Some may miss watching Olympians represent their countries as they did this summer during the games in Paris. Of course, the star athletes haven’t left the public eye. For instance, many reactied to Simone Biles rooting on her husband at a Chicago Bears game this past weekend. As for American track and field sprinter Noah Lyles, he’s still making headlines for sharing takes that have polarized the public. Now, sports fans aren’t happy with him over comments made amid the U.S. Open, and those come days after he fired shots at a certain NFL star.
What Did Noah Lyles Say During The U.S. Open, And How Did Fans React?
During the World Championships back in 2023, Noah Lyles revealed that he took issue with NBA players calling themselves world champions when they win in the Finals. In his estimation, that title can only be earned when one plays the best stars from around the globe. At the time, Lyles took a considerable amount of flak from fans as well as professional basketball players. Nevertheless, the runner stood by his opinions and by the looks of it, is doubling down on them.
At the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York, the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist was among several notable celebrities who were in attendance. While being interviewed by the Open’s staff (via YouTube), Rachel Lindsay asked him if the players competing at the event can be considered world champions. The Virginia native responded with a relatively direct answer:
[Tennis players] are world champions. International players that play against the top in the world constantly – these are world champions.
Noah Lyles’ comments were shared to X by ESPN, and a number of fans took to the comments to share their takes. A number of them took issue with the fact that the athlete is standing by his take on what defines a world champion. In addition, others brought up NBA players, making the argument that they’re indeed champions of the world. Check out some of the takes that were shared:
- Does he still not understand that NBA players are the best players from around the world, and not just America? - @BeYourOwnSpark
- I was really hoping to see his schtick evolve. Unfortunately, it seems that he’s a one trick pony. - @HmmJoshua
- Why does he hate the NBA and NFL so much, is there any backstory to why he continues yapping about this? - @quayeofficial
- The NBA is comprised of the world’s best talent constantly competing against each other. So the Boston Celtics are world champions according to Noah. - @CubanPete__
- The World Champion Gatekeeper has spoken 🗣️😈 - @SteelPivk
Based on the logic shared above, many would surely argue that recent championship winner Jaylen Brown deserves the “world” title, and the same would be true of the seemingly unenthusiastic Nikola Jokić. It’s very interesting that the Adidas-sponsored runner’s latest comments come just shortly after he shared sentiments about a certain NFL star.
Noah Lyles Threw Some Shade At One Of The NFL’s Top Players
Shortly after the Olympics, Noah Lyles offered to race Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, after the football player claimed he could beat him in a race. Lyles, however, stipulated to NBC News that the race would have to be “legit” and set up in a way that doesn’t benefit a specific runner. The runner more recently appeared on Nightcap, where Shannon Sharpe asked him about Hill. Lyles then proceeded to act is if he didn’t know who the Super Bowl champion was and made a claim:
I’mma be honest, I forget his name all the time. … If it’s not about track and it ain’t League of Legends, pffffsshhh. … Tyreek is just chasing clout. If he really wanted to race people, he would’ve showed up like DK Metcalf. The man dodges smoke. I don’t got time for that.
Despite all of that, Noah Lyles did say that if Tyreek Hill is “truly serious” about racing, then the Pro Bowler will “see [him] on the track.” If that race does end up happening, I’d wager that more than a few fans (and even some NBA players) would check it out. In the meantime, I’m curious as to whether or not the well-paid Olympian will continue to stick to his guns when it comes to what being a world champion truly means.
Relive some of the greatest moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics by streaming them with a Peacock subscription. You can also look over the 2024 TV schedule for other viable viewing options.
