The impact of digital marketing on sports participation: A comparison between CrossFit and HYROX
Updated: Sep 14
The early 2000s marked the start of CrossFit, a fitness movement focused on high-intensity workouts. What began as 70 athletes back in 2007 grew quickly, reaching 380,000 participants a decade later. At the time, CrossFit was widely viewed as the future of mass-participation functional fitness.
Despite this, the trajectory didn’t continue as expected, with participation between 2018 and 2020 declining by over 45%. By 2025, CrossFit recorded its lowest participation level in more than a decade, with 233,815 participants (a 32% decrease compared to 2024).
At the same time, HYROX emerged as a rapidly growing alternative within the same functional fitness space, leveraging digital platforms, influencer-led content, and event-driven marketing to attract new participants at scale. This contrast raises an important question: to what extent does digital marketing influence long-term sports participation?
Before we start, I want to note that CrossFit is a brand and HYROX is an event. Within the CrossFit brand, they host a yearly event known as the CrossFit Games, which compares to HYROX, which is a globally commercialized sports event brand. This factor is important when we start looking deeper into the success of each.
This is important to note as the two charts shown above show the numbers surrounding the event proportion of CrossFit and HYROX. It is also important to include the number of CrossFit affiliate gyms worldwide (from Fitness Avenue). A CrossFit affiliate gym is an independently owned gym paying an annual fee to the CrossFit brand to use their name, logo, and training style.
From the graph below, we can see similar trends in 2018, which was an all-time peak for both affiliate gyms and event participation, and 2021/2025, which saw dips in numbers, following the same trend as event participation.
CrossFit vs. HYROX: What is the true difference?
To understand how digital marketing might’ve played a part in the sudden success of HYROX, it is important to take a step back and look at the differences between the two.
When first introduced in 2017, HYROX had a total of 650 participants, which gave them over 800% more attendees than CrossFit in their respective debut event. This incredible start can be credited to the team behind HYROX: Christian Toetzke (mass participation sporting event organizer), Moritz Fürste (3x Olympic medalist), and Michael Trautmann (marketing expert).
Without having to use any budget for paid marketing, the creators of HYROX relied solely on their pre-existing communities to promote the first event in Hamburg. Not only did their connections allow for widespread attention in their early stages, but it also meant that RedBull and Puma were sponsors since the start. This compares to CrossFit, which secured Reebok as its first major sponsor 4 years after debuting.
“I do not see Hyrox replacing CrossFit. Hyrox simply does not fulfill the same purpose as CrossFit. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program, a lifestyle, designed to build work capacity across as broad a spectrum of physical qualities as possible” — Stephane Rochet
How have digital marketing trends fueled the rise?
Turning dating into a marketing strategy
Over the past year, I have seen several examples of people or companies turning dating into a marketing strategy. A great example of this is the Asda 2026 red basket Valentine’s Day campaign, which was also done by other supermarket chains such as Tesco and Prisma. The whole idea started back in 2024 when people claimed that they were finding love in the supermarket (also known as ‘pineapple-gate’).
While supermarkets were quick to jump on this trend, we are also seeing a rise in other forms of dating strategies. @LuvJus hosts a dating show on the streets of London and films content around the concept. Thursday (the online dating site) now hosts regular dating events in 150+ cities. Food brands such as Knorr have also jumped on the trend with campaigns such as #ServingSingles, which aimed to generate user-generated content all around single people cooking.
At first glance, dating and fitness may not seem closely connected, but similar to the above examples, fitness brands globally have been engaging in this dating trend. From run clubs designed to bring together specific communities, such as @GetGayns (a queer running club) and the Singles Run Club (a personality-divided group), to GymShark collaborating with Bumble on a series of speed-dating-circuit classes, dating has really become the new trend.
A great blog that touches upon the problems surrounding this new trend (and is worth checking out) was written by Ella Slater: Fit people only? The new wave of dating apps for the wellness era
Over the past few months, publications such as Men’s Health and Business Insider have both released articles on how HYROX is the next best place to find a date. @surfdating even went as far as launching a blind date for people to find their mixed doubles partner, where matches meet 20 minutes before the start of the event. This event supposedly had over 5,000 applications, and only 10 people were selected for the final match. Others weren’t left single and alone as they hosted a shakeout run the day prior to the HYROX event and an afterparty once the main event was done.
With RedBull releasing a post about how more than 50% of those competing in HYROX choose to race in the Doubles category, it’s no surprise that a strong community is being built. As brands continue to jump on the dating trend, I expect we will see a bigger increase in marketing initiatives over the coming years with the aim of bringing people together.
Influencer marketing
Christian Toetzk spoke about how HYROX approaches influencer marketing by saying:
We also wasted a lot of money on influencers with 1.5 million followers who brought us hardly any revenue. Athletes, trainers, and other micro-influencers with 20,000 to 30,000 followers who posted exclusively on fitness topics and reached our target audience precisely proved to be far more valuable.
Forbes described micro-influencers as “pivotal in fostering genuine connections in the crowded digital arena, serving as intimate bridges between businesses and their target audiences.” The fitness industry as a whole has latched onto influencer marketing in a way that leaves the lifestyle of these influencers to be desired by the audience.
In recent years, we have seen the introduction of ‘athletes’ in sport marketing campaigns. While there might be earlier examples of this, GymShark is a core example whereby they launched their ‘Athlete Marketing’, whereby paid influencers are known as brand athletes. It is thought that this is done as a strategic branding tool to blur the line between conventional sporting athletes and everyday ‘athletes’ that the general public can aspire to be like.
This tool has since been replicated by brands worldwide, including NOBULL, Alo Yoga, Lululemon, and HYROX.
What the audience sees is not your typical influencer marketing where they feel like they are being sold to. Instead, they see an athlete who is working a regular 9–5, grew up in the same town, or shares the same day-to-day problems that the audience can relate to. This leads to the athlete creating a following of people looking to be just like them… to train in the same ways and compete alongside them in events such as HYROX.
CrossFit uses influencer marketing in a different way. Affiliate gyms, which were explored earlier, are a primary source of marketing for the CrossFit brand, as opposed to directly using individual influencers. Gyms can pay the CrossFit brand US$1,000 as an initial payment, followed by an annual fee of US$4,500, to become a CrossFit affiliate. While this provides the main brand with a regular source of income from their 9,000+ affiliate gyms, it also provides them with free marketing.
When becoming a gym affiliate, you are encouraged to promote all CrossFit campaigns such as the CrossFit Open, Community Cup, and Murph event. CrossFit also provides affiliates with a full marketing package on how to promote the CrossFit brand. While this provides gyms with a method of promoting their own gym and increasing their local credibility, it provides CrossFit with bigger exposure through the sale of CrossFit merch, entrance into yearly CrossFit-run events, and general word-of-mouth of the philosophy behind CrossFit.
Typically when we speak about influencer marketing, we speak about the core 4 categories: mega influencers (1m+ followers), macro influencers (100k — 1m followers), micro influencers (10k — 100k followers), and nano influencers (1k — 10k followers). What this system fails to account for is the different types of influencer marketing which do not involve individuals, but instead target organizations, events, or brands.
Cancel culture and the impact of participation
Marketing isn’t just about what is put out by the brand; it’s also about how a digitial audience perceives content and if they turn on it. The same platforms that let HYROX grow overnight are the same ones that have the power to unravel decades of growth.
In the early 2010s, we started to see celebrities getting cancelled on social media sites such as Twitter or Tumblr, but research from the Journal of Business Research and the Washington Post claims that the true start of cancel culture started in 2018 during the #MeToo movement. It is said that the concept of cancel culture refers to the public ostracisation of “individuals who do not conform to expected practices… the act is often used to reinforce the power hierarchy of an organization.”
Looking back at the trends of CrossFit participation, we can start to link examples of cancel culture to reasons why we might’ve seen dips in participation. In 2020, CrossFit saw a 45% decline in participation compared to 2018. While this could be linked to COVID-19, it is important to note that CrossFit continued to operate throughout this time (with the release of Resurgence in 2021 highlighting the core moments from the 2020 games).
A true reason why we might’ve seen such a widespread drop in participation across CrossFit during 2020 can be linked to the comments made by Founder and former-CEO of CrossFit, Greg Glassman. Comments surrounding the killing of George Floyd were posted on June 6th, 2020, which led to a series of events across the next few days, including: Reebok announcing they would be ending their 10+ year partnership, more than 250 gyms dropped “CrossFit” from their name, Rogue Fitness (equipment supplier) distanced itself from the brand. By June 9th, 2020, Greg Glassman stepped down as CEO of CrossFit, but the damage was already done.
The virtual part of the CrossFit Games happened on September 18–19, 2020, 3 months after Founder and former-CEO of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, stepped down from his position.
This same trend can be seen in the 2025 Games, which saw a 32% decrease compared to 2024. This came after the death of CrossFit athlete Lazar Đukić, who passed away during the first swimming event in 2024. While CrossFit came out with statements about the changes that would be made surrounding their safety and procedures moving forward, this event had already gained large-scale social media attention about the negatives of CrossFit.
What we do know from these two events is that with a brand comes a social responsibility to uphold a high level of values across all elements of the business:
Over the past few decades, however, more business leaders have recognized their responsibility to do more than simply maximize profits for shareholders and executives. Rather, they have a social responsibility to do what’s best — not just for their companies, but for people, the planet, and society at large. This isn’t just a moral consideration anymore — it’s a competitive one. Consumers increasingly vote with their wallets… as a result, how a company defines and practices CSR directly influences its reputation, growth, and long-term success. — Harvard Business School
If only I waited another month to work on this blog!
In September 2026, HYROX hosted an event in Beijing whereby world champion Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself during the event but was allowed to continue. This comes after strict rules were previously put in place that penalise participants for spitting or blowing their nose, but they allowed a high-profile athlete to continue despite having faeces running down her legs throughout the entire course.
As part of the official statement HYROX released following the online outrage from other participants, they said:
We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible. That courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary. Our role is to give them the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves at their very best.
While this statement didn't take accountability for letting the athlete continue with the race, it put more blame on the wider community for reacting badly to the situation. The community has since taken to social media with an incredibly negative outlook on the treatment from HYROX to regular participants, while allowing elite athletes to be their priority.
Not even 24 hours later, HYROX released a secondary statement addressing the concerns and admitting they made a mistake in how they handled it. Comments and videos are still coming out from the community and other HYROX athletes with concerns about the future of the event. It is too early to predict what this means for future HYROX participation, but it does demonstrate that with a strong community comes higher responsibilities...
Final thoughts
Going back to the question I started with, how much of this is really down to digital marketing, I think the answer is a large majority of it, but definitely not all of it.
HYROX’s rise is a genuine marketing case study. Micro-influencers over mega-influencers, dating and community trends turned into content strategy, and a founding team that understood distribution before they’d run a single event.
CrossFit’s decline is a slightly different story. Digital marketing didn’t cause it, social media amplified it. Glassman’s tweets and the Đukić tragedy weren’t marketing failures, they were moments where the brand was broadcast at scale to a community that was already emotionally invested.
So CrossFit isn’t losing to HYROX. It’s dealing with the same accountability that every brand now faces in a platform-driven world, while HYROX is still in its honeymoon phase, without the twenty years of history.
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