Powerful storytelling is missing - Noah Lyles believes 'True Rivalries' haven't yet been established in Track and Field

American sprint star Noah Lyles argues that simply competing in the same events is not enough to create the compelling rivalries that captivate sports fans.

In a landscape where modern sports are driven by compelling narratives and larger-than-life personalities, the reigning Olympic 100m champion believes track and field is missing a crucial element: powerful storytelling.

Speaking with Olympics.com, Lyles offered a sharp critique of how rivalries are perceived in athletics, suggesting the sport has yet to harness their full potential.

"I think that if a rivalry is cared for in the correct manner, then yes, it can be good," Lyles stated. "But calling every competition of an athlete going up against another athlete a rivalry is not the same. There has to be a story. There has to be a purpose. There has to be intent."

Lyles, a multiple world champion in both the 100m and 200m, stressed that meaningful conflict requires more than just shared race schedules. "Just the fact that they happen to show up at the same track meet is not a rivalry," he added.

His perspective is born from a deep passion for the sport and a desire to see it achieve the same narrative depth as others. He points to legendary clashes like Ali vs. Frazier in boxing, Messi vs. Ronaldo in football, and LeBron vs. Steph in basketball—sagas that transcended individual contests and created global conversations.

Lyles feels that athletics has struggled to cultivate rivalries with similar weight. He cited the Usain Bolt vs. Justin Gatlin dynamic as a recent high point but argued that even it fell short.

"I’d say the Usain Bolt vs. Justin Gatlin was probably the biggest, most memorable one," Lyles noted. "For a little while, there was the Shaunae (Miller) vs. Allyson Felix rivalry… But even with those, they’re not really rivalries. They just happened to show up at the same track meets... I don’t think they got everything they could have got out of these. They could have been pushed so much more."

According to Lyles, the key is to give fans a reason to invest emotionally.

"When somebody has a dog in the fight, they’re more entertained and more willing to participate," he explained. "When you have no reason to cheer, you have no reason to care."

"I do it for myself. This is for me and the audience," he said. "I want everybody to have a good time. I want everybody to be excited when they come and watch me perform."

He added, "When they leave, I want them to say, ‘I would have never got that type of energy if I just watched it on TV.’ Like, that was amazing. I want to come back for more," he concluded.