Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, has announced a transformative partnership with Sundial Media & Technology Group (SMTG), the human connections company behind influential brands like ESSENCE, AFROPUNK, and Refinery29. This multi-year alliance is designed to reshape how fans interact with the sport by turning passive viewership into dynamic, community-driven engagement—putting fans at the heart of the action and giving athletes the visibility and compensation they deserve.
Through this strategic collaboration, SMTG will lead the effort to secure commercial partnerships for Grand Slam Track’s 2026 season and beyond, with a historic clause ensuring that 10 per cent of all sponsorship sales made by SMTG will be paid directly to Grand Slam Track Racers. Athletes will also benefit from being featured prominently across SMTG’s wide-reaching media platforms, from digital publications and social media to in-person activations at major cultural events. This cross-platform exposure will not only elevate the profiles of the sport’s stars but will also draw new audiences into the world of track and field.
“Our partnership with Grand Slam Track™ marks a bold expansion for Sundial Media & Technology Group into the world of sport, where over 100 years of cultural fluency and community wisdom can now fuel a new kind of playbook,” said Kirk McDonald, CEO of Sundial Media & Technology Group. “True transformation comes when competition meets community. Our new model will turn fans into co-creators, athletes into owners, and track into a stage for immersive cultural experience, all while powering athleticism through equity, access, and storytelling.”
In just its inaugural season, Grand Slam Track™ has already begun to reimagine what professional track competition can look like—placing as much emphasis on personality and storytelling as it does on performance. With the backing of SMTG, the league plans to go even further in 2026 by building a new model for equity, visibility, and monetization that centers the athletes and invites fans into the inner circle of the sport.
The partnership will roll out a range of new initiatives aimed at building a vibrant digital and real-world ecosystem around track and field. These include interactive digital content and athlete-driven storytelling across social and media platforms; live event experiences that blend competition with culture, music, and fan participation; a new media platform that allows fans to co-create, share, and even own parts of the sport’s unfolding narrative; and exclusive behind-the-scenes access into the lives and training journeys of Grand Slam Track’s athletes.
Michael Johnson, Grand Slam Track’s Founder and Commissioner, welcomed the partnership as a pivotal moment for the sport. “As a sport, track has some of the most compelling athletes in the world—but for too long, fans have been kept at arm’s length,” Johnson said. “Grand Slam Track™ set out to change that, and has seen unbelievable support from all around the globe since we launched. Our pilot season has been a huge success, and we’re delighted with the tremendous response we’ve received. Now, looking ahead to our 2026 season with SMTG in our corner, we’re closing that distance between fans and our Racers even further, and revolutionizing this sport through this incredible partnership. We’re not just building a league—we’re building a movement.”
The joint venture will also solidify Grand Slam Track’s foundation as it prepares to unveil its 2026 calendar of events, which will span major U.S. cities and international locations, with broadcasting and streaming coverage reaching more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. This next phase will further amplify the league’s mission of creating a global, culturally relevant stage for elite track competition.
Notably, Richelieu Dennis, Founder and Chair of The Sundial Group of Companies and Managing Partner of the New Voices Fund, has also invested in Grand Slam Track™. Dennis played a key role in establishing the partnership and brings his deep expertise in cultural entrepreneurship to the table as the league prepares for its next chapter.
With this bold new alliance, Grand Slam Track™ and Sundial Media & Technology Group are not only redefining the business of sport—they are reimagining how track and field can connect, inspire, and thrive in a new era of athlete empowerment and fan-driven storytelling.