The local CrossFit community is pleased that parent company CrossFit Inc will be under new ownership.
According to news reports on Wednesday, co-founder Gregg Glassman is selling the company after weeks of controversy and backlash. Glassman came under fire for insensitive tweets and other comments about George Floyd and the coronavirus recently as protests over Floyd’s murder and racial injustices sweep the globe. Floyd was killed by US police in May.
Jamie McDonald, organiser and sponsor of the major local CrossFit-style events, along with Guyana’s fittest woman Delice Adonis, welcomed the change.
“It looks like the pressure got to Gregg Glassman finally,” said McDonald. “I think it’s a move in the right direction. Before all the controversy, my feelings were that it was time for Glassman to recede into the background.”
Glassman is selling the privately-held company to Eric Roza, the owner of CrossFit Sanitas gym in Boulder, Colorado. Roza will also become CrossFit’s Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Dave Castro, who was named to the post in the wake of Glassman’s resignation earlier this month.
Said Adonis, “I welcome it; it’s the change the community has been rallying for. It still remains to be seen how good of a leader Roza will be but I’m happy that things are changing.”
Earlier this month, Glassman said CrossFit Inc’s leadership was “not mourning for George Floyd,” according to a recording. Several hours later, Glassman posted a string of controversial tweets referencing Floyd’s death and the coronavirus pandemic, sparking outrage. In the following days, hundreds of gyms dropped their affiliation with the company, and CrossFit lost major corporate sponsors including Reebok and Rogue Fitness.
