Say it.. the programming was crap. Even with those two events. It was lackluster at best and boring. Break it down like you've done for other years, it ranks LOW.
From a spectators point of view the only events that were interesting or exciting to watch in my opinion were the Echo Bike burpee sprint and the one mile run/burden sprints, everything else was dull to watch.
If we're being technical, changing the events every single year means no one has ever tested the same. So technically, it's not even a realistic measurement of the fittest on earth because the variables have changed so many times. No one has ever objectively been the "fittest on earth " because the rules and workouts are never the same. Standardization across the board is the only way to make it a fair competition. In every other sport, nothing changes unless they update and vote on it.
I’m a CrossFit outsider. I exercise just to keep fit/be high functioning in my professional life. I just follow some sports/videos for inspiration and to get some tips for my exercise routine. It’s obvious to me that this talk about ‘The fittest on earth’ is a PR gimmick to promote the sport/games. Obviously you need to be EXTREMELY fit to win or even compete in the games. And it’s very impressive to watch the effort of the athletes. So if you win it, you’re the winner of admittedly very difficult to win Crossfit games. That’s it. Again still very impressive, all respect to you😀
You could say this about every single CrossFit games. It’s the name of the title. Same as the COVID year or the random elimination years, the winner is the fittest. To complain about this to the extent to remove the title from him would mean no one is ever actually the fittest bc there could be some other random dude who is fitter but isn’t competing…
No one is ever "The Fittest" because of the scoring. It is weighted and therefore skews toward the top. A better system would be to just award to the winner a number of points equal to the number of competitors. Each finisher past that receives one fewer point. 40 competitors: 1st gets 40, last gets 1. I won't belabor the math, but weighting the score "gamifies" the Games, meaning your score reflects not just your fitness, but your ability to play the scoring game. An example which ties to your point about not having certain events or having them in a certain order does not result in a "fittest" person: If Roman Khrennikov can be dead last or, in other words, not even participate in two events and come in 3rd, then we have no analysis of his overall fitness. Another, if Tia is 301 points ahead, she doesn't have to participate in the last 3 events. She will, but she would be deemed "fittest" even if she didn't. What if the leader for the last event is horrible at it, as Vellner is for the 1st events (sorry, Pat!)? If scoring were purely linear, then you could never skip an event, even if you were a likely shoe-in. You would have to be more than 40 points ahead to skip, and it's hard to imagine everyone else being so pathetic that #2 is 41 points behind #1. Linear scoring keeps you hungry and makes you prove your fitness in every event. IMO. But it does drive me a little nuts.
Agreed. Another simple example of gaming the points is if an athlete has a known bad event and a good event coming up they are incentivized to not fight for a slightly less worse placement and rather deliberately give less of an effort to save themsleves for their better event because every spot you gain there is worth more. That is not a fitness test, it's a strategy test. We even saw examples of this in the semis where several athletes knew they couldn't complete an event so pointwise they were technically inscentivized to do nothing to save energy, but the athletes who didn't "try hard enough" were punished for not respecting the sport. It is idiocy and unnecessary. And like you said, it's not hard to fix: make every placement equally worth fighting for and the entire problem goes away.
@@danielsparks1848shoulda, coulda, woulda how about turn up and find out in saying that, Tia would wipe the floor with her now just like she use to consistently before her baby.
Alpaca in 2022 had the rope climbs removed because they got soaked in the rain overnight. I don’t recall anyone being up in arms about Justin’s win. Welcome back Hiller. It’s great to see you again!
Thanks Andrew, you are a lone voice and absolutely needed in the sport. I believe that it's time for athletes to be unionized and be given shared governance. From a spectator standpoint CrossFit quickly gets boring with grind em type of workouts. In every sport I follow nobody finds it compelling to watch athletes grind out boring, goofy workouts where the athletes are toast at the end. The present format puts undue strain, along with unnecessary wear and tear on athletes' bodies. Pick a few movements and go with those. True fitness is sustainable and isn't a competition. Even the Tour de France maintains speed and explosive competition to the end. The CrossFit community is tight and there is much to be respected there. The idea that one person crafts seemingly questionable athletic challenges, on his whim, for the entire field is insane. So many of the movements, ie. pistol squats, repetitive Olympic movements, muscle ups on the rings for example, put athletes in needless harm with the risk of life altering injuries. Most assuredly injuries that will and do plague competitors for life. Additionally, it is impossible to call any one sport a true test of fitness, seems ridiculous. The Tour de France, ultra marathons, the entire sport of wrestling, collegiate and freestyle, MMA, and so many others. It's complete hubris for any one sport to define fitness and then set randomized events. The community is noteworthy but cannot be a substitute for defining fitness. Remember, true fitness doesn't injury people and leave their health compromised. Our goal should be strength, mobility, and stamina for all. Safe and sustainable throughout our lives. Last, please start being open about the widespread PEDs use. CrossFit is a total recovery sport, by that way that is not the pathway to fitness, and without PEDs athletes wouldn't be putting up the numbers that they do or look as jacked as they do. We are no longer naive and can see through the natty facade. We respect the dedication and hard work, it's commendable in all regards. But we know that the vast majority of the elite CrossFitters are juicing. I personally don't care but it's time to lead with true integrity and talk openly about all aspects of training and competition. Keep the commentary coming, only open and honest conversations will result in bringing true safety to the sport.
Your change to the 1600m and then sprint event would have been FUN AS HELL to watch! I am a Castro programming fan usually but I really like your spin on these.
This is excellent and this content has evolved so much over the last few years. Always easy to play the Monday morning QB, but it’s not easy to showcase a balanced view.
Was waiting for your video bro! Good points! The thing i can't find in any discussion online is the point that, besides the points you made about not all events were covered and some were compromised, no one is talking about the fact several athletes didn't compete therefore Sprague and Toomey not the fittest on earth. Additionally as some athletes have also said, no one was mentally able to be at their 100% in order to compete with the exception of those that were completely able to disconnect from Lazar's death.
😂 tell me you’re short without telling me you’re short. Paraphrased recap: “Tall guys won. And historically, a “complete” test of fitness would net a 5’7” - 5’9” guy.” Whatever happened to the programming doesn’t matter? The fittest will rise to the occasion and come out on top. Major cope. Cheers to the tall guys 🍻
@@DevHazy work capacity across broad times and modal domains does not always have to include pull-ups. The movements don’t define fitness, They create fitness. Remember CrossFit is a methodology, not the test itself. The games are made up by Dave. If he says this is the test for the fittest then that’s what it is. If we believe there is a better standardization for a test, then let’s just make it “known and knowable.”
The games are subjective AF every year people have issues with the games because their favorite didn’t win and they feel they have the case for it because the CrossFit games are never the same. THATS NOT JAMES SPRAGUES FAULT. He did the best with what was thrown at him just like the rest of the athletes only he did it better than them. The games are always different so there’s just no case for any of this. Saying this year was so different that he isn’t the fittest is BS. AND LETS BE HONEST if Brent won nobody would be saying shit. People don’t like James so they’re trying to take this away from him. He is the fittest man of 2024 and that’s that. He won the competition and gets to have that title for the rest of his life because he beat everyone else. All this talk is just cancerous.
James seems like a nice kid but no part of me buys that he’s the fittest man on earth this year, despite certain years in the past being a bit of mess I’ve always thought the winner in the end was the fittest, before this year
yes he is because he won there is not excuse is like winning a 100 m world championship running 9.91 and not be called world champion because somebody did 9.78 in a qualifier
Only thing I’ll say is that Sprague went out and got it done with a 4th and 5th place on the final event(s). And those events were without a doubt set up for a small person. High volume squatting and gymnastics with a yoke. I understand the argument but he got it done man.
Glad you’re back! But the test is constantly varied… so even if the workout changed day of it dosnt matter because the test is always changing. Just because it changed dosnt mean it’s no longer valid. That’s the test now. You can go back and literally add/subtract a specific workout anywhere and see changes in the leaderboard.
My question is when did we determine that just win the CrossFit games made you the fittest on earth? I have no qualms saying that Rich Froning or Matt Fraser were the fittest on earth but there’s a one time winner make you fit on earth?
I think the bigger reason he won was the games was due to how light the weights were overall. Unless i am mistaken there weren’t many workouts with heavy weights, where as there have been years past with numerous events with heavy weights.
Welcome back, Hiller! FWIW: unknown & unthinkable events of this event surely had a similar affect on the athletes as if they done those additional missing tests. I say- under the circumstances James earned the title. Just sucks this is the story for what likely is the last CF games in history.
Can’t say I love them all but this VLOG was a good one. Thoughtful with some solid data to support. After this breakdown I’m thinking if I tested these events I might be fittest in….my zip code. For sure my block. Earth is next.
This whole argument is just saying “what if”. There are other years that skewed towards shorter athletes. I’m not sure I understand the hardline stance. I heard an argument the other day the James only won the Chad because of height. Well, Austin got second and there and Brent and Jelle got 6th and 7th. So height didn’t necessarily determine that win. James also on paper shouldn’t have done well in the last 2 events, but his pacing was perfect. But he only won because of height? If he had blown up like everyone else, he probably wouldn’t even have podiumed. So while I get your argument, I think you’re wrong. If he blew up on the last 2 events and Vellner had won, I don’t feel like you would have made this video. Vellner is only 3” shorter.
Good conversation. I don’t agree with Hiller though that Dickies Triplet favors tall athletes. Toes to bar and DB snatch are big ROM movements and are disadvantageous to tall athletes. Seems like a pretty balanced workout to me with the run favoring tall.
It’s like they had all 100 entries in the hopper but they removed 20 entries. If someone wins then they completed the test and won the test before them. But they did not win the full test of 100 entries. It is incomplete.
You are soooooo right! Language bro. You said the winner won a fitness test. Winning a fitness test = wtf ever. Agreed completely with all of it. Just the wording threw me off. I'd say it was more a cardio test or hyrox similar test. Hyrox is completely a endurance test. IMO. Andrew you are 100% right! Tests didn't fit Crossfit. Btw, the best was seeing Ricky make every running back look slow. Crazy good!
I don’t see the logic in critiquing the programming for an event (the whole Games) that was adjusted after a contestant died. Two tests were cancelled on Thursday, then on Friday Dave changed the rope climb event “so everyone could finish.” That was probably Dave’s emotional decision to try to adjust for grieving athletes, where some entered the arena still crying. I understand criticizing programming, but don’t you have to mention how the Games became a totally different thing after Lazar died? It’s hard to square Hiller’s previous video (how could HQ let this happen, how does the show go on?) with this one. No-it was not a complete test, because everything changed after someone died.
What if Sprague goes on to win the next games? What if he wins the next 5 CrossFit games and takes Mat’s record? Would that change your mind that this years “fittest on earth” title was not tarnished? Also not sure where you are getting the idea that being taller makes you a better runner. Top marathon runners are 5’5 to 5’8. Top 1500m runners average around 5’11. As the distance gets longer the top athletes get shorter. I’d say it’s more about weight than height when it comes to running.
Sprague is more of Cole Sager than Fraser or Froning Jr. Ok, won CG 24 with well know situation but it will not happen again. He’s to nice to be multiyear champion.
@@Wuka-u6f I wasn't saying he will do it. I was hypothesizing as scenario where Hiller might change his mind. Since he was so adamant nothing would change his mind. Having said that, every winning streak starts with a first win, so who knows what Sprague does going forward.
Horrible programming this year another reason i'm not bothered if Dave's let go from that position i still think he should be involved with Crossfit but his time for that role has passed. Also couldn't agree more about the title this year I'm not even sure why you'd want to wear it proudly tbh
I love you but your argument is pretty weak. Is there a litmus test that the Games need to take every year and get certified? Does a championship not count if a star player goes out before the game is over? I think you’re nitpicking for the sake of it. The best team doesn’t win every year sometimes circumstances cause the outcome. Such is life.
You completely missed the point of his argument. It had nothing to do with people dropping out and everything to do with the imbalance of programming favoring taller athletes
@@cinnamonthunder my point about a star player being out of the championship game is referring to the fact that a team not necessarily facing the best team because of an injury,but the claim of the best team still counts. Comparatively the CrossFit games this year missed certain events that might have made the Games a more “rounded “ test of fitness. This is no fault to Tia or Sprague. They won the games as constructed and their claim as fittest on earth still counts. Additionally “Fittest on Earth” can never truly be defined. I am sure we could go through each year and critique the programming that would bring Fittest on Earth into question.
It would be one thing if some folks that usually rank in 20th place or worse dropped out, but you had major players that would have taken 1st in events including the defending champions. The leaderboard was statistically f'd and made it a craps shoot who won.
Some athletes have excuses for why they may lose. Why should they have to make them if they win? James won a competition that carries the moniker of fittest on earth. Regardless of why some think it wasn't this year because of __________. Some of us watch because we enjoy seeing these individuals push the boundaries of physical fitness beyond what most of us thought possible with such little recovery. Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth-Tyson. These athletes are pitched curveballs throughout the competition and the outcomes are sometimes random but that shouldn't lessen their accomplishment.
Love your yoke workout. I wonder if that was the one that was supposed to have TU instead - (Dickies “Triplet”, double play on words) and they had already 2 running workouts done
This argument could be made for every year, correct? Is there real consensus on programming for past years? I’m genuinely curious. No one picked Sprague to win, so while I agree that programming certainly impacted it, I also think some people have a bias to blame programming just because it was unexpected. I think both statements can be true at once.
I think this is the first video you have ever made that I could not disagree with you any more. Your basket ball analogy is apples to steak. Both are food/sports but not even close to the same. The games are about the fittest on earth. Which means the athletes need to be able to adapt and excel in the unknown. All programing is going to be different and having some events removed makes the test not as good or well rounded but they still did constantly varied movements over a multi day test.
Gidday Andrew - enjoyed your video about the fittest on earth. I think that the games has been moving away from test and contest of fitness to more the survival of the fittest. Don’t get me wrong the flow of the games and the drama has been good to watch - but the move from a contest towards more of a survival exercise has been hard to take. If you draw a triangle and name the top TEST OF FITNESS, the right lower point CONTEST OF FITNESS and the left lower point SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST you can put a point inside that triangle and move it around to show what the actual event or contest means. The test of fitness is something like VO2 Max test, the beep test (shuttle run), etc. The contest might be a sprint, push pull event, etc. Survival I think is self explanatory - eg Atalanta, Murph, etc. When you put the event inside of the triangle it will have all elements of TEST, SURVIVE and CONTEST - there will be risks that need to be addressed for every event to consider the safety of the viewers, officials and the competitors (for the event as well as for their longevity). My thoughts are that the CrossFit Games team do not necessarily consider the risk well and have been lucky up until this year - Kara in Murph, Fraser in the water, as well as the events that were held in California in heavy surf. There is going to be a reckoning with the events team that will hopefully have some independent supervision of what they put these athletes through. A bit of a long message but when I saw the events and the tragedy this year I just thought that they are not doing a thorough risk assessment, rather they are focused on the spectacle. Rant over. PS keep doing what you do, you have some great content that I have enjoyed eg the Hayley Adams 48hr video. Cheers
Glad to see you back Hiller! For me all the athletes did did rvents and james came out on top of those events so it is what it is. He won he gets the title and the name. Its not the fittest on earth any year anyway. Thats a made up title name. They are juat the best at their own sport
Your point is that in recent years, taller athletes have been at a disadvantage because workouts often favor shorter athletes. This year, the playing field may have been more balanced, but you still believe that height differences create inherent advantages or disadvantages. You're suggesting that, similar to weight classes in boxing, athletes should be categorized by height in competitions like "Fittest on Earth" to ensure fairness. Revised Statement: "In the last decade, taller athletes have often been at a disadvantage in competitive workouts, as many exercises seem to favor those with shorter limbs. This year marked a step towards leveling the playing field, but height still plays a significant role in performance. For example, a shorter athlete might complete a squat faster than a taller one due to the shorter range of motion. To ensure fairness, competitions like 'Fittest on Earth' could introduce categories based on height-such as under 6 feet (180 cm) and over 6 feet-much like weight classes in boxing or other sports."
Get w the programming did a pretty good breakdown Also. Your event 11 why have 24 then 21 C2B? Maybe 24 C2B then thrusters the C2B again or C2B then reg pull ups or even strict
Sprague is the champion of a very substandard Games. He'll wear that now but if he shows up at other competitions and smokes everybody, he can overcome a lot of doubters. But the 24 Games is never going to be known as anything other than an epic shit show.
The best part of the grim games of 2024 was seeing so many faces that I adore- except you, Hiller and Alexis... Event 1 and Lazar will always be the tragic memory of 2024 for sure. Who knows, maybe he could of podiumed ❤❤ or made a Top 10 appearance 🎉
Given the unimaginable that occurred at the games a few weeks ago and ALL the things people have said, recorded, demanded, not said, etc...the games have been destroyed. The division and utter ugliness that had played out had been nothing short of unbelievable! I will continue to love and support the box's doing their very best but not quite sure how I feel about many of the athletes at this time. I am sad...😞
I thought this was what everyone loved about crossfit, the unknown and unknowable? Dave Castro get some whim and changes something based on vibes? Paraphrasing Mitchell Hooper that this was the only sport he had heard of where you don’t know beforehand what you’re going to do, so if Castro doesn’t like whoever is in the lead he can just change the last event to whatever suits whoever he wants to win. So basically you are not finding ”the fittest on Earth”, you are testing whoever happens to be best at what Dave Castro thought would be fun to program that year. And I guess in 2024 you get the bonus test of who handles emotional trauma in a crossfit setting the best?
Glad to see you back in the saddle Andrew
I really really miss you Andrew! We need you here. You are the voice of reason.
Say it.. the programming was crap. Even with those two events. It was lackluster at best and boring. Break it down like you've done for other years, it ranks LOW.
Still can, and yes it was poor
From a spectators point of view the only events that were interesting or exciting to watch in my opinion were the Echo Bike burpee sprint and the one mile run/burden sprints, everything else was dull to watch.
If we're being technical, changing the events every single year means no one has ever tested the same. So technically, it's not even a realistic measurement of the fittest on earth because the variables have changed so many times. No one has ever objectively been the "fittest on earth " because the rules and workouts are never the same. Standardization across the board is the only way to make it a fair competition. In every other sport, nothing changes unless they update and vote on it.
They are the fittest on earth, for that year.
So you want CrossFit to be Hyrox?
Your premise is faulty.
@@Joeyclubbin or is it just a different opinion than yours
@@CodyVella which means nothing if it's different every time
i have found my happiness again.
hhaha
I’m a CrossFit outsider. I exercise just to keep fit/be high functioning in my professional life. I just follow some sports/videos for inspiration and to get some tips for my exercise routine.
It’s obvious to me that this talk about ‘The fittest on earth’ is a PR gimmick to promote the sport/games.
Obviously you need to be EXTREMELY fit to win or even compete in the games. And it’s very impressive to watch the effort of the athletes.
So if you win it, you’re the winner of admittedly very difficult to win Crossfit games. That’s it.
Again still very impressive, all respect to you😀
Hilla back! Was so pumped to see this. Please don’t stop doing what you do!
Well thought out video 💯💯💯 I was really looking fw to the events that were dropped. Your version sounds cool too
You could say this about every single CrossFit games. It’s the name of the title. Same as the COVID year or the random elimination years, the winner is the fittest. To complain about this to the extent to remove the title from him would mean no one is ever actually the fittest bc there could be some other random dude who is fitter but isn’t competing…
No one is ever "The Fittest" because of the scoring. It is weighted and therefore skews toward the top. A better system would be to just award to the winner a number of points equal to the number of competitors. Each finisher past that receives one fewer point. 40 competitors: 1st gets 40, last gets 1. I won't belabor the math, but weighting the score "gamifies" the Games, meaning your score reflects not just your fitness, but your ability to play the scoring game. An example which ties to your point about not having certain events or having them in a certain order does not result in a "fittest" person: If Roman Khrennikov can be dead last or, in other words, not even participate in two events and come in 3rd, then we have no analysis of his overall fitness. Another, if Tia is 301 points ahead, she doesn't have to participate in the last 3 events. She will, but she would be deemed "fittest" even if she didn't. What if the leader for the last event is horrible at it, as Vellner is for the 1st events (sorry, Pat!)? If scoring were purely linear, then you could never skip an event, even if you were a likely shoe-in. You would have to be more than 40 points ahead to skip, and it's hard to imagine everyone else being so pathetic that #2 is 41 points behind #1. Linear scoring keeps you hungry and makes you prove your fitness in every event. IMO. But it does drive me a little nuts.
Agree. And you left out the part about "cuts" greatly destroying the test and concept of overall (linear) fitness.
Agreed. Another simple example of gaming the points is if an athlete has a known bad event and a good event coming up they are incentivized to not fight for a slightly less worse placement and rather deliberately give less of an effort to save themsleves for their better event because every spot you gain there is worth more. That is not a fitness test, it's a strategy test.
We even saw examples of this in the semis where several athletes knew they couldn't complete an event so pointwise they were technically inscentivized to do nothing to save energy, but the athletes who didn't "try hard enough" were punished for not respecting the sport. It is idiocy and unnecessary. And like you said, it's not hard to fix: make every placement equally worth fighting for and the entire problem goes away.
Programming was crap. Only thing I could think of when it ended was "where is 2010-2016 programming, this was boring to watch"
well tia would have won no matter the events but James....yeh no
Not necessarily. Horvath would obliterate her.
@@danielsparks1848hahaha she barely beat Tia with Tia only 4 month post baby ahaha Laura isn’t even close to
@@danielsparks1848shoulda, coulda, woulda how about turn up and find out in saying that, Tia would wipe the floor with her now just like she use to consistently before her baby.
@@danielsparks1848ummmmm just no
@@danielsparks1848are you currently on drugs?
Alpaca in 2022 had the rope climbs removed because they got soaked in the rain overnight. I don’t recall anyone being up in arms about Justin’s win.
Welcome back Hiller. It’s great to see you again!
Probably cause Justin is top 3 in the field at legless lol
Crazy for Castro to be changing events the day of the games.
Sometimes I feel like you are starting to nitpick everything, but the more you talk, the more sense it makes. Great video. I appreciate your insights.
this might be the best video you've ever made.
I haven't even seen this year's games and I don't think I'm going waste my time. 😂 i like the schedule that you did hiller
Thanks! Back to my regular daily activities.
Also i glad you made a video. We've been missing your face
❤
This is a great example that the CrossFit games will never satisfy the public criteria of finding the “fittest on earth”
Thanks Andrew, you are a lone voice and absolutely needed in the sport. I believe that it's time for athletes to be unionized and be given shared governance. From a spectator standpoint CrossFit quickly gets boring with grind em type of workouts. In every sport I follow nobody finds it compelling to watch athletes grind out boring, goofy workouts where the athletes are toast at the end. The present format puts undue strain, along with unnecessary wear and tear on athletes' bodies. Pick a few movements and go with those. True fitness is sustainable and isn't a competition.
Even the Tour de France maintains speed and explosive competition to the end. The CrossFit community is tight and there is much to be respected there. The idea that one person crafts seemingly questionable athletic challenges, on his whim, for the entire field is insane. So many of the movements, ie. pistol squats, repetitive Olympic movements, muscle ups on the rings for example, put athletes in needless harm with the risk of life altering injuries. Most assuredly injuries that will and do plague competitors for life. Additionally, it is impossible to call any one sport a true test of fitness, seems ridiculous. The Tour de France, ultra marathons, the entire sport of wrestling, collegiate and freestyle, MMA, and so many others. It's complete hubris for any one sport to define fitness and then set randomized events. The community is noteworthy but cannot be a substitute for defining fitness. Remember, true fitness doesn't injury people and leave their health compromised. Our goal should be strength, mobility, and stamina for all. Safe and sustainable throughout our lives.
Last, please start being open about the widespread PEDs use. CrossFit is a total recovery sport, by that way that is not the pathway to fitness, and without PEDs athletes wouldn't be putting up the numbers that they do or look as jacked as they do. We are no longer naive and can see through the natty facade. We respect the dedication and hard work, it's commendable in all regards. But we know that the vast majority of the elite CrossFitters are juicing. I personally don't care but it's time to lead with true integrity and talk openly about all aspects of training and competition. Keep the commentary coming, only open and honest conversations will result in bringing true safety to the sport.
ESPN, didn't show squat! Literally!
Your change to the 1600m and then sprint event would have been FUN AS HELL to watch! I am a Castro programming fan usually but I really like your spin on these.
This is excellent and this content has evolved so much over the last few years.
Always easy to play the Monday morning QB, but it’s not easy to showcase a balanced view.
Did anyone else happen to notice that Kiki Dickson announced James as the winner of the CrossFit Games, but not as the Fittest Man on Earth?
Yes and Tia.
@@iamtherealrauschguy You're delusional if you think Horvath can beat Tia
Thank you for making this!
Was waiting for your video bro! Good points! The thing i can't find in any discussion online is the point that, besides the points you made about not all events were covered and some were compromised, no one is talking about the fact several athletes didn't compete therefore Sprague and Toomey not the fittest on earth. Additionally as some athletes have also said, no one was mentally able to be at their 100% in order to compete with the exception of those that were completely able to disconnect from Lazar's death.
He's back-man!
Glad to have you back
Your Friday Night Lights events are so much better
If Brent would have won this. I wonder if the conversation was the same? Hm but agreed
It's really about the top 5 and James will be the poster child for it
I thought the same thing. He is bitter that he still couldn’t win with a lesser crowd.
So glad you're back, Hiller. Keep it going!
😂 tell me you’re short without telling me you’re short.
Paraphrased recap: “Tall guys won. And historically, a “complete” test of fitness would net a 5’7” - 5’9” guy.”
Whatever happened to the programming doesn’t matter? The fittest will rise to the occasion and come out on top.
Major cope.
Cheers to the tall guys 🍻
Heck yeah! 💪👊
Programming does matter though. That’s like saying “we won’t have pull ups or muscle ups and the games still count” no.
@@DevHazy Um Dennis never said it doesn't matter. Read it again
@@DevHazy work capacity across broad times and modal domains does not always have to include pull-ups.
The movements don’t define fitness, They create fitness.
Remember CrossFit is a methodology, not the test itself.
The games are made up by Dave. If he says this is the test for the fittest then that’s what it is.
If we believe there is a better standardization for a test, then let’s just make it “known and knowable.”
Dave changed an event on the fly for espn which automatically negates your point. Dave isn’t a CrossFit deity. He can be wrong and miss things.
The games are subjective AF every year people have issues with the games because their favorite didn’t win and they feel they have the case for it because the CrossFit games are never the same. THATS NOT JAMES SPRAGUES FAULT. He did the best with what was thrown at him just like the rest of the athletes only he did it better than them. The games are always different so there’s just no case for any of this. Saying this year was so different that he isn’t the fittest is BS. AND LETS BE HONEST if Brent won nobody would be saying shit. People don’t like James so they’re trying to take this away from him. He is the fittest man of 2024 and that’s that. He won the competition and gets to have that title for the rest of his life because he beat everyone else. All this talk is just cancerous.
And we're back 😎
The person who won the fittest on earth is the fittest on earth. Glad to see a non 5' 8" athlete win for a chance. James is a super cool champ!
Back in the saddle !! And as usual perfect content.
James seems like a nice kid but no part of me buys that he’s the fittest man on earth this year, despite certain years in the past being a bit of mess I’ve always thought the winner in the end was the fittest, before this year
Why?
yes he is because he won there is not excuse is like winning a 100 m world championship running 9.91 and not be called world champion because somebody did 9.78 in a qualifier
He want win next year anyways and everyone will forget about him in 2 years. Mark my worlds
SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! You are a legend Andrew! Big ups brother!
Hiller, by restructuring the workouts, proving Dave is not as special as people think he is
Edited Friday night lights workout is incredible - anyone who stumbled across that on ESPN would’ve been captivated
Only thing I’ll say is that Sprague went out and got it done with a 4th and 5th place on the final event(s). And those events were without a doubt set up for a small person. High volume squatting and gymnastics with a yoke. I understand the argument but he got it done man.
Completely agree horrible programming half a test and a field the claim just isn’t legit this year imo
James Sprague doung it for all the 6ft+ guys out there and winding up the vertically challenged.😂😂
Glad you’re back! But the test is constantly varied… so even if the workout changed day of it dosnt matter because the test is always changing. Just because it changed dosnt mean it’s no longer valid. That’s the test now. You can go back and literally add/subtract a specific workout anywhere and see changes in the leaderboard.
Hard gymnastics are important and endurance is important and some heavy ass weight is important without that it’s not real
My question is when did we determine that just win the CrossFit games made you the fittest on earth? I have no qualms saying that Rich Froning or Matt Fraser were the fittest on earth but there’s a one time winner make you fit on earth?
Womp Womp. James is the CrossFit Games Winner. The Winner of the CrossFit Games is the Fittest.
I think the bigger reason he won was the games was due to how light the weights were overall. Unless i am mistaken there weren’t many workouts with heavy weights, where as there have been years past with numerous events with heavy weights.
Welcome back, Hiller! FWIW: unknown & unthinkable events of this event surely had a similar affect on the athletes as if they done those additional missing tests. I say- under the circumstances James earned the title. Just sucks this is the story for what likely is the last CF games in history.
Can’t say I love them all but this VLOG was a good one. Thoughtful with some solid data to support. After this breakdown I’m thinking if I tested these events I might be fittest in….my zip code. For sure my block. Earth is next.
This whole argument is just saying “what if”. There are other years that skewed towards shorter athletes. I’m not sure I understand the hardline stance. I heard an argument the other day the James only won the Chad because of height. Well, Austin got second and there and Brent and Jelle got 6th and 7th. So height didn’t necessarily determine that win. James also on paper shouldn’t have done well in the last 2 events, but his pacing was perfect. But he only won because of height? If he had blown up like everyone else, he probably wouldn’t even have podiumed. So while I get your argument, I think you’re wrong. If he blew up on the last 2 events and Vellner had won, I don’t feel like you would have made this video. Vellner is only 3” shorter.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Hiller ur a legend
“Why do we fall, sir? … So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.” 🦇
He’s back! LETS GO ! 🦇
CrossFit 🤝🏼 Spartan
Make it happen. Let’s see who’s fit after these two come together.
Glad to see the Dark Knight return, curious to see this take though…
After making it through the video. Solid take.
Good conversation. I don’t agree with Hiller though that Dickies Triplet favors tall athletes. Toes to bar and DB snatch are big ROM movements and are disadvantageous to tall athletes. Seems like a pretty balanced workout to me with the run favoring tall.
It’s like they had all 100 entries in the hopper but they removed 20 entries. If someone wins then they completed the test and won the test before them. But they did not win the full test of 100 entries. It is incomplete.
Totally with you on that!
You are soooooo right! Language bro. You said the winner won a fitness test. Winning a fitness test = wtf ever. Agreed completely with all of it. Just the wording threw me off. I'd say it was more a cardio test or hyrox similar test. Hyrox is completely a endurance test. IMO. Andrew you are 100% right! Tests didn't fit Crossfit. Btw, the best was seeing Ricky make every running back look slow. Crazy good!
I don’t see the logic in critiquing the programming for an event (the whole Games) that was adjusted after a contestant died. Two tests were cancelled on Thursday, then on Friday Dave changed the rope climb event “so everyone could finish.” That was probably Dave’s emotional decision to try to adjust for grieving athletes, where some entered the arena still crying. I understand criticizing programming, but don’t you have to mention how the Games became a totally different thing after Lazar died? It’s hard to square Hiller’s previous video (how could HQ let this happen, how does the show go on?) with this one. No-it was not a complete test, because everything changed after someone died.
What if Sprague goes on to win the next games? What if he wins the next 5 CrossFit games and takes Mat’s record? Would that change your mind that this years “fittest on earth” title was not tarnished?
Also not sure where you are getting the idea that being taller makes you a better runner. Top marathon runners are 5’5 to 5’8. Top 1500m runners average around 5’11. As the distance gets longer the top athletes get shorter. I’d say it’s more about weight than height when it comes to running.
Sprague is more of Cole Sager than Fraser or Froning Jr. Ok, won CG 24 with well know situation but it will not happen again. He’s to nice to be multiyear champion.
@@Wuka-u6f I wasn't saying he will do it. I was hypothesizing as scenario where Hiller might change his mind. Since he was so adamant nothing would change his mind.
Having said that, every winning streak starts with a first win, so who knows what Sprague does going forward.
Nice content :)
Rowers would again advantage taller athletes though 😅
Horrible programming this year another reason i'm not bothered if Dave's let go from that position i still think he should be involved with Crossfit but his time for that role has passed. Also couldn't agree more about the title this year I'm not even sure why you'd want to wear it proudly tbh
Hiller back in his bag!!
I love you but your argument is pretty weak. Is there a litmus test that the Games need to take every year and get certified? Does a championship not count if a star player goes out before the game is over? I think you’re nitpicking for the sake of it. The best team doesn’t win every year sometimes circumstances cause the outcome. Such is life.
You completely missed the point of his argument. It had nothing to do with people dropping out and everything to do with the imbalance of programming favoring taller athletes
@@cinnamonthunder my point about a star player being out of the championship game is referring to the fact that a team not necessarily facing the best team because of an injury,but the claim of the best team still counts. Comparatively the CrossFit games this year missed certain events that might have made the Games a more “rounded “ test of fitness. This is no fault to Tia or Sprague. They won the games as constructed and their claim as fittest on earth still counts. Additionally “Fittest on Earth” can never truly be defined. I am sure we could go through each year and critique the programming that would bring Fittest on Earth into question.
Was there no rower because of the new Rogue Rower coming out?
It would be one thing if some folks that usually rank in 20th place or worse dropped out, but you had major players that would have taken 1st in events including the defending champions. The leaderboard was statistically f'd and made it a craps shoot who won.
I missed these videos 🦇🥹!
It would be neat to get 5 of the baddest workouts and lifts and see them complete
James is definitely not the fittest on earth. 2024 is an embarrassment on so many levels.
So do we circle back to weight categories? we missed you dude 👊
As a six foot guy I’m happy we finally got an advantage for once
Some athletes have excuses for why they may lose. Why should they have to make them if they win? James won a competition that carries the moniker of fittest on earth. Regardless of why some think it wasn't this year because of __________. Some of us watch because we enjoy seeing these individuals push the boundaries of physical fitness beyond what most of us thought possible with such little recovery. Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth-Tyson. These athletes are pitched curveballs throughout the competition and the outcomes are sometimes random but that shouldn't lessen their accomplishment.
Love your yoke workout. I wonder if that was the one that was supposed to have TU instead - (Dickies “Triplet”, double play on words) and they had already 2 running workouts done
This argument could be made for every year, correct? Is there real consensus on programming for past years? I’m genuinely curious.
No one picked Sprague to win, so while I agree that programming certainly impacted it, I also think some people have a bias to blame programming just because it was unexpected. I think both statements can be true at once.
100%! Could get agree more. James sprague is NOT the fittest man on earth. That test was NOT complete.
I think this is the first video you have ever made that I could not disagree with you any more. Your basket ball analogy is apples to steak. Both are food/sports but not even close to the same. The games are about the fittest on earth. Which means the athletes need to be able to adapt and excel in the unknown. All programing is going to be different and having some events removed makes the test not as good or well rounded but they still did constantly varied movements over a multi day test.
I don’t know if that’s possible, but I did it 😂 😂 love you hiller!!!
Let's ride...
Wow, you run a whole podcast and this is the best comment u could come up with
Hammer down seemed like a great atypical CrossFit test, really too bad they couldn’t reschedule that.
Gidday Andrew - enjoyed your video about the fittest on earth. I think that the games has been moving away from test and contest of fitness to more the survival of the fittest. Don’t get me wrong the flow of the games and the drama has been good to watch - but the move from a contest towards more of a survival exercise has been hard to take. If you draw a triangle and name the top TEST OF FITNESS, the right lower point CONTEST OF FITNESS and the left lower point SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST you can put a point inside that triangle and move it around to show what the actual event or contest means.
The test of fitness is something like VO2 Max test, the beep test (shuttle run), etc. The contest might be a sprint, push pull event, etc. Survival I think is self explanatory - eg Atalanta, Murph, etc.
When you put the event inside of the triangle it will have all elements of TEST, SURVIVE and CONTEST - there will be risks that need to be addressed for every event to consider the safety of the viewers, officials and the competitors (for the event as well as for their longevity). My thoughts are that the CrossFit Games team do not necessarily consider the risk well and have been lucky up until this year - Kara in Murph, Fraser in the water, as well as the events that were held in California in heavy surf.
There is going to be a reckoning with the events team that will hopefully have some independent supervision of what they put these athletes through.
A bit of a long message but when I saw the events and the tragedy this year I just thought that they are not doing a thorough risk assessment, rather they are focused on the spectacle.
Rant over.
PS keep doing what you do, you have some great content that I have enjoyed eg the Hayley Adams 48hr video.
Cheers
Glad to see you back Hiller! For me all the athletes did did rvents and james came out on top of those events so it is what it is. He won he gets the title and the name.
Its not the fittest on earth any year anyway. Thats a made up title name. They are juat the best at their own sport
I literally stopped watching events on Friday. I was so disinterested.
Your point is that in recent years, taller athletes have been at a disadvantage because workouts often favor shorter athletes. This year, the playing field may have been more balanced, but you still believe that height differences create inherent advantages or disadvantages. You're suggesting that, similar to weight classes in boxing, athletes should be categorized by height in competitions like "Fittest on Earth" to ensure fairness.
Revised Statement:
"In the last decade, taller athletes have often been at a disadvantage in competitive workouts, as many exercises seem to favor those with shorter limbs. This year marked a step towards leveling the playing field, but height still plays a significant role in performance. For example, a shorter athlete might complete a squat faster than a taller one due to the shorter range of motion. To ensure fairness, competitions like 'Fittest on Earth' could introduce categories based on height-such as under 6 feet (180 cm) and over 6 feet-much like weight classes in boxing or other sports."
Going into these competitions people are roughly as fit as the rest of the field. The outcome is only determined by the selection of tests.
Get w the programming did a pretty good breakdown
Also. Your event 11 why have 24 then 21 C2B? Maybe 24 C2B then thrusters the C2B again or C2B then reg pull ups or even strict
Sprague is the champion of a very substandard Games. He'll wear that now but if he shows up at other competitions and smokes everybody, he can overcome a lot of doubters. But the 24 Games is never going to be known as anything other than an epic shit show.
They've had closing in on 20 years to figure this shit out and they're still making the most amateur fuckups. Yikes
The best part of the grim games of 2024 was seeing so many faces that I adore- except you, Hiller and Alexis... Event 1 and Lazar will always be the tragic memory of 2024 for sure. Who knows, maybe he could of podiumed ❤❤ or made a Top 10 appearance 🎉
I always get emotional when I see clips from Reebok CrossFit Games. 😢
I know. It had feeling what has happened? Lost the mystic
A Reebok deveria patrocinar novamente os games e a crossfit se esforçar para isso, Reebok é a cara do Crossfit
Hiller doesn’t think 5’8 is short. Ha!
Hahahaha
Given the unimaginable that occurred at the games a few weeks ago and ALL the things people have said, recorded, demanded, not said, etc...the games have been destroyed. The division and utter ugliness that had played out had been nothing short of unbelievable! I will continue to love and support the box's doing their very best but not quite sure how I feel about many of the athletes at this time. I am sad...😞
@7:36 Dave hands out participation medals for an event.
If you can't do handstand push up. You'll never beat tia
We missed you Hiller ❤
He’s back. Let’s go!
They can call whoever they want “2024 fittest on earth”, personally, CF games 2024 ended after event 1 and that’s what matters for me. 😢😢😢
I thought this was what everyone loved about crossfit, the unknown and unknowable? Dave Castro get some whim and changes something based on vibes? Paraphrasing Mitchell Hooper that this was the only sport he had heard of where you don’t know beforehand what you’re going to do, so if Castro doesn’t like whoever is in the lead he can just change the last event to whatever suits whoever he wants to win. So basically you are not finding ”the fittest on Earth”, you are testing whoever happens to be best at what Dave Castro thought would be fun to program that year. And I guess in 2024 you get the bonus test of who handles emotional trauma in a crossfit setting the best?