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For years, track and field has struggled to hold attention outside Olympic years. Meets came and went, athletes broke records, but the conversation rarely lasted past the highlights. Track and field fans have been told that their sport doesn’t “translate” to modern media. Too long between races. Too technical. Not enough stars to drive conversation. But the past month on YouTube has proven otherwise.
Ready Set Go, our Tidal League show hosted by Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, made the leap to weekly livestreams on Sunday nights, and the results have been impossible to ignore. The numbers are one thing. The energy is another. Together, they show how much this community has been waiting for a space that feels like theirs.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
Since the move to live, Ready Set Go has averaged 18,000 unique viewers within just two days of each broadcast. The highs have been undeniable — from 27,356 viewers on August 4 to 24,990 on August 17, with the lowest stream still pulling in over 12,000. For context, our edited uploads averaged 12,000 views across two weeks. The live format isn’t just working; it’s doubling engagement in less time.
And it’s not just about who’s watching. It’s about who’s staying. At one point, we saw 289 chat messages in under an hour, with nearly 1,000 fans still locked in while live. That level of retention tells us something simple but powerful: fans don’t want to sit back passively — they want to be part of the conversation.
When the Chat Became the Show
The data tells one story. The moments tell another.
On our first official livestream, Erin “The Spider” Brown dropped into the chat and threw flowers at Oblique Seville, calling him one of the most impressive sprinters of today. The reaction? Instant chaos. Fans spammed the chat, debating Seville’s ceiling, reliving his last races, and flooding the comments. It was the kind of organic, unscripted moment that no edited highlight could capture. And other track and field though leaders and athletes dropping by in the live is the type of support that keeps us going.
A week later, “Kishane” appeared in the comments. Yes, the Jamaican sprinter himself — or so we thought. When he went silent in the chat after Rodney and Justin demanded he break down his last race, we realized it probably wasn’t him. But regardless, we ended up with our very own RSG Kishane who will be remembered.
Fans Are Driving the Conversation
One of the most important parts of Ready Set Go Live has nothing to do with the hosts. It’s the fans. A recurring segment now features viewer-submitted videos of their own races, with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green breaking down mechanics and offering advice. It’s simple, but it bridges the gap between pros and everyday runners, making the show feel less like a broadcast and more like a community workshop.
That accessibility is why people keep showing up — not just to listen, but to be heard. If you would like your video reviewed or need track advice, simply submit your video on our Discord, ReadySetGo.
What This Means for Track and Field
If there’s a bigger lesson here, it’s this: track and field doesn’t have to be a once-every-four-years spectacle. With the right platform and consistency, it can live week to week, just like basketball, football, or any other global sport.
Ready Set Go Live is proving it. By doubling engagement compared to polished uploads, it shows fans aren’t craving perfection. They want connection. They want to feel like part of the conversation.
And YouTube, with its ability to host unfiltered, long-form live content that stays available for rewatch, is the perfect place for it.
The Road Ahead
Every week adds more proof that this model works. Watch time now averages 6,000 hours per stream, and the archive of full episodes continues to build an evergreen catalog for fans who miss the live broadcast. But the real value is happening in the moment — the debates, the shoutouts, the shared experience.
For Tidal League, this shift wasn’t just a format experiment. It was a bet on the community. And judging by the turnout, it’s paying off.
The next test? Consistency. Keeping the energy alive as the World Championships in Tokyo approach, finding ways to elevate fan participation, and ensuring that Ready Set Go remains the place where the track and field community shows up every Sunday night.
Because at the end of the day, the lesson is simple: the fans were always here. They just needed a place to run with us.
Catch Ready Set Go live every sunday night on YouTube where we dissect topics and events in real time.
