bOX cULTS

[e31]

@ruella Very few people actually get sold Advocare/Amway/Long Distance Phone Cards. They sign up people who use supplements who then buy the supplements they use. They tend to buy more than they would normally because it "benefits" them. Then they sign up their buddies so they can get the preferred level of pricing. Eventually, you and all your friends all buy Advocare and some/most of you pay the same price per pound of protein that you'd pay at GNC with a Gold Card. Still a ripoff. The people there that really make the money are the ones at the top of the "Triangle" (not a pyramid). I don't think many sell the stuff straight up. It might even be illegal to resell. You might need to be a generic level member to buy it.

 

[mikeangel]

@e31 It's weird, but at least they make it clear what you are getting into if you plan to sign up.

Seems like it would limit growth in a big way, but they're free to run their box how they want.

 

[yosoy220]

@e31 There's two types of boxes ...

 

[dawn16]

@e31 I think any business/company/CF box shouldn't attach to religion. Doesn't make sense

 

[dawn16]

@e31 Must be in Texas? Somewhere in the Dallas area I would guess.

 

[berke]

@e31 That "one" box is likely the exception. But I'd consider it a good thing that the members of this box self-select to their one gym rather than slightly polluting all the other gyms out there with MLM schemes or religiosity.

 

[e31]

@berke It happens to be THE gym. Mainly due to their tenure in the area. The owner of my box WAS one of the owners before deciding to branch out on his own.

 

[katiejean]

@e31 I think that many of those sellers of Advocare/Amway/Herbalife/etc don't really see them for what they are. I think this has more to do with the personality types that are attracted to. Something I like to call, "a believer" mindset.

Bare in mind, my personality type tends to be "skeptic" and I'm probably something more along the lines of an agnostic or deist.

I have known plenty of CrossFit members at various boxes that believe in this or that though I do seem to see a lot more of the Evangelical/MegaChurch/Born-Again type Christian fare.

My first gym my buddy started actually started in the basement of a Church, his pastor being his first client. I wouldn't say a lot of his member base ever was from that church though. I think this has more to do with the owners/head coaches as many of the members sort of tend to have hero worship toward said coaches which makes sense because they in turn tend to deify the big name CFers or Glassman (not really sure anybody ever puts Castro on the same level as that).

 

[e31]

@katiejean I've been doing Crossfit for about 8 months. Prior to that time, I was really hoping more people would believe in evolution, science and modern medicine. I mean hell, we champion functional fitness and paleo dieting.

 

[katiejean]

@e31 You are giving the general population of humanity too much credit.