SAY IT AIN’T SO
Over the weekend I was bothered when I saw updates stating that the CrossFit Games Sectional would be switched from a one-weekend event held in different “sections” throughout the world to a 6 week online video qualifier. I was annoyed because I remember my sectionals experience, my regional’s experience, and many other experiences I’ve had at local affiliate competitions. With the recent Reebok deal being announced at the CrossFit Endurance Expo, I’m worried about the future of the sport. While gaining mainstream appeal, it will seemingly sacrifice “quan” for coin.
TIMES ARE CHANGING
The soul of the CrossFit Games isn’t the amazing feats that the super athletes perform in front of their family, friends, and fans. The soul lies in their heart, their willingness to battle for their own glory. Gone are the days where athletes would gather, wearing their affiliate colors, hoping to honor their local box. These days, videos and competitions are now filled with supplement company T-Shirts and the like. While some Crossfitters used to laugh in the face of supplement companies and their apparel, it seems they are now intelligently sacrificing “quan” for coin.
HEART
Competitions used to be a place where athletes would come together to battle it out, not for the 1st place monetary prize, but for the battle itself. There were no sponsors; there were no professional athletes, yet people still clawed tooth and nail for victory. This is where the “awesome-ness” was seen. It wasn’t quite in the athletes talent or abilities, but it was in the fact that there had finally come a sport, where one didn’t have to be a professional athlete. Rather, one simply had to have heart. How far could you claw? How much could you take? THIS was the spectacle! Even at this year’s Games we witnessed it. Grueling rope climbs, while amazingly dangerous, were also amazingly eventful as athletes laid it out in the stadium. Now sadly, it will be no more. The “quan” is being sacrificed for the coin.
QUAN
Now what is “quan”? As mentioned in Jerry Maguire, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character defines it as “heart, character, and community”. He separates this from coin, which is just making that money. This is what I’m afraid of. With the sectionals format changing, I hope we don’t lose the “quan”, the heart of The CrossFit Games. The fan base is in the affiliates, and sectionals provide affiliates the opportunity to have their average athletes something to look forward to. I compare it to football and basketball. The NFL while elite would be nothing without college football, and college football would be nothing without high school football. The NFL is the CrossFit Games, it is the ultimate proving ground. College football is Regionals, a place where some of our region’s elite compete for a chance and just a chance. High School football is sectionals, where almost everyone makes the team and only those that can’t handle it are weeded out. All of these have a symbiotic relationship, where one cannot survive without the other. We lose “quan” and we lose all that is entertaining and great about the CrossFit Games. Show me the money, but be my ambassador of “Quan”!
FOR THE FUTURE
I hope the Games continue to grow in size, stature and value. I hope those athletes that show their heart are compensated for their efforts, as athletes and entertainers. Let us see where the future takes this growing sport.
