Dear CrossFit Affiliates,
Don Faul stepped down as CrossFit CEO on March 6, 2026, with no successor in place.
The board is hiring a headhunting firm. The Open is underway.
And once again, you’ve received a polished farewell statement and zero practical guidance.
This is not new. Since Berkshire Partners bought CrossFit from Greg Glassman in 2020, the CEO role has changed hands multiple times. Each time, affiliates were left without a clear mission, without support and without answers.
Meanwhile, affiliate fees went up—in some cases dramatically for long-term affiliate owners—while paying affiliates fell from around 14,000 to closer to 10,000.
Berkshire is a private equity firm. They’re not investing in the success of affiliates; they are trying to sell a company. You wouldn’t put new tires on a car you are selling. They’re not going to either.
That’s the reality. Let’s move on.
The Good News
Here’s the good news: The knowledge of the methodology is yours.
The CrossFit training program—especially the in-person L1 and L2 courses—is still the best in the fitness industry.
The methodology produces results.
No ownership change, no leadership vacuum, no sale can take that away from you.
The affiliate model has always given you complete freedom. You pay year to year. You can ask yourself honestly: Is there a better place to invest US$4,500 right now? (Resource: “Measuring the Value of Affiliation.”)
If you find a better place to invest that money, take action. If you don’t, stop second-guessing and get back to work.
Either way, your coaches can stay certified in the method and you can call your gym whatever serves your business best.
Your Next Steps
Here’s what to do while CrossFit LLC figures itself out.
1. Publish
First, pretend you’re the founder of CrossFit. Become the media outlet CrossFit stopped being.
The CrossFit Journal was once a remarkable free resource. It’s no longer reaching your clients. So start from the beginning and translate it yourself—blog posts, short videos, social clips. Explain why intensity matters. Break down the science of functional movement. Teach what you know.
In the age of AI-generated content, if you’re not publishing, you don’t exist to anyone searching for what you do.
2. Partner
Second, look at the partnership opportunities CrossFit LLC has missed.
Hyrox has grown from 800 affiliates in 2023 to over 7,000 and is actively seeking gym partners. Greg Glassman’s new MetFix program is being built specifically for coaches who believe in the methodology.
These aren’t threats to your identity as a CrossFit-trained coach—they’re revenue opportunities CrossFit left on the table. Explore them.
3. Promote
Third, build your own local event. Your clients will care way more about the Catalyst Games—or whatever you call your in-house competition—than they will ever care about the CrossFit Games, even if the event is on television.
A local throwdown creates community, rewards your members’ hard work, generates referrals and costs very little to run. You don’t need CrossFit’s permission or their platform. You need a whiteboard and a stopwatch and a Saturday morning.
4. Plan
Fourth, run your gym like the CEO you already are. Audit what you have. Know your numbers. (Resource: “The 1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners.”)
Ask hard questions about where your next dollar of investment should go. CrossFit LLC was never going to answer those questions for you—but that’s not an excuse anymore. It’s an opportunity for you to build your own brand.
Your Future Is Bright
Don Faul is a good man who did his best in a difficult situation not of his making. I wish him well.
One of my favorite quotes about the CrossFit sale is this: “Berkshire thought they were buying Harley-Davidson, but they were really buying the Hells Angels.”
Being the CEO is hard even in an organized, streamlined company. Running CrossFit might be the largest challenge of any CEO’s career, and the pool of quality candidates willing to take up the task will continue to shrink.
But the uncertainty at CrossFit LLC and the opportunity inside your gym are two completely different things. Don’t let one distract you from the other.
CrossFit LLC is not coming to save you. And its mess can’t hurt you—unless you let it.
The method is yours. The community is yours. The business is yours.
Build it.
And if you want help doing that, you know where to find it.
