Breaking: CrossFit Announces Full Prize Purse For The CrossFit Games
We are 55 days away from the scheduled start of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games and we now know the full prize purse and payout structure for the athletes competing in Madison.
The nitty gritty: The total prize purse amounts to $2.5 million and $1,764,000 for the individual men and women. In total the 2021 Games purse represents an 8.2% percent increase from the last time the prize purse received a bump during the 2019 season, and a $110,000 bump for individuals.
Individuals
- 1st place: $310,000 (+10,000)
- 2nd place: $120,000 (+5,000)
- 3rd place: $80,000 (+5,000)
- 4th place: $55,000 (+5,000)
- 5th place: $40,000 (+5,000)
- 6th place:$35,000 (+5,000)
- 7th place: $31,000 (+4,000)
- 8th place: $29,000 (+4,000)
- 9th place: $27,000 (+4,000)
- 10th place: $25,000 (+4,000)
- 11th – 20th: $20,000, $18,000, $15,000, $14,000, $13,000, $12,000, $11,000, $10,000, $9,000, and $8,000.
Quick note: The individuals in the top 12 receive an increase ranging from $10,000 at the top to an extra $2,000 for 12th place.
- Individual event wins and top three placings still pay out at the same structure with $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place.
Team
- 1st place: $100,000
- 2nd place: $70,000
- 3rd place: $40,000
- 4th place: $25,000
- 5th place: $20,000
Quick note: No changes to the team prize purse from the 2019 season have been made.
Masters
- Masters 35-39, first place: $25,000
- Masters 35-39, second place: $10,000
- Masters 35-39, third place: $5,000
- Masters 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64, first place: $10,000
- Masters 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64, second place: $5,000
- Masters 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64, third place: $3,000
- Masters 65+, first place: $5,000
- Masters 65+, second place: $3,000
- Masters 65+, third place: $2,000
Quick note: The lone change to the masters prize purse payout from 2019 is the addition of the purses for the Masters 65+ categories which were a new addition to the 2021 season.
Adaptive Divisions
- Upper extremity, lower extremity, and neuromuscular, first place: $5,000
- Upper extremity, lower extremity, and neuromuscular, second place: $3,000
- Upper extremity, lower extremity, and neuromuscular, third place: $2,000
Quick Note: The inclusion of the adaptive divisions formally in the season and at the Games also includes prize payouts for the podium finishers in each of the three divisions. $60,000 in total will be awarded to the adaptive athletes.
One big thing: Typically the prize purse for the Games is announced with the publishing of the rulebook, but with the addition of NOBULL as the new title sponsor, CrossFit LLC. has withheld the prize purse until now with the promise that it will be the largest prize purse in history.
- The announcement comes on the heels of the Semifinals prize purse announcement that was met with dissatisfaction from fans and athletes alike over the fact that the purse for individuals was exactly the same as it was in 2018, and considerably less for top finishers than singular events that are now Semifinals like the West Coast Classic.
The big picture: In any other profession a 3-5% raise is considered significant, so an increase beyond that along with the inclusion of new division payouts is a good thing. Similar increases will need to happen in future years as well, but consider that the prize purse in 2020 remained flat for only the second time in CrossFit Games history and the community is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic.
- If the Games can secure a legitimate broadcast and/or streaming rights deal — which is a huge driver of revenue in other sports — then hopefully the payouts can continue to grow to the point the community and participants feel they deserve to be as a professional sport.
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