Armen Hammer has worn a lot of hats around the CrossFit community: Athlete, affiliate owner, writer, vlogger, you name it. And his relationship with CrossFit HQ has been colorful, to say the least. Years ago, Armen, who was attending as a blogger and spectator, was removed from the CrossFit Games by event staff.
More recently, he’s built close friendships with people inside CrossFit’s leadership, and his videos and social media posts about goings-on inside the CrossFit community are some of the most popular content in the space. He’s also broken and confirmed some massive news stories, including the announcement that Greg Glassman would be retiring as CrossFit’s CEO. We recorded this podcast just one day after that become public knowledge, and our discussion revolves around the CrossFit Games, CrossFit as a company, and how the community is reacting to sudden changes.
In this episode of the BarBend Podcast, David Thomas Tao talks to Armen Hammer about:
- Armen’s background in the CrossFit community as “The Naked CrossFitter” (3:00)
- The incredible changing landscape of CrossFit news (6:30)
- A period of Armen’s “rocky” relationship with CrossFit HQ (7:20)
- Removal from the CrossFit Games (10:30)
- Existential threats to CrossFit, and rekindling relationships with CrossFit HQ staff (14:00)
- “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more stressed or anxious about something than this past weekend” (21:10)
- How the CrossFit HQ shakeup overshadowed other impactful international sports news (24:00)
- Armen’s style of reporting (28:00)
- Will we have a 2020 CrossFit Games? (32:30)
Relevant links and further reading:
