Functional Fitness: The Next Big Spectator Sport?
In the past few years CrossFit, Tough Mudders and Warrior Dashes have inspired people to become more active. Now you can have a front row seat to watch as people who have dedicated themselves to fitness compete. The National Pro Grid League is a league made up of eight charter member teams one of which is Boston Iron. These teams will compete in front of a paying audience at an event called Grid where they will complete isolated exercises and varied activities such as rope climbing and box jumps. The Boston Iron is kicking off the competition at Tsongas Center in Lowell against the Miami Surge this Sunday and the outcome is still unpredictable. General admission cost is $25 and front row seats are $75. The CrossFit Games attracted a large crowd and ESPN coverage however the National Pro Grid League is still unsure they can convince people to pay to watch people work out. The popularity of CrossFit Games does show some promise for Grid because there are great similarities between the two, however Grid is structured differently enough to ensure a unique experience for the audience. Grid has 11 events over the course of two hours in a smaller venue than the CrossFit games. These events will be more frequent and therefore will help functional fitness competitions integrate into the sports entertainment world rather than being a once a year event.