Tara Davis-Woodhall’s recent days have been anything but dull. Over the past week, she’s been on the receiving end of a storm of opinions online. It all started when she took aim at Michael Johnson’s comments, and things quickly heated up. So, what went down? A few weeks ago, the four-time Olympic champion declared, “I think I can save track, I don’t think I can save track and field,” referring to his ambitious track-only project, the Grand Slam Track. But in his vision, field events didn’t make the cut—and that’s where Tara stepped in.

On Thanksgiving Day, Tara Davis-Woodhall posted a video message saying, “About my sport, it doesn’t need saving at all. It’s actually… Michael, you’re ruining the sport if you’re trying to ‘save’ just track.” She had her husband, Hunter, the Paralympian, by her side, and he wasn’t holding back either. He jumped into the fray, blasting Michael’s comments: “Stop coming back and just being so self-important and just saying wild things to try to get a rise out of people because no one cares, to be honest, at all. And we’re doing just fine. We’re doing great.”

But the track and field community didn’t take kindly to this confrontation. Soon, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall found themselves on the receiving end of a tidal wave of social media backlash. Fans didn’t hold back, calling them ‘mad’ and ‘ignorant as hell,’ turning the whole situation into a full-blown controversy. While Tara Davis-Woodhall did get a few words of support, the relentless attacks kept coming, putting her in a tough spot. The tension didn’t stop there!

On November 3, Tara penned a message for her fans on Threads. In the post, she mentioned, “Also getting rid of twitter/X was the best thing for me. Y’all are ruthless and have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nonetheless, the concerned fans lined up in the comment box. They couldn’t believe Tara’s promptness in taking such a massive decision. But above all, it was about saving the mental health from trollers’ wrath. So a few fans tried to make amends with their idol’s decision. Meanwhile, one of them wrote in the comment box, “Protect your peace!!” That seemed to be the need of the hour. Her ardent fans know that. But how did the situation reach such a level? The answer to this question may take us a long way back.

In her video message, Tara Davis-Woodhall didn’t hold back in expressing her frustration with Michael Johnson, who she felt was portraying himself as the savior of track sports. After years of dominating on the track, MJ’s focus on promoting track events seemed natural—but it left field events out in the cold. Tara wasn’t having it. Yet, ironically, back in April, she had criticized World Athletics for failing to save the sport. So, what’s the story there?

In April, Tara had taken aim at World Athletics for offering a meager $50,000 prize for athletes winning track and field events at the Paris Olympics. The long jumper didn’t mince words: “You have athletes that work their b**t off… every single day, every single year… some compensation is needed for them.” For her, the prize money wasn’t just inadequate; it barely covered the basic costs of being an athlete. She called for bigger sponsorships, saying it was the only way to keep the sport alive and thriving.

Fast forward six months, and Tara’s criticism of Johnson’s narrow focus on track seemed like a complete 180. The shift didn’t sit well with the track and field community, and the backlash was swift. Social media users hounded the World Indoor Champion, with even her decision to quit social platforms becoming a point of attack. Still, in the midst of the storm, Tara found solace in a small but vocal group of diehard fans who stood firmly by her side.

Tara Davis-Woodhall’s step earns a clap, terming X ‘trash’

On Tuesday evening, Tara Davis-Woodhall had her fans supporting her move to leave X. From the community, one such fan penned on Thread, “We love you Tara and we support you, I care about you guys like my little sister and brother, keep going, let them talk lady, live your best life with your love ones.” The fan spoke about both Tara and her husband, Hunter. But it is still unclear about Hunter’s decision to leave social media. Although, with his wife, he also found himself once under verbal attack for commenting on Grand Slam Track. From that angle, the fan’s lines may stand justified. Meanwhile, someone took the debate further, backing Tara’s decision. 

The concerned fan chimed in on the comment box, “Twitter is absolute trash. Smart move.” Notably, the athlete couple had to come under fans’ rage on X, mainly after their comments went viral. Among the loud voices, the track and field raconteur, Erin Brown, went brickbat against them. On X, he wrote, “You can’t make people care about things they simply don’t gaf about.” So, again, Tara’s move stood to be time-tested, avoiding such verbal arrows. But the criticism didn’t stop even at the last moment. 

Tara Davis-Woodhall’s posts on Threads saw a few angry fans who had yet to douse the fire. One such fan wrote, “I don’t see your point. What’s inauthentic about it? What’s wrong with more exposure? Certainly a new league can’t hurt the sport. While it may not directly help athletes who aren’t getting paid a lot right now, who knows if it indirectly can help in the future. They said that about NIL deals, and now NIL is getting money to the non-star athletes.” With the comment, the fan tried to equalize the impact of NIL deals on college sports and the probable effect of GST on track sports. 

Undoubtedly, NIL’s entry into college sports has opened the gate with better opportunities for college athletes to earn money. But the NIL deals also come with lots of questions. And GST has yet to see the results. A lot of things are still on paper. So, painting a picture should be the last thing to attempt. But the distraught enthusiasts still chased Tara in the comment box. 

One such fan wrote, “You got rid of your Twitter/X account…? Yikes!! 😳🤯 Things must be REALLY bad!! You should have reported them to Elon Musk, first 🤷🏽‍♀️😄😎” The comment was a subtle dig at the athlete’s tendency to call out problems, much like she did with World Athletics six months ago. Now, critics seem determined to keep that memory alive. But do you have any take on the matter?