Eric Roza Officially Purchases CrossFit From Greg Glassman, Takes Over As CEO

A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Eric Roza would be purchasing the CrossFit brand from Greg Glassman. Now that deal is official, and he is now the new owner of the organization.

There was some serious outrage in the fitness community, to put it mildly, when some comments made by Glassman were revealed. The former owner and CEO of the organization was bombarded with a ton of controversial comments, and sexual harassment allegations, which led to the loss of sponsorships, and the boycotting of some of the sports top athletes. Even after he resigned from his position, many people felt that this was an empty gesture, and one that fundamentally changed nothing about the situation.

View this post on Instagram

@rozaeric: “Dear CrossFit community, Since I discovered CrossFit 10 years ago, it has changed my life, and I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead CrossFit through its next chapter as CEO and owner, following the closing next month. As a box owner and athlete, I’ve experienced CrossFit’s transformative power and the shared bond it creates between people of different races, genders, ages, ethnicities, incomes, educations and physical abilities. That magic, created by our affiliate owners, coaches, and athletes in 158 countries around the world, is real. And I believe it makes the world a better place. In the past weeks, divisive statements and allegations have left many members of our community struggling to reconcile our transformative experiences in the local box with what we’ve been reading online. My view is simple: Racism and sexism are abhorrent and will not be tolerated in CrossFit. We open our arms to everyone, and I will be working hard to rebuild bridges with those whose trust we have lost. I come to you with deep humility and the realization that we have hard work to do. I am committed to listening, I am committed to learning, and I am committed to leading positive change. Most of all, I am committed to CrossFit and to you, as a member of our community. If you are committed to the future of CrossFit and have ideas, I want to hear from you. And if you loved CrossFit, and we lost you along the way, I want to regain your trust and partnership. Please reach out to me at [email protected]” #committedtocrossfit

A post shared by CrossFit (@crossfit) on Jun 24, 2020 at 7:09am PDT

As it turns out, this was not the final extent of changes coming to CrossFit. It was announced that Eric Roza, owner of the affiliate CrossFit Sanitas would be purchasing the brand, and taking over as CEO. Now, a recent post to Twitter revealed that the final papers have been signed, and the deal is all but completed.

“Today we signed the final contract to purchase 100% of CrossFit … Now the real work begins!”

Today we signed the final contract to purchase 100% of CrossFit … Now the real work begins! pic.twitter.com/0ZT9gQbdpJ

— Eric Roza (@RozaEric) July 24, 2020

In addition to the post making the announcement, Roza also included a lengthy letter to the CrossFit community, regarding the sale. Here, he explained that he will be purchasing the brand with the help of some investors, and that the sale will be completed in a few weeks, after government approval. Additionally, he explained that, as part of the sale, a 1% stock will be put in a trust for Glassman’s wife and children. Moreover, he addressed some of the large concerns felt throughout the sport, including perceived alienation in the sport, issues of racism and sexism and more.

These sentiments from Eric Roza seem to reflect the same energy that he displayed from the beginning of his transition to CEO and Owner. He genuinely seems interested in better the sport and the community, and has been open and communicative with members and affiliate owners from the start. There is still a lot of work to do to fix the damage that was caused, but he seems up for the challenge and excited to tackle some of these issues.