The American sprinter Noah Lyles was dancing at a club in Budapest in the summer of 2023, when he started receiving texts from friends, urging him to check his social media accounts. The Florida-born Olympian – the preeminent star of the world of track and field – had plenty to celebrate that night, after becoming the first athlete since Usain Bolt to win gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m races at the World Championships. His phone, however, wasn't blowing up with heartfelt congratulations. Lyles was getting inundated with shady comments from NBA basketball players like Kevin Durant, and the league's fierce defenders, like Drake.
“I thought it was funny!” says Lyles, when I ask what it felt like to experience an unexpected wave of wrath on a fun night out. The stir was caused by a
