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New CrossFit Ownership Provides Affiliate Owners a Reason to Stay, and for Some a Reason to Return

June 24, 2020 by
Photo Credit: CrossFit Incivtus (https://www.instagram.com/crossfitinvictus/)
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Today’s announcement that eight-year affiliate owner Eric Roza is buying CrossFit Inc. from Greg Glassman has provided hope to many affiliate owners.

  • We were on the fence, but definitely wanted to stay affiliated. I’m glad we decided to wait and see how things played out,” said Justin Sibley, the owner of CrossFit G6 in Mansfield, Texas.
  • “Glad we were rational and stuck it out,” said Jeremy Brassard, the owner of Armor CrossFit in Ocoee, FL.
  • “Stayed rational and waited for an appropriate response instead of the knee jerk reactions. Glad we stayed affiliated,” added Nick Philpot, the owner of Decima CrossFit in Littleton, CO.

As many as 1200-1300 gyms have announced that they would pursue disaffiliation, but this move might reverse the course for many of them. For example, well-known gym CrossFit Invictus announced disaffiliation, but, it has not officially disaffiliated. CJ Martin, Invictus owner, charted a plan to move forward “solely as Invictus Fitness.” But, he has remained open-minded if major changes occurred, “including the full divestment of Greg (Glassman’s) ownership of the company,” he said.

After today’s news: Martin said, “I don’t know Eric Roza, but I am very impressed with his initial statement and will be really eager to see how he navigates the next few months.”

  • He added: “I am certainly hopeful for the future of CrossFit with this change, but will wait and allow time to determine whether we renew our affiliates, or just enjoy watching CrossFit make positive changes from afar,” he added.
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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]. Eric Roza #committedtocrossfit

A post shared by Eric Roza (@rozaeric) on

Robert VanNewkirk is another owner who might reconsider his intention to disaffiliate.

  • “We have rebranded. That will stay regardless. We’re planning to not renew our affiliate in early September. (But) if there are significant positive changes, we may revisit that decision,” said VanNewkirk, the owner of Crossfit Discovery Daniel Island in Charleston, SC.    

13-year affiliate owner Dave Henry is also hopeful about Roza.

  • “I don’t know much about (Roza), but based on the speed of purchase, and his first action doing a live (Youtube) intro, and his experience in scaling up tech companies, as well as being a passionate CrossFit (athlete), I think that’s the right guy,” Henry said.

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