Our previous statistical breakdown looked at the relationship between national per-capita income and CrossFit Games participation rates. This time, we’re looking at something a bit more straightforward:
What do people really think about The CrossFit Games move from Madison, Wisconsin to Fort Worth, Texas?
As you might expect, opinions are mixed.
Also as you might expect, a lot of people have the weather on their mind.
Let’s take a look!
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Almost 50 percent of all respondents cited the weather as being their main concern with the new location.
- Roughly 40 percent of respondents cited they were less inclined to attend The CrossFit Games at the new location. However, when only the answers from those who have not previously attended the event in the past were assessed, this number dropped to roughly 35 percent.
- 40 percent of respondents think it would be cheaper to attend The CrossFit Games in Fort Worth than it was/would have been in Madison, while 28 percent think the cost difference would be negligible.
- 73 percent of the respondents who are more inclined to attend The CrossFit Games now that they are being held in Fort Worth think it will be cheaper for them to attend the event. 59 percent of this same group were most excited about the proximity of the event to where they live, although 53 percent cited the weather as their main concern.
- 59 percent of the respondents who were less inclined to attend The CrossFit Games now that they are being in Fort Worth think it will be more expensive for them to attend the event. 84 percent of this group were not excited at all about the new location. 49 percent of this group cited the weather as their main concern while 37 percent of this group cited the political climate of the area/state as their main concern.
CrossFit Games Opinion Survey Development, Administration, and Results
On September 19, 2023, CrossFit formally announced that The CrossFit Games would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas for the 2024 edition of the sport’s premier event. This marked a change from the then-current location of The CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin where the event had been held since 2017.
In an attempt to gauge the immediate reactions to this major announcement, a short survey was created and, on the morning of September 20, 2023, was posted on the r/crossFit subreddit on reddit.com. A brief description of the survey was posted along with a link to the survey. There were no financial or other incentives offered for participation and respondents anonymously submitted their responses.
By September 25, 2023, 238 participants had taken part in the survey. At this time, no further responses were collected. The following questions, graphics, and statistics represent the collective survey responses.
Have you attended The CrossFit Games as a spectator in the past?
- Yes – 30% (72)
- No – 70% (166)
Roughly 2/3 of respondents had not previously attended the CrossFit Games as spectators.
Are you more or less inclined to attend The CrossFit Games in person now that the
competition is being held in Ft. Worth, Texas?
- Less inclined to attend – 38% (92)
- More incline to attend – 33% (78)
- No difference – 27% (64)
- Other – 2% (4)
The “other” responses here were all aligned with the “less inclined to attend” option. This answer represents 40 percent of the total responses with 33 percent being more inclined to attend and 27 percent claiming that the new location did not impact their inclination to attend The CrossFit Games.
What are you most excited about with the location of The CrossFit Games moving
from Madison, Wisconsin to Ft. Worth, Texas?
- I am not excited at all about the new location – 46% (110)
- The location is close to me – 21% (49)
- There is more to do in the area – 11% (27)
- It will be less expensive to attend – 8% (18)
- The political climate of the area/state – 2% (4)
- The weather – 1% (3)
- Other – 8% (20)
Almost half respondents cited that they were not at all excited about the Fort Worth location for The CrossFit Games. Roughly one quarter of respondents were excited about the location, either because the location is close to where they live or, as a number of “other” responses stated, the airport(s)/flights situation in the area is preferable.
What are you most concerned about with the location of The CrossFit Games moving
from Madison, Wisconsin to Ft. Worth, Texas?
- The weather – 48% (115)
- I am not concerned at all about the new location – 22% (52)
- The political climate of the area/state – 18% (43)
- The location is far from me – 4% (9)
- There is less to do in the area – 2% (4)
- It will be more expensive to attend – 1% (3)
- The location/area is unsafe/less safe – <1% (1)
- Other – 5% (11)
Almost half of respondents cited the (presumably hot) summer weather as their main concern with the Fort Worth location. Roughly 20 percent of respondents were concerned with the political climate of Texas and/or the Fort Worth area while another 20 percent were not at all concerned about the new location.
Do you think it will cost more or less to attend (all travel expenses and related costs
considered) The CrossFit Games competition in Ft. Worth, Texas than it did cost/would
have cost to attend in Madison, Wisconsin?
- It will cost more to attend in Ft. Worth – 32% (75)
- It will cost less to attend in Ft. Worth – 40% (96)
- No difference – 28% (67)
A plurality of respondents believed that it would cost them less to attend The CrossFit Games in Fort Worth than it would have cost them to attend in Madison, Wisconsin. Roughly 32 percent believed that it would cost more for them to attend in Forth Worth while 26 percent believe the difference would be minimal.
How often do you participate in CrossFit workouts/training?
- Every Day – 5% (12)
- 5-6 days per week – 55% (130)
- 3-4 days per week – 27% (65)
- 1-2 days per week – 8% (19)
- Rarely – 3% (8)
- Never – 2% (4)
Survey respondents were overwhelmingly regular “CrossFitters” (87 percent participating in CrossFit workouts 3 or more days per week). Those participating in CrossFit 5 or more days per week represent almost 60 percent of respondents.
What is your age group?
- Under 18 – 0
- 18-24 – 1% (2)
- 25-34 – 40% (95)
- 35-44 – 43% (103)
- 45-54 – 12% (28)
- 55-64 – 3% (8)
- 65 and over – <1% (2)
83 percent of survey respondents were in the 25-44-year-old age group while respondents were under 25 and over 64 collectively represented less than 2 percent of respondents.
Discussion/Conclusion
As predictable as many of these data may be (everyone is concerned about the probable extreme heat in the area during the week of the CrossFit Games), other areas, some predictable, some not, also appear in the results.
Probably the least predictable? A lack of quality control on the CrossFit Games website!
With those who have not previously attended The CrossFit Games being more inclined to attend in Fort Worth than they were in Madison, there may be a very different crowd composition on hand for the event than in previous years. Considering how many in this group cited proximity as something they were most excited about (as well as the multiple “other” responses that discussed the ease of travel to the area, airports, etc.) we’ll see how answers to the “Have You Previously Attended…” question change next year!
Financial considerations can never be ignored. Is it possible that CrossFit took the perceived lower costs of attendance into consideration when selecting locations (because they have to have conducted their surveys/market research…right?)
Nobody who answered that they were more likely to attend the event cited anything political as a concern. Meanwhile, over 1/3 of those who stated they were less likely to attend the event cited political issuess as their main concern. If some type of politically motivated boycott takes place, then it is even more likely that the crowd composition in Fort Worth will be totally different than it has been in Madison.
Some interesting comments from the “Other” responses included someone who was excited about the weather because they can see it providing another degree of challenge to the event. Another cited their main concerns were equally “heat, the politics of the state, and all of the guns”.
One thing is for sure: there is almost a completely even split between those who are more inclined to attend and those who are less likely to attend. If CrossFit was looking to make a “line in the sand” type of decision, they may have succeeded in doing so!
*Some results come out to over 100 percent due to rounding. Please contact me if you would like access to the full results.
