Everything can change in an instant in the sport of fitness. A slip of the hand, a single no-rep—the story is not as linear as in other sports. Mike Roth is one of the guys who make it seem seamless.

Mike—or "Rothy," as his crew calls him—has worked in sports television since 1984 and was the director of the CrossFit Games from 2011 through 2018. Nobody has directed more broadcasts of CrossFit events than he has.

In this interview with Sean Woodland, Mike takes you behind the scenes of a CrossFit broadcast. He shares what it takes to weave a masterpiece on live TV, recounts when everything almost went off the rails and discusses what needs to happen for the CrossFit Games broadcast to return to its former glory.

Links:

Free Tools
Book a Free Call

Contact:

Instagram: @rothy99

Timeline:

1:34 – What exactly does a sports TV director do?

3:13 – Directing his first CrossFit Games: “Madness.”

6:38 – Helicopters without cameras.

8:50 – Working with Dave Castro.

10:47 – How “never again” turned into another year covering the Games.

13:25 – Turning the CrossFit Games into a legitimate TV sport.

14:30 – Chaos at Camp Pendleton.

17:11 – Going off the rails.

22:15 – Finding a rhythm in 2013.

23:54 – Proudest moments from an eight-year CrossFit Games directing career.

25:58 – What future CrossFit broadcasts need in order to be successful.

28:26 – Shattering the illusion: “It’s supposed to be magic to the people at home.”

30:30 – What the broadcast of the sport needs to return to its former glory.

34:51 – From director to athlete.

38:31 – Hitting a 400-lb. deadlift PR at 53 years old and 130 lb.

40:55 – Covering CrossFit: something special in a decades-long career.