CrossFit, the popular fitness regimen with licensed gyms across the US, may soon meet its downfall if it doesn’t work hard to clean up the mess its founder and former CEO Greg Glassman created. Earlier this month, Glassman made several racist remarks about the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by police in May. Even though he stepped down, the CrossFit community isn’t so sure the fitness brand will survive. 

As a CrossFit trainer myself, I know CrossFit has a long record of being relatively unsupportive of its network of gym affiliates, professional athletes and partners. Glassman has his own eye-rolling history of being snarky, self-serving and worried only about CrossFit’s bottom line — despite his public facade of being a soldier against worldwide chronic disease.

People like me who do CrossFit share an intense love of the sport and have created a community that, until now, thrived despite a lack of support from the executive staff at HQ.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement that swept social media, however, the CrossFit community did need support from the higher-ups, and CrossFit HQ failed miserably to provide that. 

So… what did CrossFit do? 

It’s less about what CrossFit did, and more about what CrossFit’s founder and CEO Greg Glassman did. It was a series of racist, insensitive remarks on social media, by email and in person: 

• First, on June 6 Glassman tweeted “It’s FLOYD-19” in response to a tweet about racism as a public health issue, mocking both George Floyd‘s death and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The next day, an email from Glassman to a nine-year affiliate owner was leaked, in which Glassman degrades the affiliate owner, calling her “delusional,” “manipulative” and a “shitty person.” 
• Two days later, a recorded Zoom call made its way into social media earlier this month, during which Glassman says, “We’re not mourning for George Floyd.”

That last part was really the kicker. During the recording, Glassman says, “Can you tell me why I should mourn for him? Other than that it’s the white thing to do — other than that, give me another reason,” in response to an affiliate owner’s question about why CrossFit hadn’t posted anything in solidarity with its black affiliates, coaches, members and followers — or black people in general. 

Through it all, CrossFit remained excruciatingly silent on its social channels, amplifying the surrounding noise even more. 

Glassman steps down, CrossFit apologizes

Glassman out, Dave Castro in. 

It all got too hot for Glassman this time around, and on June 9 he retired and resigned as CEO, handing the position over to Castro, who up to this point was the director of the CrossFit Games athletic competition. There is uncertainty as to whether Glassman remains an authority figure or stakeholder in CrossFit — the communications from CrossFit HQ don’t specify — and many people in the community are unhappy with the ambiguity. 

Here’s the company’s formal apology:

In the apology, it’s painfully clear that CrossFit HQ really is confused about a lot of things: “As a team, we do not see eye to eye on every issue. We have internal disagreements on the nuances of everything you see published online,” the statement reads. 

Many in the CrossFit community aren’t sure if Castro will do a much better job as CEO than Glassman. My impression is that Castro also seems to have snarky, self-serving tendencies, based on his appearances on TV, podcasts and social media. I think he’s already made a difference, however, by actually sending an email to affiliates — the people who pay thousands of dollars a year to brand themselves as CrossFit gyms and who deserve direct communication from the brand. 

CrossFit Games athletes are backing out

Apologies from Glassman and CrossFit came too late for many athletes. 

Katrin Davidsdottir, a two-time CrossFit Games champion, was the first to speak out, writing in an Instagram post, “I am truly ashamed, disappointed and angry by what has been going on for these past days with an organization I dedicate myself to, work hard for and so proudly represent.”

She later declined her invitation to the 2020 CrossFit Games with the post below, and hordes of athletes followed suit. 

CrossFit partners and sponsors step away from the brand

By the time Glassman tried to clean up his mess, many partners and sponsors of CrossFit had already cut ties. These are no small knots, either: Reebok, a longtime partner of CrossFit and one of the largest activewear brands in the world, immediately discontinued negotiations for a contract extension. 

Other big names, including Fitaid, RomWod and NoBull have also ditched CrossFit. CrossFit-branded fitness programs like CompTrain and MisFit Athletics followed suit. The list goes on. 

Others still, such as Rogue — a massive sponsor of the CrossFit Games — have released statements indicating that they disavow Glassman’s remarks and that their continued relationships with the brand depend on action from HQ. 

CrossFit gym owners are disaffiliating

If you were unsure about what exactly makes a CrossFit gym a CrossFit gym, it’s the $3,000 affiliate fee the owners pay to CrossFit HQ each year. Anyone can run a functional fitness community-based gym, but only people who pay the affiliate fee can brand their gyms as CrossFit gyms.

And they are angry. 

Hundreds of CrossFit affiliate owners have pledged to disaffiliate from CrossFit, saying that they won’t renew their license. This means name changes and rebranding, but to gym owners who value community and inclusivity, it’s worth it. 

What happens to CrossFit now? 

I don’t know if CrossFit, as a brand and as an organization, can climb out of the hole it dug itself. I think CrossFit still has a chance because most of the community so strongly supports CrossFit as a way of life. 

On the other hand, as a CrossFit trainer and someone who’s been invested in the CrossFit community for years, I know this isn’t the first time Glassman made insensitive remarks, and it’s not the first time CrossFit HQ has had a questionable social media presence. And some prominent figures, including CrossFit Games athlete Davidsdottir, are not satisfied and not hopeful. 

I hope the brand survives, I really do. The underlying mission of CrossFit is important, and it provides a framework that’s both fun and functional for people to establish healthy habits that help prevent chronic diseases. But it’s going to take a lot of work from the executives at CrossFit to bandage these deep cuts. 

Can CrossFit do the heavy lifting? 

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.