Opinion | Two decades of CrossFit: Rich Froning, Mat Fraser, Tia Clair-Toomey and an infamous New York Times article
- An early article from the American newspaper highlighted the negative press but the sport has built huge social media followings
- The branded fitness regime has grown worldwide but still remains largely unknown within the athletics world
A 2005 article in The New York Times, by Stephanie Cooperman, had a rather inflammatory headline — “Getting Fit, Even if It Kills You”. The article went on to suggest the workout regime was dangerous. Even putting aside the fact that all sports are dangerous, even non-contact ones like running and biking, it's still easy to see how CrossFit got the short end of the stick on this one.
CrossFit founder Greg Glassman told the Post that they “still haven’t recovered” from the piece to this day, and are still fighting the stigma that CrossFit is dangerous, injury prone and filled with cult-like members. In 2015, 10 years after, The New York Times wrote another piece: “When Some Turn to Church, Others Go to CrossFit”. Once again the headline did the sport no favours, but it’s a lot more positive, showcasing how some people have found solace, fitness and well-being outside religion.
Mainstream media’s aversion towards CrossFit is understandable — branded fitness regimes like PX90, Tough Mudder and most recently Peloton and its much maligned commercial — are all easy to take shots at. People buy products and sign up for classes and don T-shirts looking for community, acceptance and social status as much as health and wellness. But in maligning people’s push to get fit, however misguided, we are taking a shot at a certain aspect of society we should probably be taking out of our cynical scope, rather than zeroing in on it.
When it comes to the sport itself, three names dominated and one of them will have the chance in 2020 to be immortalised as the best CrossFit athlete of all time.
Mat Fraser has taken the last four CrossFit Games titles in the men’s division dating back to 2016, and before that he came second in 2014 and 2015. His demeanour is one of all business — a man on a mission, driven by the undying goal of being the fittest and readily, willingly testing himself against the best. Fraser has become an icon of the sport, showing everyone what it takes to remain at the top, and in the age of YouTube and social media, which CrossFit has embraced wholeheartedly in the absence of mainstream media coverage — his entire life and philosophy are right there for your viewing pleasure.
