State College gym drops CrossFit affiliation after controversial remarks made by ex-CEO
Gyms across the United States, including at least one in Happy Valley, dropped their affiliation with CrossFit after the now-former CEO made inflammatory statements about protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Affiliated owners were befuddled by CrossFit’s failure to express solidarity with protesters, the civil rights movement or otherwise issue an anti-racism statement in the days and weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
The criticism peaked June 6 when former CEO Greg Glassman posted controversial tweets that referenced Floyd’s death and the coronavirus pandemic.
Glassman later acknowledged he “created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members,” while CrossFit said its late response was because the organization “overly complicated the need to care and respond.”
CrossFit Nittany, now known as State College Strength and Conditioning, removed its affiliation with CrossFit the day after Glassman’s tweets. The business was affiliated with CrossFit for about nine years.
“It’s really pretty simple. We care more about people, our community, our black friends, neighbors and family members than we do about your name on our building,” owner Bryan St. Andrews wrote on Facebook. “We do not condone (the) actions of CrossFit (headquarters) and will be deaffiliating effective immediately.”
Affiliated gyms pay an annual fee to the company to use the brand name, logo and promotional materials, but otherwise operate independently.
More than 1,200 gyms have dropped their affiliation, according to CrossFit industry blog Morning Chalk Up.
CrossFit Lionheart denounced Glassman’s statements Monday, saying the State College gym is committed to building “an inclusive environment that welcomes and supports all who walk through our doors.”
The Penn State CrossFit Club issued a similar sentiment, saying it welcomes any race, religion, gender or background “with open arms.”
The relationship between some gyms and CrossFit is muddy. The company “paved the way” for some gyms to be successful, but years of poor communication contributed to a deteriorating relationship, St. Andrews told the Centre Daily Times.
“Over the past couple years, a lot of gyms started to transition away and rebrand and started to do their own thing,” he said. “The ones that were still holding on, like myself, were just like, ‘I don’t really know where the line in the sand is that’s gonna make me leave,’ but then this happened and that was way past it. ... The only way to speak to them anymore was financially.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 9:41 AM.