CrossFit’s athletes of colour deliver ultimatum – ‘change never comes from being silent’

Greg Glassman’s ‘FLOYD-19’ tweet has engulfed CrossFit in controversy as the sport’s athletes lobby for a fresh start amid an uncertain future for the community

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Zack George said he wants Greg Glassman out of CrossFit completely before he will return to the sport. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:45am, 17 Jun 2020Updated: 11:21am, 17 Jun 2020

During such controversial and damaging times for the brand of CrossFit, Zack George said one thing has become crystal clear.

“Change never comes from being silent,” said the 29-year-old from Leicester, England. “The best thing right now is not to be silent and to view your opinions. I think a lot of people were scared to say something because they were scared to say the wrong thing, but I think that fear is slowly creeping out of people, which is a good thing.”

George, whose father is Guyanese and mother is English, is now part of a who’s who of elite CrossFitters who feel they can no longer associate with such a damaged brand and disliked leadership structure as CrossFit Inc. Once seen as a resilient fringe sport which just celebrated two decades of existence, it now appears on life support and at a moment of reckoning.

The avalanche of participants, affiliates and sponsors – including major players like Reebok and Rogue Fitness – decrying Greg Glassman’s public actions has reached fever pitch. Glassman, the former chief executive officer and founder of CrossFit Inc., stepped down last week after he ignited a firestorm of controversy and vaulted the discipline into the international news for all the wrong reasons.

George has joined the growing list of athletes who want real change at CrossFit Inc. Photo: Handout

Glassman’s “FLOYD-19” tweet on June 7, in response to an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation post which featured a picture that stated “Racism is a public health issue”, has pitted the company against its own community. More than 1,250 gyms have gone on record stating they will no longer be affiliating with CrossFit Inc., or will pay the required fees to use its name and trademarked brand.

CrossFit did not respond to an interview request for this article.

CrossFit’s athletes of colour deliver ultimatum – ‘change never comes from being silent’

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Greg Glassman’s ‘FLOYD-19’ tweet has engulfed CrossFit in controversy as the sport’s athletes lobby for a fresh start amid an uncertain future for the community

Greg Glassman’s ‘FLOYD-19’ tweet has engulfed CrossFit in controversy as the sport’s athletes lobby for a fresh start amid an uncertain future for the community