14 STARTING LINESRANTDuring my fi rst week at Competitor
in June, there was a lot of getting-
to-know-you small talk with new
colleagues. As you’d expect at a run-
ning magazine, the topic of workouts
is a popular subject. I mentioned that
I did CrossFit in my 20s, but now that
I’m 40 I enjoy Orangetheory Fitness as
a supplement to running.
“The cult workouts,” joked a
colleague.
Though the comment was said in
jest, my gut reaction was still self-
defense. What’s it to you if I enjoy a
little camaraderie with my workout?
This is m y tribe, not a cult.
I’ll show you, my new smarty-pants
co-worker. I’m going to fi nd an authority
on cults and debunk your shallow-minded
insinuation. With that thought, I was
offi cially speeding headfi rst down the
narcissistic, self-righteous rabbit hole.
I found Janja Lalich, professor
emerita of sociology at California State
University, Chico, and an expert on
cults, extremism and undue infl uence.
Two minutes into our conversation,
I knew I was guilty of displaying cult-
like behavior.
“People might make those comments
about a workout program because the
person has become obsessed with it,”
Lalich explains. “That kind of sin-
gle-mindedness is a hallmark of a cult.
They aren’t jealous, they just think the
person has gone over the top.”
The word “cult” has taken on hyper-
bolic undertones through the years.
“Drink the Kool-Aid” has become such
a common idiom that few recall its
mass-suicide roots. Today—especially
in sports—it simply means to buy into
the hype and mindlessly go along withCULT OR TRIBE: CAN’T IT BE BOTH?
Sometimes going on a rant can be justifi ed. But it can also lead you down
a path of narcissistic, self-righteous indignation. This is the latter.
BY KEVIN GEMMELLthe hot take du jour.
Lalich breaks down the characteris-
tics of a cult into three categories:- There is a charismatic leader.
- There is a transcendent belief
system. “You’re required to go through
some sort of personal transformation
to be on the path to salvation—or
weight loss,” she says. - There is conforming to the norms
of the group.
Hearing this forced me to take a look
in the mirrored gym wall and examine
how this applies to my fi tness life. I
follow a charismatic leader (my OTF
coach), I underwent a transformation
in my thinking (and my weight, thank
you very much) and—especially on
social media—I conform to the rules
of the group.
If we go by Lalich’s defi nitions, then
there are plenty of elements within
these group workouts to classify them
as cults. Or at least cult-like.
The diff erence is these “cults”
want to help people live healthier
lives. Would you rather listen to a
co-worker talk about the 100 wall
balls they did in 10 minutes or the
spaceship that’s coming in 2028 to
destroy the earth?
If working out hard with friends is
being in a cult, so be it. Guess I’ll keep
drinking the Gatorade.CM0817_FOB_SL.indd 14 7/12/17 4:54 PM