With his crass comments about George Floyd, CrossFit’s founder has toxified its all important brand

Affiliate gyms have been withdrawing the company’s branding as it digs itself ever deeper into a hole of its founder’s making, writes James Moore

A gym enthusiast exercises while adhering to social distancing guidelines at CrossFit Arena Bangkok (AFP via Getty)

Dave Castro has just taken on the business equivalent of a hospital pass.

He’s the new boss of CrossFit, which is part ultra-high intensity fitness “philosophy”, part competitive sport, part (from the outside) slightly scary looking outfit subscribed to by people who probably revel in the description “hard charging”.

Its members include hedge fund managers, extreme sports participants, those who leave ordinary folks needing a lie down after spending five minutes in their company. You know the drill.

All this had nonetheless made for a hugely successful business until, that is, Castro’s predecessor, the organisation’s founder Greg Glassman, opened his mouth via, you guessed it, Twitter.

CrossFit had been facing rumblings of discontent over its failure to say anything in the wake of the outpouring that has followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Glassman addressed the issue in the worst possible way.

Responding to a tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation stating “Racism is a public health issue”, Glassman tweeted “it’s FLOYD-19”. Is there a sneer emoji? If there is he probably should have included it.

Then he dug himself further into a hole by adding: “Your failed model quarantined us and now you’re going to model a solution to racism? George Floyd’s brutal murder sparked riots nationally. Quarantine alone is ‘accompanied in every age and under all political regimes by an undercurrent of suspicion, distrust, and riots.’ Thanks!’”

An apology duly followed: “CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community, will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by the words I chose yesterday. My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake.”

This didn’t go down well and the phrase “shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted” sprang to mind as further revelations about what Glassman allegedly had said in private followed. That included, according to BuzzFeed News, the following: “Can you tell me why I should mourn for him? Give me another reason.”

Reebok, the programme’s outfitter, said it would cut ties. Hundred of affiliated gyms did the same. CrossFit athletes weighed in. Angrily.

Maybe Glassman was just too pumped up after one too many workouts when he took to Twitter. Maybe he’s a nasty piece of work, an entitled, ego-driven CEO venting bile.

In business terms, he's been incredibly foolish.

This is a company built around a brand and the licensing of it. Glassman has toxified it.

Greg Glassman pictured during an interview in 2016 (CNBC)

CrossFit has since put up an incredibly windy, and also rather whiny, explanation/apology on its website that talks a lot about how “imperfect” the company is, says what a good, equality loving guy Glassman and everyone else there is, and pleads with its affiliates and customers to understand that.

The message is muddled at best, and the apology part of it is greatly diminished by the company having the gall to complain about its founder “being put on trial online”. It even says: “We challenge you to be thorough in your review of a man who is imperfect but sincere in his love of helping others to become better.”

Challenging its let-down customers is the last thing this company needs to be doing right right now. It reeks of adding insult to injury.

If this is how Mr Castro intends to proceed now he has the CEO’s office, his chances of guiding the business out the other side of this will be basically non-existent.

CrossFit is in danger of joining the sorry list of companies that took years to build up only for their CEOs to destroy them in a matter of moments. Will anyone mourn its passing? I doubt it. The fitness industry is quite faddish and there’ll be an alternative along soon enough.