@soccercoach i think we have differing view points on whats cool and not. im perfectly fine with athletes using steroids as long they output spectacles.
i dont think sports should limit themselves so that they only do what is necessary. without people going past what's "necessary" we'd have no michael phelps, no usain bolt, no lu xiaojun...
i dont get what you mean by single number. obviously other events would evolve as well; i think youre being purposefully pedantic to be a jerk.
as for your first point, no, but the fact that crossfit presented the event definitely creates something for people to strive to. obviously anyone could strive to do that, crossfit just made it apparent, now. and now that it has been presented, more people are going to try it, and more people are going to get good at it, thats why it is good to have it.
and your last point, im not a professional athlete, so im obviously not going to. actually, because you said that, i might some day, either scaled or not, since ive got decent strength numbers. like i said before, if crossfit does create this goal (which is not an exclusive single decider for people to strive towards) athletes will practice it, and get better at it. thats all im saying, conquering difficulty elevates the playing field.