Those who have been following the BJJ news lately know that Break Point has recently undergone its fair share of controversy.
In the following letter forwarded to the Jiu-Jitsu Times, Break Point’s Sponsorship Director Patricia Silva addresses these allegations. You can read the letter in its entirety below:
The Break Point team wants to address the recent allegation toward the brand. Some individuals are trying to spread rumors about a scam between us and the NABJJF. Apparently BP and the NABJJF have a huge scam going where competitors get rejected at inspection and they are instructed to “buy a Break Point Gi or Rash Guard”.
Our mission is to give back to the Jiu Jitsu community. We spend all of our time working hard to make this mission a reality, and any minute spent away from our mission is time wasted. However this situation is getting out of hand so we decided to address it and put an end to it.
Our booth at the NABJJF Grand Canyon Jiu Jitsu Tournament on April 8th, 2017 sold a total of 12 Jiu Jitsu Gis and 26 rashguards.
12 Gis, and 26 Rash Guards.
People decided to start blowing this completely out of proportion, making this to be a WAY bigger deal than it actually was. Definitely felt like a personal attack against the NABJJF and BP, with the same phrase being repeated amongst these posts : “Keep the NABJJF and Break Point out of Arizona” ( LOL ? ) The tournament had over 900 competitors. How many of our Gis and Rashies sold were for competitors that were rejected by the NABJJF inspection (maybe half)? Most of the issues were due to the bagginess of rash guards and the tightness of Gis. If you read the SJJIF uniform policy,https://www.sjjif.com/publicPages/pages?pagesType=uniform, most of these issues could have easily been avoided. We noticed only a few people needing to buy gear last minute, most of them with obviously illegal gear and most of them completely understanding and grateful to have a brand there to provide them with a proper uniform to compete. We always have a great time in Arizona and everyone seems happy to have us there, not sure why people are trying to make it look otherwise.
We have been in business since 2009 and as a brand in Jiu Jitsu it is extremely important to adapt to the rules and guidelines of bigger organizations like the IBJJF and the SJJIF. These organizations have strict rules and guidelines for their uniform policy and we support it, it is necessary for Jiu Jitsu to grow and be taken seriously.
We have changed our gear sizing and templates countless times to make sure our sizes follow the IBJJF and SJJIF guidelines. Since 2009 our Gis and rash guards have failed to pass many IBJJF and SJJIF inspections. A lot of times guidelines are updated and rules change so we have to always stay on top of them. We recommend that other brands do the same. Owning a Jiu Jitsu Brand is not only about getting an email from China or Pakistan and placing an order. It is about quality control, adjusting templates and working hard to make sure your product is up to market standards. If you are in the Jiu Jitsu business and need help, reach out to us and we will be happy to share our sizing charts with you!
Organizations like the IBJJF and the SJJIF are making Jiu Jitsu better. Both of these organizations have different missions and goals but they are pushing to make the sport we love better. Can you imagine if there was no uniform requirements? We believe that the SJJIF/NABJJF are doing an amazing job and we will continue to support their mission to take Jiu Jitsu to the Olympics.
For the individuals and for the Jiu Jitsu brands that are behind a computer bashing Break Point on social media we would like for you to stop the hate towards us and JOIN US to help the Jiu Jitsu community. There are so many amazing people in Jiu Jitsu that can use the help. Below are some of the things we have done to help the Jiu Jitsu community:
Scholarship program – We started a scholarship program to help competitors in need. We plan on funding hundreds of Jiu Jitsu athletes with their tournament and academy fees.
Donating gear – We have donated gear to many non-profit organizations and individuals all over the world that teach and promote the BJJ lifestyle.
Ambassador Program – We created an ambassador program to find athletes for full sponsorship opportunities. We give out free gear on a monthly basis, give discounts on products, as well as provide a platform to meet other Jiu Jitsu athletes all over the world.
We will continue to do everything we can to support the Jiu Jitsu community, We are in the process of developing more and more programs to help our mission grow.
For the Jiu Jitsu athletes that know what we are all about. Thank you for supporting us while we support Jiu Jitsu.
Patricia Silva
Sponsorship Director
Sponsorship@breakpointfc.com
sponsorship@fightlifesports.com
www.breakpointfc.com
The post Break Point’s Response To Allegations Over Its Brand appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.