Track and Field Fans Fume as NBC’s Coverage Causes Serious Blunder on Day 2 of World Athletics Championships

The World Championships are off to a chaotic yet electrifying start. Day 1 saw Canada’s Evan Dunfee storm to his nation’s first gold in race walk, clocking an impressive 2:28:22 in the 35k track and field. Drama followed in the 3000m steeplechase, where Jean-Simon Desgagné, despite a brutal fall that stalled his run, was reinstated to the finals after video review. Then came the shocker: underdog Gift Leotlela blazed the 100m in 9.89s, stunning Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, and Kishane Thompson. While the action thrilled fans, broadcasters drew outrage as Peacock faced heavy backlash over its mishandling of the marathon and 1500m heats coverage.

So, what went down? Fans were on edge as the women’s marathon hit its final stretch, with Susanna Sullivan, Peres Jepchirchir, Tigst Assefa, and Sutume Asefa Kebede locked in a fierce battle. Just when the excitement peaked, Peacock sparked outrage by cutting away from the marathon to air the men’s 1500m prelims, turning fans’ anticipation into pure frustration. Well, this was not the first time NBC got called out for its subpar broadcasting.

A few months ago, fans geared up for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships, but frustration set in before the action even began. Despite being one of the premier stages for American track and field, the first two days weren’t televised on NBC or streamed on Peacock. Instead, coverage was locked behind USATF TV’s $12.99 monthly paywall—leaving many to question why such a marquee event is so hard to watch.

It was such a frustrating endeavor that Track and Field Journalist, Lillz TIL, took to her X handle to write, “So… how are WE watching US Trials then? Who has got a link for me?” The frustration doesn’t end there. Even when the coverage shifted over to Peacock and NBC on Day 3, the broadcast remained limited, leaving viewers with a watered-down experience. It’s downright sad, considering the sport has had limited viewership for over a decade now, and with the broadcasting problems, it might even drop further in the future as well.

Talking about the poor broadcasting access, Noah Lyles, last year, in his conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, stated, “The hard part is that we as a sport are not ready for the popularity that is going to come. Everybody is going to say, ‘I want to be a track and field fan!’ ‘I want to follow Fred!’ ‘I want to follow Noah!’ ‘I want to follow Erriyon!’ Guess what? We don’t even have a place to go and tell them to watch the track meet.”

Well, Lyles stated that if broadcasting had been positioned to maximize viewership, the sport could have reached new heights. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. Adding to the concern, FloTrack’s exclusive contract to broadcast the Diamond League in the near future also raises doubts about audience reach. Lyles didn’t directly blame NBC for the chaos; instead, his criticism came more indirectly.

Back to the women’s marathon, when the broadcast finally rolled, Susanna Sullivan looked set to seize glory. Yet, in the final stretch, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir surged ahead, clinching gold in 2:24:43. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa followed just two seconds behind, earning silver with a 2:24:45 finish. The competition between the athletes was heated when NBC decided to shift the broadcast, and this caught the fans off guard. Let’s have a look at what they have to say.

Track and field fans called out NBC for its subpar broadcasting

If we were to sum up the feelings of the fans in one word, then frustrated would be the perfect choice. Many tuned in to watch the women’s marathon final, only to see the broadcast abruptly switch to the men’s 1500m heats. As one exasperated fan wrote, “It’s horrible. Some heats instead of marathon final.” Another chimed in with confusion, asking, “Uhhh what happened to the marathon?”

The backlash stems from more than just a broadcast hiccup; it touches on deeper frustrations that track and field fans have faced in recent years. During a crucial part of the marathon, 16 miles into the race, Peacock opted to cut away, prompting viewers to lament, “@ChrisChavez @peacoc really dropping the ball showing the prelims of the 1500 16 miles into the marathon.” Fans were united in their call: they wanted to see the marathon final, not heats.

One of the frustrated fans came out to lash out at NBC as he writes, “Do they understand that it’s a marathon final and that we are the later parts of the race and everyone wants to see that? All for what? The heats? This isn’t NBC’s first slip-up. Back in 2024, Peacock promised a full livestream of the Miramar Invitational, only for the event to vanish when fans tuned in. Frustrated viewers—and even athletes like Noah Lyles- voiced their anger. “I guess the track meet isn’t on Peacock,” Lyles wrote on X.

It must be noted that the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials saw viewership jump significantly, with track events rising 38% compared to 2021. That spike was largely due to more accessible and lenient coverage, something clearly missing here. Now, instead of celebrating a marquee event, fans are left disappointed, questioning whether broadcasters understand what the audience truly values. One of the fans wrote, “Split screen please,” suggesting a possible way out. But the same user then reacted, “I’m so annoyed right now.”

With the competition heating up, so too is the frustration of fans toward NBC, which continues to block access to content they’ve already paid for. The big question now is—will the network own up to its missteps and make amends? Only time will tell.