Ever since Justin Bergh told the CrossFit Games community that they are exploring options outside of the StubHub Center in Carson, there have been rumors and buzz about which cities might host the Games in the future. Then, last month Jacksonville made its push to host the CrossFit Games public with its #CrossFittoJAX hashtag.
No other cities have publicly announced its intent to bid for the Games, but cities like Boston, Chattanooga, Chicago and Orlando have all been rumored as possible destinations. The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau appears to have even discussed whether it should consider bidding for the 2017-2019 CrossFit Games.
After doing some research, we were able to obtain a copy of the 2017-2019 CrossFit Games RFP. The document gives some insight into what CrossFit Inc. is looking for to host the Games each year. Proposals were due June 15 so it’s now up to CrossFit to make its decision.
One of the most interesting parts of the RFP is that there is a good chance that the location of next year’s CrossFit Games will be announced at the Games this year.
“CrossFit Inc. intends to make its determination by August 31, 2016, but a decision may be announced prior to (including at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games) [emphasis added], or after, that date.”
The RFP also talks about the Games season and the content CrossFit produces each season and the amount of views that content receives. Over 30 million minutes of live regional coverage is streamed each week! CrossFit’s YouTube channel had over 730 million minutes watched in 2015 and 102,000 viewers on average watched the 2016 Open Announcements.
Regarding CrossFit Games attendance, over 60,000 fans were at the Games over the weekend, but 77% of those came from a 120-mile radius.
The RFP provides the details required for the venues which appears to be very much in line with what they have at the StubHub Center currently. It does appear that CrossFit would be open to the possibility of bringing the night events into an indoor basketball or hockey arena. There are questions about the community, including average weather statistics for July and other major events in the area at the same time.
Click the image below to view the full RFP:
