The Sport of Fitness vs. Anthos Will Greg Glassman Win?

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CrossFit vs. Anthos is the talk of the town.  Who knows how this will shake out, but everyone from Greg and Lauren Glassman to HQ staff and affiliate owners have weighed in on the subject.  I will give you a brief summary then share my opinion on the matter and what it means for affiliate owners.

Anthos is venture capital firm that has offered to buy Lauren Glassman’s share of CrossFit Inc. for 20 Million. Not a bad pay day. Bryan Kelly one of the board members at Anthos told CF that their vision was to use the 4,000 affiliates worldwide to sell supplements, T-shirts and other products that will greatly increase the bottom line for CF Inc.  This implies that there will be rules and regulations to follow.  Unlike now with the simple licensing agreement and freedom to run your affiliate as you choose. The RX Review has a great article with a quote from Russel Berger, who is on the CF level one certification staff.

There is also great thread on the CrossFit discussion board, check it out HERE.  Coach Glassmans quote is in this thread.  In summary his quote to the community reads…

“Anthos will NOT end up with an equity share in CrossFit. They’re holding a losing hand and will eventually come to terms with that fact. I’m honored to fight this fight and consider the opportunity and responsibility to lead the affiliates as the most significant facet of my life. None of it is for sale – at any price. I don’t care what this costs or how long it takes, we will keep our affiliates free.” -Greg Glassman

In my opinion this is a serious matter because the sport of CrossFit, the name and brand is something I have grown to love.  I think many others will voice the same opinion.  It would be terrible to see a venture capital firm come in and change the outlier into a conformed straight edge, rule book business.  It is pure, fun, and there are little to no rules to owning an affiliate.  The ability to sell your own products, choose your own colors and design your own logo is amazing.  A beautiful fitness community has been built in this over saturated market, hopefully it continues to grow and prosper without the interruption of money hungry venture capital suits.

As for the business  side of things, it should be something you keep up with, but not loose sleep over.  If you are established people will not leave you, if you are building your business, continue to put out an excellent product and you will succeed.  The people who spend time studying business, building a superior team of coaches, working on their marketing, and developing new and innovative ways to grow will prosper with or without the CrossFit name.

Now it is your turn.  Voice your opinion in the comments below and let me know your thoughts?

If you want the opinion of someone who is happy about all this, Robb Wolf whose affiliate was dethroned a few years ago has some interesting comments on his Facebook page.  You can check them out HERE.

And if you want to read up on Anthos, check out their website.

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