CrossFit Games Winners to win guns?

A ground swell of discussion has emerged amongst the CrossFit Community this week following an announcement by the CrossFit Games. What’s the announcement that has everyone talking?

The CrossFit Games announced “The Top male athlete, Top Female athlete and every member of the winning team will receive a Glock Pistol.”

CrossFit has many different sponsorships, as the sport grows the partnerships expand from marquee companies such as Rogue Fitness and Reebok, to include Triumph motorcycles and now Glock Inc. Pistols.

So what was the response to such a partnership? It appears you are either in one of two camps. Let’s lay out the two schools of thought for you.

The “For” Camp

The bridesmaid for the past two years, winning the CrossFit Games has eclipsed Mat Fraser. Falling to legend Rich Froning in 2014 and Ben Smith in 2015, Fraser is the bookies favourite to claim the title in 2016. As an avid firearms enthusiastic Mat Fraser was excited at the prospect of taking home a Glock Pistol together with CrossFit Games Gold.

With deeply etched roots in the military community, HERO WODs to commemorate the loss of fallen soldiers and Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro’s time spent with the US Seal Team the correlation is evident. Having originated from the United States, a culture with strong links to firearms one may not even look twice at such an announcement.

You could simply brush this off, get back to the gym and train excited for the hottest fitness competition next week. But with the emergence of CrossFit as a sport and it’s global presence, this view point may not cary across the waters…

The “Against” Camp

Within 24 hours of the announcement, social media started to light up with heated discussion about the latest prize winnings. Sydneysider Daniel Bartels took it upon himself together with Change.Org to start a petition. At time of writing, 8,250 signatures had been gathered to pressure CrossFit to cancel their plans to issue winners with a pistol.

But it’s not just Daniel who has a strong view point on this matter.

What’s your thought?

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, this debate has caused serious debate within the CrossFit Community. Promotional stunt or legitimate prize?

Disclaimer: The WOD Life do not endorse nor condone the partnership of CrossFit Inc. with Glock Inc. Pistols. The WOD Life are simply outlining the current discussions amongst the amazingly passionate CrossFit Community. The WOD Life will let you decide.