James Sprague Earns His Three Stripes, Officially Joins Adidas Roster
Two-time Teenage CrossFit Games competitor, three-time Individual CrossFit Games competitor, two-time podium finisher, and 2024 Fittest on Earth — James Sprague is now a true veteran of the sport.
- His smile, enthusiasm, and exuberance both on and off the competition floor are not only memorable but also what have come to define Sprague, well, Sprague.
And, he is arguably one of the most, if not the most, consistent male elites currently competing. Aside from a bout with pneumonia that resulted in an 11th-place finish at the 2024 Rogue Invitational, Sprague has been racking up top-fives at every in-person competition since taking third at the 2024 West Coast Classic.
He’s also been repping three stripes for quite some time, both on the competition floor and sharing on his social media channels. On August 1, the first day of the 2025 CrossFit Games, it became official: James Sprague finally inked his deal with Adidas.
- Few knew it at the time, but when Sprague took third place at the Games, he did so with a brand-new partnership in his back pocket.
Joining the roster: Sprague joins an established roster of athletes with diverse ages and experience levels — think Laura Horvath, Jonne Koski, Bethany Flores, Ty Jenkins, and plenty more. Sprague says it’s an honor to have his name added to the list.
- “They build me up,” Sprague told Morning Chalk Up. “So I want to be able to build them up, too. I think that they all embody brain, persistence, and discipline — the things that I want to carry as well for myself. I think it’s just going to be able to elevate me as an athlete to be with these other people on the team.”
Sprague shared that, although he has achieved significant competition success over the past two years, he doesn’t believe this was the main reason he was chosen to represent the brand.
He believes that he was selected for his character and who he is off the competition floor as well — a sentiment his fellow Adidas athletes have echoed before.
- “I feel like I’m here because I’m a young, ambitious athlete with many years ahead,” Sprague said. “I have the power to stand at the top and the ability to remain there for years to come. And I see myself being able to do that while helping other people in their own journeys and inspiring them.”
Why this partnership matters: Looking back on his decade in the sport, Sprague says the years have flown by. Each stage of his career has brought its own rewards — from the people he’s met and the competitors who’ve challenged him to the new cities he’s explored. His recent signing with Adidas, he says, feels like the culmination of everything he’s worked toward.
- “I feel like a professional now, and that every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears from over the last 10 years has brought me here today,” Sprague said. “And I think Adidas believes that everything is earned – you’re not just going to have anything handed to you, in sport and life. And that’s the exact same sentiment I share.”
Sprague already has a large platform, but he views this new collaboration as a means to reach and impact more people.
- “I’ve been very patient to align myself with a brand that has a wide reach across a variety of sports, not just training. I really wanted to be able to impact more people than just the CrossFit community with a partnership like this – help people in a wide variety of sports, to be able to see how training overall is going to impact their lives in a positive manner,” Sprague said.
What’s next: In just a few weeks, Sprague travels to Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, for the first time. Then he’s off to Berlin to compete in his first ATHX Games alongside his father and fellow Adidas athletes Jennifer Muir and Graham Halliday.
The training for ATHX has served as a buildup to the 2025 Rogue Invitational, which he will compete in the following week.
- “I’m excited for a new challenge. I think it’s really on brand for me to try new things, as I recently completed HYROX,” Sprague said. “I’ve done Iron Man this year, and I want to do American Ninja Warrior. I want to try it all. It’s exciting to be able to thrive in any environment within the fitness space. So, I’m like, heck yeah, let’s do it.”
All good things take time: In the lead-up to the 2024 CrossFit Games, Sprague started shaving three strips into his hair. He attributes this partly to coincidence (he liked the look), but he might also have been practicing some form of manifestation. He said that when he learned of Laura Horvath’s partnership with the brand earlier that year, his goal was to sign with them someday. He knew he had to stay loyal and patient, trusting that the opportunity would come.
Just over a year later, it did.
Featured image: Erin Murphy
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