Exclusive: Reebok Offering Nearly $1 Million in Bonus Prize Purses to Games Competitors

Later today, Reebok will announce plans to offer all divisions competing at the 2021 CrossFit Games up to $10,000 per eligible event they win ($1,000 to age group and adaptive divisions) if an athlete wears a Reebok shoe during that event. The Reebok Bonus Program, as it’s being called, has the potential to add up to nearly $1,000,000 in additional prize money on top of $2.5 million up for grabs already. 

The bonuses:

• Individual/Teams Divisions: $10,000 for first place finishers; $2,000 for second place finishers (Team prize money is per team, not per individual).
• Masters/Teens/Adaptive Divisions: $1,000 for first place finishers; $500 for second place finishers.
• Important: Reebok will have some shoes in Madison to offer to competing athletes, so it’s highly encouraged to pack a pair of nanos to compete. 
• Details for athlete applications below. 

One big thing: The impact of this new single-event payout can’t be understated and it has the potential to significantly alter the way athletes approach individual events, as the total take home equals $13,000 for a first place finish ($10,000 from Reebok and $3,000 from CrossFit).

• If an athlete wins just one event ($13,000), he or she will earn the same as finishing 15th overall. It is also more than double the Semifinals payout for first pace. 
• If an athlete wins two events ($26,000), that would be more than 10th place overall takes home. 
• Athletes and teams will now have to decide between giving their all in one event for a big payout, and saving themselves for the later in the competition. 
• As we’ve pointed out on several occasions, the cost to compete at the CrossFit Games continues to rise especially for international athletes and teams, without significant increases in earning potential throughout the year. Winning just one event will pay for your entire trip and then some. 

Why this is great for fans: Outside of the athletes themselves, fans likely benefit the most in the form of athletes selling out in a workout, creating photo finishes that bring the crowd to their feet. 

• It remains to be seen whether this has the potential to steal first place finishes from podium-seeking athletes, but if it does, that would cause the leaderboard to tighten, increasing the intensity of the race to the top on the final day of competition.

The big picture: Reebok clearly isn’t exiting CrossFit, something their president Matt O’Toole reiterated earlier this year, and their investment into the sport in a significant and sizable way paves the way for other brands to find innovative ways to get more involved. 

How to register with Reebok (For athletes/teams):

• Athletes must sign a participation agreement with Reebok before an event takes place to qualify for the prize money. 
• To register, athletes and teams must email GamesBonus@Reebok.com.
• If the agreement isn’t signed before competing, you will be ineligible. 
• An ineligible event would be an event where shoes are not worn like in a swim event. All other events apply. 
• Athletes must wear a version of the Reebok Nano, Reebok Legacy Lifter II, or Reebok Floatride.