Why CrossFit Devotees Leaving the Brand Behind is Such a Big Deal
From gym owners to big-name athletes, CrossFit acolytes are breaking ties over the brand’s response to Black Lives Matter.
High-level trainers, athletes, and owners have resigned, vowed to disaffiliate from the brand, or spoken out, including past CrossFit Games winners like Katrin Davidsdottir, who owes her career and lucrative brand partnerships to CrossFit. Reebok, Rogue Fitness, and other brands cut ties with CrossFit. And Glassman retains ownership in the brand, meaning that even if he is out as CEO, he still earns money from the enterprise.
CrossFit and its sometimes contentious founder have weathered other controversies but for the most part have seemed untouchable. The demand for systemic change amplified by the recent Black Lives Matter protests, however, have made this scandal seem more dire for the company, forcing actual action. And CrossFit has so far done everything wrong.
“Nothing has ever happened to these guys,” says Maillard Howell, a co-founder of Dean Crossfit in Brooklyn, which he says is the largest black-owned CrossFit gym in New York City. “But it’s been brewing for quite some time.”… READ MORE @ VOX