Ragin’ CrossFit will soon become Ragin’ Fitness Co. in an attempt to distance itself from the CEO’s controversial comments on social media.
Jeremy Hohle, owner of Ragin’ CrossFit at 815 Cajundome Blvd., said he has been considering breaking off from the company for about a year and already has the new name and brand in place to roll out.
“We’re in the process of changing logos on everything,” Hohle said. “We have a rebranding packet that’s already done. We’ve been waiting to release it, and after what happened this weekend, it wasn’t even a thought. I decided it was time.”
Ragin’ CrossFit has been open for 10 years. Membership fees for the legal right to use the CrossFit brand range between $500 and $3,000 per gym each year.
Hohle said he has been wanting to distance himself from the brand since the company’s founder and CEO Greg Glassman made controversial remarks about gay people on social media last year.
“My core values since the day I opened here have always been to provide a place that’s inclusive, where everyone is welcome,” Hohle said. “That’s been my passion — to see those who don’t think they fit in and for us to accept them with open arms.”
CrossFit gyms across the country are separating from the brand, including several in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas.
Glassman has since apologized for the comment on Twitter after Reebok, a major sponsor of the business, announced its intention to cut ties.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent research institute at the University of Washington in Seattle, tweeted: “Racism is a Public Health Issue.”
Glassman responded on Twitter, “It’s Floyd-19,” referencing COVID-19, the novel coronavirus pandemic that has killed 400,000 people around the world.
George Floyd was an African American man who died about two weeks ago after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes. The incident was captured on video and has sparked worldwide protests.
“It’s crazy,” Hohle said. “It’s really crazy, the timing, but I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I put my faith in God, and I know this is part of God’s plan.”
