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I travel often. That means I get to drop into a LOT of CrossFit gyms. I also own the largest CrossFit gym at the intersection of I-75 and Highway 17 — one of the largest Interstates in the US and the coast-to-coast national Canadian highway. That means I’m lucky enough to have dozens of visitors every year. Every CrossFit gym is different, and many have different rules around accepting guests. Some charge; some don’t. Some give away free t-shirts to visitors; I don’t. Some require a bit of advance warning, and others are fine with a spur-of-the-moment drive-through service. All of those are fine. A gym owner can do anything they want; it’s their business. But WE, as guests, should still do our part to make visiting easy: Expect to pay. Remember that the coach’s priority is her members, not visitors. Check the gym’s rules before you attend. Remember when you visited a friend’s house as a kid, and you acted more politely than you did at home? Yeah, like that. Have your coach email the gym owner in advance, with “care and treatment” advice. Your coach has figured out how to motivate you and give you effective cues. They can help the coach at your vacation destination do the same. And your host will WANT to provide you with the great coaching you get at home–but can’t do so if you show up unannounced. Don’t show up unannounced. Register for classes early. Be flexible with your schedule (most gyms won’t let you fill a spot that a member usually takes.) Stay late and help out. Put things away. Be MORE helpful than you would at home. Don’t expect special treatment. If you’re a Games athlete, you’re a model to the CrossFit community…you’re not the exception to the Community rules. Be the best STUDENT in the gym, not just the best athlete. A lot of these sound like the advice ...

Last year’s broadcast of the CrossFit Games on ESPN2 yielded an average of 336-361,000 live viewers. About 60% of those were age 18-49 (ESPN2’s target demographic–although that’s a pretty broad target.) That’s about a fifth of the MLB Sunday night game. Pretty great for a niche sport like ours. Track and Field competitions, non-title boxing competitions and recap shows all ranked higher during the same week, but women’s tennis and arena football were both ranked lower. Replays of the Games boost those numbers even higher, while “mainstream” sports don’t usually enjoy the repeat viewership. This is interesting, because it suggests that we want to see the actual events unfold…not just catch the score. That’s great news for advertisers and a good sign for longevity. The relationship with ESPN2 has helped push CrossFit into the public eye; added CrossFit to the list of possible fitness choices for a broader swath of viewers; and generally enhanced our profile from “cult” to “sport”. Yesterday, CBS Sports announced a new two-year broadcast deal for the 2017 and 2018 CrossFit Games. Read it here: https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/cbs-sports-to-telecast-crossfit-games-through-2018/ While ESPN boasts about its “broad portfolio” and total live broadcast hours, CBS Sports should actually be a better media opportunity for CrossFit AFFILIATES. Here’s why: Demographic targeting is better. Mean household income is higher for CBS Sports than any other sports network. Since we’re selling a premium coaching service, these are the folks we want to reach. CBS Sports ranks #1 among viewers in “Professional and Related Occupations” – in other words, high earners with daytime jobs – again, our target market. Over 63% of CBS Sports viewers has a college education or higher, which suggests (to me) a higher affinity for coaching and learning. CBS Sports also has a higher reported proportion of female viewers (23%) and the Games should boost that number even higher. Only the Olympics and Track and Field events showed Men’s and Women’s events ...