back a content innovator with a proven track record in analytics and a pipeline of high-potential projects.

In a sector where 70% of Gen Z consumes media via social platforms, PGA’s bet on “built for the feed” storytelling isn’t just smart—it’s essential. The putter is in the hands of the right team.

The LA28 Games shares Olympic competition schedule for most ambitious sports lineup in history as PlayLA surpasses one million program enrollments to date 

Los Angeles, CA (July 14, 2025) – Three years from today, the Olympic Games will return to Los Angeles for the third time in history, a remarkable milestone for the iconic Host City. To celebrate the Road to 2028, LA28 today released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule. Additionally, LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover will join Los Angeles’ Recreation and Parks and PlayLA later today to commemorate a major pre-Games legacy achievement of one million program enrollments in PlayLA programming. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to mark this moment at exactly three years out from Los Angeles’ third Olympic Games in 2028,” said Reynold Hoover LA28 Chief Executive Officer. “There is so much to celebrate today between one million program enrollments in LA28’s pre-Games legacy through the PlayLA program, plus the first look at the Olympic competition schedule that has been meticulously developed to ensure the world’s best athletes can compete in LA. We are energized by today’s milestones and remain focused on the work ahead as the Road to 2028 continues.” 

“We are now three years away from the LA Memorial Coliseum hosting the opening of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and I’m proud that the first medal will be awarded at the iconic Venice Beach,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighborhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy. We are already delivering that legacy as we announce there have been more than one million enrollments in PlayLA. I want to thank LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for making these programs possible and for their continued work to host the greatest Games yet.”

For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Games will return to the United States with a schedule designed to accommodate both domestic and global viewership of the 844 ticketed events.   

2028 Olympic Competition Schedule Highlights:

• Opening and Closing Ceremonies: The 2028 Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 14, 2028 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium in Inglewood, and the Closing Ceremony will take place Sunday, July 30, 2028 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT at the LA Memorial Coliseum.  
• Historic Swap of Athletics and Swimming competitions: The 2028 Games will kick off with a powerful start thanks to the historic swap of the Athletics and Swimming events. Athletics will move to the first week of competition while Swimming will be held during the second week. 
• Athletics at the LA Memorial Coliseum: The Games will kick off with the world’s fastest athletes at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Consistent with tradition, the Marathon events will take place on the final weekend of the Games. 
• First Medal of the LA28 Games to be Awarded at Venice Beach: Also on Day 1, Triathlon will award LA28’s first Olympic champion in the Host City of Los Angeles, set along the vibrant coastline of Venice Beach. 
• Most Games Medals Awarded on Day 15: Day 15 of competition will go down as one of the most memorable final weekends in Olympic medal history when 16 gold and bronze medal team sport matches and the Finals for 19 individual sports, including Swimming, all take place on the single most action-packed day of the LA28 Games. 
• Swimming Finale: Swimming will close out the LA28 Games on Day 16 with the final competition session held in one of the world’s most technically advanced and modern stadiums, the 2028 Stadium, setting the stage for an epic Closing Ceremony at the LA Memorial Coliseum. 

Developed in close coordination with Games delivery partners including the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), International Federations (IFs) of each respective sport and approval from the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, the 2028 Olympic competition schedule showcases the most ambitious sports lineup in history. Leading up to the 2028 Games, the competition schedule will continue to evolve as planning progresses. A more detailed schedule with medal events and gender order will be released later this year. A downloadable PDF of the current Olympic competition schedule by day and by session is available here.  

PlayLA Surpasses One Million Program Enrollments

In partnership with Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, LA28 and the International Olympic Committee have invested up to $160 million in PlayLA, offering quality, affordable, and inclusive sports programming for kids of all abilities. Today, PlayLA is celebrating one million program enrollments, marking an incredible milestone in LA28’s pre-Games legacy. Programming offers kids ages 3-17 the opportunity to engage in over 40 Olympic and adaptive sports, including aquatics, athletics, boxing, flag football, judo, as well as adaptive swimming, adaptive athletics, para surfing, sitting volleyball and more. 

ABOUT THE LA28 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

The LA28 Games will mark Los Angeles’ third time to host the Olympic Games, previously hosted in 1984 and 1932, and first time to host the Paralympic Games. Los Angeles will host the world’s most elite athletes in 2028 as it welcomes Paralympians and Olympians from around the world to compete on the biggest stage in sports. The LA28 Games are independently operated by a privately funded, non-profit organization with revenue from corporate partners, licensing agreements, hospitality and ticketing programs and a significant contribution from the International Olympic Committee.  

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The Bowling Green State University volleyball program and head coach Alex DelPiombo announced the signings of Anastasija Bozic and Avery Hobson on Monday morning.

Bozic, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, will come to the Falcons as a freshman from Panzevo, Serbia. Hobson, a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter, will arrive in Bowling Green from Duquesne.

Bozic is the eighth international student-athlete on the Falcons’ 2025 roster with players also from Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic and Poland.

In Serbia, Bozic most recently played for Ok “Kula” Gradacac in 2025 after competing with Ok “Zeleznicar” Lajovac from 2022-24.

With Ok Zelenznicar, she aided the team to a semifinal appearance in the 2023 and 2024 Serbian Super League Playoffs while also capturing the Cev Cup in both 2023 and 2024 as well. During the 2025 season Bozic earned the Best Scorer of the regular season honor for the Women’s OSBIH Premijer League.

“Anastasija joins our program as a freshman with an immense amount of high level experience,” said DelPiombo. “She is a winner and getting to know her in our recruiting process has made us excited to welcome her to BGSU and our community.

“Anastasija’s talent is just the start; her commitment to getting better, being a good teammate and passion for volleyball will be a big piece for our program.”

Bosic said, “I chose to attend BGSU because of its strong academic programs and excellent volleyball team. The university offers great opportunities for both my athletic and academic growth.

“I was impressed by the supportive community, the coaching staff’s dedication, and the chance to study while competing at a high level. BGSU feels like the perfect place for me to develop my skills and prepare for my future career.”

Hobson will join the Falcons after two seasons with Duquesne. As a freshman in 2023, Hobson was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team as well as being a two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week.

She followed it up in 2024 by being named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. As for her stats, Hobson appeared in 212 sets over all 56 matches during her two seasons with the Dukes. During her time, she landed 513 kills and 61 aces while adding 534 digs and 90 blocks on the defensive end.

She posted at least 200 kills, 200 digs, 35 blocks and 25 aces in each season, including 296 kills during her freshman campaign.

“Our program is very proud of our past accomplishments, but we are always looking to get better and take steps forward,” said DelPiombo.

“Avery has the tools and competitiveness to help us on that journey. Avery’s experience and drive to be great will immediately impact us. We’re so excited to welcome her to our program and Falcon Nation and know she’s going to be a great fit in our BGSU community and gym.”

With the Dukes, Hobson recorded 12 double-doubles, including double-digit digs in 27 matches and double-digit kills in 21 matches. As a freshman in 2023, her 296 kills led the team while her 3.02 kills per set ranked eighth in the A-10 conference while finishing fourth on the team in digs.

As for her sophomore campaign, Hobson flipped the script, leading the team in digs with 282, averaging 2.47 per set, while finishing fourth on the team in kills.

Before her time at Duquesne, Hobson aided Hamilton Southeastern to a 34-1 record and an Indiana Class 4A state title in 2022. She earned First Team All-State, All-District and All-Conference honors while being named a First Team All-American by MaxPreps.

She was also one of five finalists for the first-annual Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association (IHSVCA) Indiana Ms. Volleyball. As for club, Hobson competed with Circle City Volleyball Club.

Head coach Terri Kaiser hails volleyball as the ultimate team sport, and under her watch, Lake Worth Christian has become the ultimate volleyball program when it comes to Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach Post’s “Summer Celebration” series takes a look at the last 25 years in each sport, but one would have to go long beyond that to find the roots of Kaiser’s impact on Lake Worth Christian’s community.

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A bricklayer, in the truest sense.

Entering her 37th year at the school — split into two stretches — Kaiser remembers laying pipe in the ground to help expand what was at that point a one-building school.

A look back at this year: Lake Worth Christian focusing on ‘the little things’

“We didn’t build the gym until the 90s,” she said. “This is very important: Lake Worth Christian encouraged students first, and athletes followed.”

But when it came time for athletics, Kaiser quickly made her mark.

Surprisingly, she didn’t start out coaching volleyball.

Looking back at her career as a multi-sport athlete in high school and college, Kaiser admitted that softball was her best sport and is in fact what she started coaching in her first years at Lake Worth Christian.

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But then she was asked about coaching volleyball, and a moment’s hesitation transformed over the years into a dynasty-like run perhaps unlike any other in the county.

Part of that is because as the sport has evolved, Kaiser has evolved right along with it.

“Volleyball is one of those sports that has evolved, changed, more than any other sport,” she said, pointing to a number of rule adjustments. “The rules keep changing. Volleyball, in the past 25 years has gone from best two out of three games to three out of five now. If you’re not doing it 12 months out of the year and touching the volleyball and playing the club circuit, you can’t evolve to be that next-level player.”

In her time at Lake Worth Christian, Kaiser has become a coach that surrounds herself with the game throughout the year, and she says that’s made as big a difference as any in helping the program find success.

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“I think what’s evolved for Lake Worth Christian volleyball is the consistency, the willingness of me and other people that coach with me in the program to stay involved for the last 25 years in a 12-month program.”

Kaiser’s dedication to the program matches the importance it carries for her, in her heart.

Lake Worth Christian carries a unique sense of community for Kaiser, but it goes deeper than that.

It’s family, in the literal sense.

All four of her kids attended the school from kindergarten through senior year, and all four went to college at Palm Beach Atlantic. While Joy VanDyke remains coaching at Cardinal Newman after coaching for a time with her mother, two live in North Carolina and one lives in Texas, now.

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The roots are the same, though, a testament to Kaiser’s depiction of loyalty being the hidden truth behind why the Lake Worth Christian volleyball program has been so successful.

“I think loyalty speaks a lot,” Kaiser said, who then took a moment to reflect on all of the players of the last 25 years and beyond that had won The Post’s Player of the Year recognition.

“Everyone, if you look at the list, they pretty much all were at Lake Worth Christian for longer than two years,” she said. “They didn’t just come in when the program was good. They came into the program from the beginning. Their ‘claim to fame’ — is that a good phrase? — would be, they were loyal. They were consistent. They stayed. And that’s different than what you have in the world right now.”

The idea of family extends to those players she’s coached, too.

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Rather than focusing on the state championships under her watch — 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, with another four runner-up finishes — Kaiser instead spoke with excitement about a cross-country trip she has planned this week.

The veteran coach is traveling to Texas to watch former Lake Worth Christian standout Sarah Franklin play in the Volleyball Nations League as the star outside hitter and former Player of the Year continues her Olympian-sized dreams.

In the era of instant gratification, it’s players like Franklin and others that Kaiser said stayed in the Defenders program and took the time to develop and play as year-round players.

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And in that light, going forward, Kaiser says that while the question of best program in the last 25 years is an interesting one, she asks an intriguing follow-up.

“What school is going to give the biggest incentive to play there? It might be a unique year to do a ‘who had the most successful program in 25 years for each spot’ story. A good question would be, are they going to continue down that path?”

Certainly, it’s a question that will be answered in time. But for Kaiser, there is no time like the present, and her love for volleyball is as strong as ever.

Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.

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Girls Volleyball Player of the Year winners (2000-25)

• Lake Worth Christian – 11

• Boca Raton Christian – 3

Palm Beach County girls volleyball state championship (2000-25)

• Lake Worth Christian – 5

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How Lake Worth Christian volleyball built a dynasty built on loyalty