Reebok and athletes around the world have cut ties with CrossFit after founder Greg Glassman tweeted ‘it’s FLOYD-19’ after the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said racism and discrimination is a public health issue that needs an urgent response.
The research firm tweeted a statement from its director Christopher Murray who said that IHME commits to researching racial disparities in a range of areas including the differential impacts of COVID-19.
Glassman, who is also the chief executive of CrossFit, posted on Saturday: ‘It’s Floyd-19’ and on Sunday he followed up the tweet with: ‘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!’
CrossFit founder and CEO, Greg Glassman (pictured), has been criticized for his moral ambiguity on issues of racial injustice
After the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said it commits to researching racial disparities in areas including the impacts of COVID-19 and Glassman replied on Saturday: ‘It’s Floyd-19’
Reebok said it will fulfill its remaining contractual obligations in 2020 then end its partnership after Glassman’s insensitive comment referring to the killing of black man George Floyd
Followers and human rights groups expressed outrage at the tweet, calling it insensitive to the current events and the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Floyd was killed when officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while three other officers have been charged with abetting murder and manslaughter.
Glassman has apologized for a tweet that equated the police killing of a black man in the United States to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fallout was fast, with Adidas AG-owned Reebok ending its 10-year-old partnership with CrossFit and updating its U.S. homepage https://www.reebok.com/us in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign.
‘Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ,’ Reebok said in a statement on Sunday. ‘We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020.’
CrossFit didn’t appear to take a firm stance in a statement following protests against injustice
Reebok on the other hand was clear about its decision to stand with the black community
Rocket Fitness had already cut ties with the brand after Glassman accused them of trying to brand the company as racist when CrossFit was called out for being silent on the issue
Rose also criticized CrossFit for controversial marketing amid the coronavirus pandemic that prioritized their business over health concerns (left) and body shamed members (right)
On Sunday Glassman followed up with: ‘Your failed model quarantined us and now you’re going to model a solution to racism? George Floyd’s brutal murder sparked riots nationally…’
When Reebok tied up with CrossFit, the Adidas-owned company was struggling with falling sales and looking for a wider appeal outside its core female fans. The partnership helped the sportswear maker emerge as a personal fitness brand and return to growth in 2019.
Other affiliates like CrossFit Magnus also decided to cut ties with the Washington, DC-based global fitness organization.
‘After eight years as a CrossFit affiliate we are ending our affiliation,’ CrossFit Magnus spokesman Nick Hurndon wrote in a social media post.
‘We will no longer continue to “carry your water,” as it is antithetical to anything we stand for and only serves the continuation of systemic racism.’
CrossFit has over 13,000 gyms in more than 120 countries and generates some US$4 billion in annual revenues.
Alyssa Rose of Rocket Crossfit shared an email between herself and Glassman after she told him the gym brand would be cutting ties due to CrossFit’s moral ambiguity by staying silent on the issues affecting black communities.
Singer SZA drew attention to Glassman’s insensitive response and urged people to consider backing a black-owned fitness business instead
Congress candidate Michael Muscato urged Glassman to step down from the CrossFit brand
Noah Ohlsen wrote: ‘I’ve decided that I cannot, in good conscience, compete during this time for a company that hasn’t shown themselves to have values that I align with’
Rich Froning said the events of the last couple of days have ‘made it impossible to stay loyal to leadership who make callous statements that alienate and divide’
Tia-Clair Toomey said she and husband Shane Orr, cannot stand for behavior that shows a lack of acknowledgement and empathy for those who are fighting for basic human rights’
Rose also criticized CrossFit for controversial marketing amid the coronavirus pandemic that prioritized their business over health concerns and body shamed members.
Glassman replied in the email saying that Rose is a ‘s****y person’, that she’d let politics warp her into something that strikes him as ‘wrong to the point of being evil’, and claimed she was doing her ‘best to brand [CrossFit] as being racist’.
It was the final straw for Noah Ohlsen, who said he’d been considering for days whether to stick with CrossFit.
‘This is probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,’ Ohlsen wrote on Instagram. ‘I’ve decided that I cannot, in good conscience, compete during this time for a company that hasn’t shown themselves to have values that I align with.
‘I’ve been talking a lot about this movement and my strong desire to stand up and fight for equality. Right now, I’m taking action. The repercussions of this could be huge. I’ve weighed them and my belief in this is stronger than their potential outcomes.’
Tia-Clair Toomey said she is ‘saddened, disappointed and frustrated’ with the company and Glassman, as she admitted her future with the company is unclear due to her morals and values.
‘A lack of acknowledgement and empathy for those who are fighting for basic human rights and equality is simply inexcusable and it’s behavior that we cannot stand for,’ Toomey explained as she said her husband Shane Orr agreed.
Rich Froning said the events of the last couple of days have ‘made it impossible to stay loyal to leadership who make callous statements that alienate and divide’.
Other figures in entertainment, including singer SZA, and politics, Congress candidate Michael Muscato, have urged people to boycott the brand.
In a statement on Twitter, Glassman said on Sunday, ‘I, 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.’
CrossFit did not respond to a request for comment on Reebok’s action.
Via CrossFit, Glassman said it was ‘not racist but a mistake.’ His tweets remain live on his personal channel