There is a lot of tension in the CrossFit community right now, as some athletes are unhappy with recent actions from CEO Greg Glassman. Now this has boiled over to the point where the athletes are firing back and refusing to compete.
The world is full of unrest right now, with a global health crisis blurring into riots and protests. There is a palpable divide throughout the world, in particular the United States, that has caused arguments among many people. The CrossFit world has not been exempt from these issues.
Most recently, a tweet from CEO and founder Greg Glassman sent several members of the community on edge. He responded to a post from the Institute for Health Metrics and Education, who issued a message of solidarity for the ongoing struggles with the African American community. Only his reply was not one that made people feel better about the situation.
It's FLOYD-19.
— Greg Glassman (@CrossFitCEO) June 6, 2020
This insensitive tweet from Glassman left many throughout the community perturbed. Several of CrossFit’s top stars have lashed out against these comments. Moreover, this came just after an angry email was sent by Greg to , that has also stirred up controversy in the sport.
These remarks have caused outrage in the CrossFit community. Already several affiliate owners have spoken up about ending their affiliation. Furthermore, Reebok, whose sponsorship with the organization ends this year, officially announced that they would no longer be pursuing a renewal of that endorsement.
“Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ,” Reebok said in a statement. “We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020. We owe this to the CrossFit Games competitors, fans and the community.”
Not only has there been this reaction from the affiliates and sponsors, but individual athletes have also been vocal about their disagreement with Greg’s sentiments. A lot of major players in the sport have taken to their social media to give statements, each saying that Glassman does not speak for everyone. Even people such as Noah Ohlsen, Chandler Smith have said they will not compete at the Games unless something big changes.
CrossFit Games Women’s Champion Tia-Clair Toomey also makes statement on Greg’s controversial comments:
It is good to see that these athletes have been very vocal about their disdain for the things Greg Glassman has said. The CrossFit community is tight knit, but this takes things to a new level.
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