Athletics pays less than other sports. Michael Johnson wants to change that

“Track and field has failed to reach its potential for years,” says Michael Johnson, an American sprinter with four Olympic gold medals. A ranking of the 100 best-paid athletes in the world by Sportico, a trade publication, does not feature a single athletics star. Indeed, the journal estimates that the highest-profile track athlete, America’s Noah Lyles, may not have earned enough last year to make the top 1,000.