Friday is a good day for four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson. It's the start of the Olympic track and field events in Paris, and he's in the broadcast booth for the BBC.
But it's also bittersweet because Johnson, who famously won the 200 and 400 meters in Atlanta in 1996 in his gold Nikes, feels track and field can be much more relevant in between Olympic years.
That's why Johnson raised money to start the Grand Slam Track, which will begin next April and offer salaries and an impressive $12.6 million in prize money.
Johnson told cllct this week that merchandising and licensing will be an essential part of the league, realizing that building the names through retail is essential.
The key? Signing athletes to contracts — Sydney McLaughlin Levrone is already on board — instead of having them be independent contractors like in tennis and golf.
Johnson says there will be 48 athletes who will be given base compensation in exchange for their licensing rights and the promise they will compete in the major events.
Lack of group licensing deals has hurt the ability to consistently make wide-ranging collectible products in those sports. Johnson doesn't want to rely on Levrone's sponsors, such as New Balance, to build her brand.
Johnson said beyond cards and video games, he's open to everything, including offering race-worn items.
"We're a green space there," Johnson said. "So, we're open to all sorts of things that we can use to market the league to connect athletes and fans together."
To start, Topps helped create a limited run of 200 sets of cards featuring just Johnson to launch the league, half of which will go on sale on the organization's website in the next two weeks.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.