Noah Lyles hopes to bring in NBA-like hype in track and field by popularizing athlete 'walk-ins'

Noah Lyles has been taking great initiatives to popularize track and field in the likes of sports like basketball and baseball. The American athlete has been inculcating various measures to make the sport reach a wider audience, especially for track events other than the Olympics or the World Championships.

Noah Lyles believes that a different approach must be followed so that the sport appeals to a wider audience. One such technique, he believes, that would work out effectively would be athlete walk-ins. Like the NBA, Lyles believes track and field athletes entering the stadium for their events should be photographed showcasing their outfits to create hype among fans.

Lyles has been using this measure by popularising his walk-ins during track events by posting it on his official social media handle. He received a positive response from his fans as they were intrigued by his different outfits and fashion sense. Moreover, publicizing such walk-ins on social media helps to boost an athlete's social media profile, leading them to get more brand campaigns and sponsorships.

In an attempt to feature such walk-ins and track fashion, Lyles launched an Instagram handle called "trackandfits' that features track and field athletes. He spoke to Daze Digital about his initiative and how it would be helpful for track athletes.

" This is just one small piece of the puzzle. If you’re doing a fireworks show, you can’t start with the finale. You have to build up to it. Some people might think of the walk-ins as the finale, but for me they’re the first spark,” he said.

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Noah Lyles intrigued a lot of fans when was spotted wearing a “Men in Black” inspired outfit during the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2023. He organized a walk-in at the Millrose Games in New York City a week later.

He spoke to the New York Times revealing his idea behind bringing about this change.

“I had to explain what the idea was to a lot of athletes, which I thought was going to be the easiest part, because everyone watches the N.B.A. and N.F.L.But I guess I’m the only one that pays attention,” Lyles said.

Noah Lyles has had an impressive 2024 so far, winning all but one of the individual races in which he competed in. The only time he came up short was in the 60m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.