Tread Lightly

The Blame Game

During the Covid-19 pandemic and due to social distancing restrictions imposed on indoor fitness facilities across the country, millions of Americans stopped going to the gym and began working out in their own homes. In turn, the sale of health and fitness equipment soared. One such at-home fitness company, Peloton, saw its sales surge to roughly $1.8 billion dollars in 2020, roughly double its sales from the year before. The euphoria surrounding Peloton’s success was dampened in March of this year, however, after a child in San Francisco was killed by one of its popular treadmill products, the $4,300 Tread Plus.

In this episode of the Blame Game, we try to answer the question of who, if anyone, is to blame for this child’s tragic death. Does Peloton bear any legal responsibility for what happened to the child? Or was it simply an unavoidable tragedy which the company could not have anticipated, no less prevented? And to help us answer these questions, we turn to Anthony Gittens, a former marine and founder of Element Fitness, a concierge personal training company in New York City.

Thanks for listening to The Blame Game! Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Audacy, and Facebook.