It's been only a few days, and we've seen huge action across our community. Over 1,200 affiliates have dropped their CrossFit designation. Dozens of athletes have announced they are boycotting the Games. Sanctionals have been postponed or outright cancelled. Sponsors---Reebok, Rogue, Nobull, FitAid, ROMWOD, and so many more---have announced they will no longer sponsor CrossFit. Top CrossFit executives and employees have announced theier resignations from the company. In just under three days, CrossFit has lost millions of dollars in revenue. As a community, we need to ask ourselves: why did this happen to CrossFit?
We already know this answer: Greg Glassman. His time at the helm of CrossFit saw unprecedented growth as he built a team of competent and wonderful employees around him. From the gentle souls of Jeff and Mikki Martin to the incredible courageousness of Nicole Carroll, CrossFit's staff has always risen above the antics of its CEO.
Affiliates, athletes, and the community are being asked, in the words of ex-CrossFit executive Nicole Carroll, "to choose between your livelihood and aligning with something you do not believe in, with a diminishment of what we stand for."
We have seen many comments about Mr. Glassman "not being a racist." What we are learning from the blog posts, the disaffiliation announcements, and the resignation letters is that this is about more than "one possibly racist tweet." Many of the affiliates who have cited their disaffiliation have shared that their actions stem from a long line of poor leadership.
Thousands of affiliate owners, Games athletes, HQ staff, and members within our community have already signed the petition.
I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE, AS I AM WRITING THIS:
WE DID IT! Glassman has resigned, and Dave Castro is the new CEO of CrossFit.
Read the full article at the link below:
For many of us, this a welcome first step. However, many of you have expressed concern that he is still a majority owner in the company and will continue to rake in profits. We are actively listening to the community to see where we go from here, and how we can move CrossFit in the best direction with the least involvement from Greg Glassman.
P.S. If you haven't checked it out, we have a list of resources to help find disaffiliated gyms, support Black Lives Matters, and read more about Greg Glassman's failure at the link, as well!