Freaking Roller Derby
Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife
I started writing about sports because I love talking about sports. I just never get sick of it. I love talking to random, average fans all over the place — at the hair salon, at the supermarket, at the local bar, over coffee. I feel like I can always learn something about a team, a player, or just the nature of what it means to be a fan, by opening myself up to that sort of conversation. Besides, I just get a charge out of it.
But you know what I really am tired of? Random people suggesting that I should write about roller derby. Yeah. Fucking roller derby. Oooh, that’s so edgey. What a super awesome idea! Why didn’t I think of that?
I don’t hate roller derby. Okay, maybe I do a little. But I write about sports, so I’m not sure why people always think that I should be covering roller derby. Yes, roller derby requires athletic ability. And yes participants often sustain bumps and bruises and injuries. But physical toughness and the mere risk of injuries do not a sport make. If that were so, riding in a car with my mother driving would be considered a sport.
No offense to all those alternative chicks into roller derby, all the Zooey Deschanel/Ellen Page wannabes and the Bettie Page worshippers, but roller derby is not a sport. It’s cool and everything, with the cool hair and cool make-up and all that stuff. I’m sure it’s fun, too, and I like fun. Really, I do.
But that’s not the point. The point is that I usually write about people like Sidney Crosby, Darrelle Revis and Maya Moore while roller derby has more in common with, say, Captain Lou Albano, the Iron Shiek and the Lady Gaga. It is performance and costume and atmospherics with athletic ability mixed in. Entertainment first, athletics second.
The attitude is what separates them, by oceans, in fact. While roller derby requires ironic distance, playing team sports requires whatever the precise opposite of ironic distance is. Heck, even just being a fan means that you don’t get to pose in a corner looking cool. Sports are actually the opposite of cool. Sports are stupid and silly; and smart, erudite people will no doubt sneer upon you for caring about them. Traveling around in a Winnebago to follow Alabama football is not smart or savvy or clever. But it’s the heart of sport, American style. And it is decidedly un-cool.
Which is why roller derby is sport for the PBR crowd.
Maybe the years I spent writing for an alternative news weekly got to me — if there was a phenomenon custom ordered for the pages of alternative news, it’s the roller derby revival. It’s just so hip and edgey. Hell, it’s beyond edgey, don’t you see? It’s roller derby, get it? It’s like meta-edgey, a commentary which is beyond even irony on, um, well on something. I’m sure of that.
It’s probably my fault. I’m sure this doesn’t happen to Bill Simmons or Sally Jenkins, but after all, I have opened myself up to this because over the years, I have been so willing to write atypical sports stories — ultra-marathoners, every day streak runners, a Division II football coach and stuff like that. Hell, I once wrote about a guy who went bow and arrow deer hunting in a very urban neighborhood. Not your typical lead sports stories, any of them, I know.
It’s all made worse by the fact that I’ve covered women’s football. I suppose for some people, women doing anything outside of the “normal” activities are all lumped into the same tiny compartment of their brains – roller derby = burlesque = women’s football. What I’ve written about is women playing FOOTBALL. Not WOMEN playing football. If that distinction is at all clear.
But do me a favor. If you meet me in a bar, I promise not to bore you with tales of high school basketball coaches or kayak masters, so long as you don’t suggest that I cover roller derby. I might even buy you a PBR if you’re nice.
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So what do I get if I’m not nice? Two PBRs?
Well-said. Time to put this over-promoted slacker activity on the shelf with adult kickball and dodge ball.
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As a buddy of mine just said to me, the fact that ESPN shows spelling bees and not wrestling or roller derby speaks volumes.
Spelling bees (and rock paper scissors competitions, and a variety of other nonathletic competitive activities) get on ESPN via time-buy, not merit.
I think your frustration is based largely on your (understandable, but incorrect) assumption that today’s modern roller derby works just like ’70s roller derby. As you alluded, the sport’s previous incarnation had all the competitive merit of pro wrestling. Roller derby today is a different animal, which I think you’d realize if you’d elect to attend one event.
Far be it for me, or anyone, to dictate how you spend your event spectator dollar, but I will suggest that it’s unreasonable for you to categorically dismiss something you clearly haven’t actually seen for yourself.
In response to another comment. See in context »Additionally, it is perhaps precisely *because* you have covered sports on the periphery that has people asking you, and not Bill Simmons, to cover the sport.
There is indeed pageantry in roller derby, but that’s hardly a point worthy of derision. If sports fans did not care for pageantry or overzealousness, then they would call for Chad Ochocinco to return to his previous surname, and chastise him for his antics. It appears to me that the moniker of the “No Fun League” implicates who the villain is in the eyes of sports fans; it is not the man who was fined tens of thousands of dollars for wearing a pre-game poncho and sombrero.
I also think the “ESPN doesn’t cover it” argument is quite silly, and one you disassemble on your own by pointing to the sports you have covered in the past that most certainly do not appear on ESPN, either. You even bring up Sid Crosby, and the NHL gets scant, at best, coverage on that channel. Certainly no games.
I agree with Hurt that it’s certainly your prerogative to cover what you want to (even if that seems peculiarly self-centered for a journalist). However I find your absolutism to be more of the sort that’s stubbornly afraid to find out whether or not the opinions you hold so passionately are indeed true or not.
At the very least, you could use some compelling arguments to tell why you don’t cover a particular sport. The ones you have listed are incredibly flimsy.
In response to another comment. See in context »Oh God, you have no idea the fury you’ve just unleashed upon yourself.
The funniest part about this comment is that ESPN puts, as you put it, “entertainment first, athletics second”. That’s why it’s not SEPN, it’s the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Notice entertainment is first.
And, really? Is hockey not a sport? Skiing? Swimming? Cricket? Rugby? Etc. All things ESPN doesn’t air.
I’ll try not to get into this too much but as someone that also works in the sports media field, you should probably do a little research before you write a stupid article like this. Maybe if you had been to a game (and it’s plainly obvious that you haven’t been to one) or even just talked to one skater (and it’s plainly obvious that you haven’t), it MIGHT be okay to write an article like this. Just do yourself a favor and actually read the hundreds of comments you’re about to get and realize these are all rational and sane people that you have just offended big time.
Please, go to the Steel City/Maine game on March 20 and come back and write a follow up.
In response to another comment. See in context »I will go to that match up. I promise. I may or may not write about it, but I’ll go and give it a whirl. Fair enough?
In response to another comment. See in context »Definition of sport: “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature”.
Pretty sure roller derby has that covered. I started to learn how to ref it a few months ago and it’s hard as hell, both mentally and physically. Before you denounce it maybe you should actually go strap on a pair of skates and get put through the ringer.
Of course, I bet you’re one of those people that think golf is a real sport.
In response to another comment. See in context »Try it Fat Ass!!!
In response to another comment. See in context »Actually ESPN has covered Roller derby before, now that’s saying alot. And before you call roller derby “not a sport” you should give it a try.
In response to another comment. See in context »ESPN actually has done pieces on us by the way. PRO-derby pieces.
In response to another comment. See in context »It’s certainly your prerogative not to cover women’s roller derby, but I’m going to have to disagree with your assertion that it isn’t a sport, and that “entertainment” trumps athletacism.
Granted, I’m no expert, but I’ve seen bouts, and I’ve recently entered training with my local league, and from where I’m standing, rollder derby meets all the criteria which I’d apply in judging what is a “sport.”
I’ve been involved for several months now, and at no point has anyone working with me said anything about entertainment, or even broached the topic of a bout. We haven’t talked about hip clothing or funky hair or being, “entertaining” in any way. The training has been composed of rigorous skills, endurance, and safety training and assessments.
Moreover, there’s an organized, national athletic association (http://wftda.com/) and a serious, well-crafted set of rules. They’re serious about these rules, too. I’ve got three more “assessments” to pass that cover safe execution of techniques and thorough knowledge of these rules before the league will even let me scrimmage during practice.
Moreover, it isn’t just tattooed hipsters and worshipers of burlesque–not that there’s anything wrong with these lifestyles. I’m constantly amazed at the diversity of women in my league–there are scientists, students, teachers, artists…Hell, I’ve got about the most traditional, buttoned-down, 9-5 job a lady can have, and I sure as hell don’t have any visible tattoos. And that’s a big part of roller derby’s charm–it’s a wonderful opportunity for people who wouldn’t usually have access to play a more traditional sport to get involved in athletics, and be a part of a team.
Do the fans enjoy chicks in costumes playing a contact sport? I suppose they do. But that isn’t what motivates any of these women to do what they do.
What you see during a roller derby bout is the real deal. Nothing is staged, and these girls work hard, and they are some of the most dedicated athletes I’ve ever met. I’d really encourage you to go see your local women’s flat track derby team–I think you’d be pleasantly surprised.
As a skater of almost 2 yrs on a league, I think you said it all girl.
In response to another comment. See in context »Your opinion, though not wrong, sounds ignorant and reactionary. Yes, there is a lot of spectacle in roller derby, but that does not put it on par with wrastlin’ or a spelling bee. What about basketball players with all their tattoos and “funky hair”, or fighting in hockey, or the touchdown dance (let alone team intro) of football? How is spectacle in these sports more or less than roller derby?
Just because there IS spectacle doesn’t mean that it is not a sport, nor do the fans define the validity of the athleticism.
The hair comment! I wonder if Jody DiPerna has even seen anyone with Helmet Hair! It’s not sexy, it’s not big, it’s not on display, it’s hot and sweaty and a little funky smelling, just like any other athlete!
In response to another comment. See in context »“But I write about sports, so I’m not sure why people always think that I should be covering roller derby.”
All the people asking you to cover roller derby know something that you don’t know. Modern roller derby is a sport. Plain and simple. There’s no other way to say it. If you attended one modern roller derby bout played by any WFTDA or WFTDA-style leagues (see http://wftda.com), which is probably 95% of today’s roller derby, you would realize within the first 2 minutes of the game that it is a highly strategic team sport.
Another good resource to learn about the sport of modern roller derby is the Derby News Network – http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com.
You hit on an issue that I think the roller derby community itself has been struggling with: how much of it is sport vs entertainment?
The league I skate for, the Denver Roller Dolls, has been making efforts to move more into a mainstream athletic realm. Our All-Star team skates almost exclusively under their legal names rather than derby names. They wear athletic gear, not short skirts and fishnets. And we just announced a partnership with Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which owns the Nuggets and the Avalanche, and runs several sporting venues in town.
It’s totally your prerogative what you write about, of course. But if a well-known sports mogul DOES consider roller derby a sport, and one worth investing in, you may want to reconsider your own assessment of it.
Andrea, if I were in Denver, I would totally cover your team. Man, did I open a can of whup ass or what? But I think that’s part of it – stage names, etc. Kinda like people posting comments on sites but not having the cajones to use their real names. Just a pet peeve of mine.
I always thought that it was hard to participate in roller derby. But it’s hard to be a dancer, too. I have a good friend, modern dancer, who is one of the toughest women I know. She performs through all kinds of injuries and aches and pains. What she does is both physically and mentally hard and no doubt, harder than playing certain sports. But I could never write about what she does. I’d just be terrible. Kinda like sending the restaurant reviewer to a Pirates game.
So, even if I were in Denver, I’d come see you skate/play and probably still be totally inadequate in writing about it.
In response to another comment. See in context »Don’t judge us by our stage names. Some of our girls have these names to keep themselves safe- just like every other sport, we can attract some “over-zealous” (to be nice) fans, but since the majority of leagues are non-profit organizations, we can’t afford protection from these people off the track. Easy way to avoid it? Make sure they can’t find you when you’re at your day job by using a fake name. So what if the name is silly? It doesn’t make my training any easier. And our crazy costumes are usually much more affordable than trying to organize the entire league ordering custom uniforms… things like that get costly, and when you have women who work part time, or are students, or are trying to support a couple kids on their own, it’s easier to buy some jerseys and let the girls figure out the rest.
I train four days a week with my league, with the expectation that the other three I’m doing some sort of work out on my own. I have a play book I have to study. There are various positions I have to know strategy for. And my team is not top tier (yet). Yes, there’s a severe drop-off between the top leagues few and the rest… but most leagues are comprised of women who have children, jobs, and other obligations. If derby could pay our bills, you’d have thousands of women clawing for spots on derby teams, working full time seven days a week to make it.
I’ve been asked by my older coworkers about the “WWE part” of the game. It doesn’t exist anymore. I’ve never seen a script for a game, and I’d think that I would have by now. Sure, girls fight sometimes- but fights break out in hockey all the time and that doesn’t hurt the legitimacy of their sport.
And if ESPN showing an event makes it a sport, then you can’t disparage your dancer friend- they also show UDA (http://uda.varsity.com/) competitions.
In response to another comment. See in context »Last year I actually comped a couple tickets for our local Colorado Sports Chick – cosportschick.com – to come check us out. I suspect she had some of the same hesitations, but we talked about the strategy behind the game and I think that helped her gain a real appreciation for it. I’ve also let some sports stats nerds know about the level of info we keep, in terms of points per jam per skater, whips, pushes, etc. Once they see that there is more to it than just a brawl, they tend to gain an appreciation for it.
Regarding derby names: we actually just posted something on our website about it, because I do think it confuses a lot of folks. You may be interested: http://www.denverrollerdolls.org/about/derby-names/
In response to another comment. See in context »one more thought (for now!): I can understand if you’ve thought these people encouraging you to write about roller derby were looking for you to write one more story about “librarian by day, derby girl by night!”. Here’s a secret: we’re sick of those stories too
I think many leagues are really looking to move beyond that.
If you really want proof that roller derby is for serious athletes, take a quick review of the Oly Rollers. They recently won the National Championships, and boast an amazing lineup of world-class speed skaters and roller hockey players.
In response to another comment. See in context »Hey Jody,
As you’re probably now well aware, you’ve broached a pretty heated topic! I’m someone who’s already argued against your initial viewpoints ad nauseum, so I’ll let the others already here speak for the viability of the sport in more detail.
Honestly I don’t think it matters if people think we’re playing a sport or not, we still get thousands of people through our doors every year in every state of the union and beyond. Whether or not we’re featured in the sports pages or the special feature sections of the newspapers doesn’t seem to be affecting our bottom lines anyway, so whatever. We still get the funds we need to keep playing. It’s just that its a point of contention to so many who train so hard to be told they’re thought of as a parlor trick, but maybe we shouldn’t take it so hard… People who aren’t generally challenged to if they’re playing a real sport or not don’t seem to always care how the public would categorize them. In the infamous words of John Kruk “Lady, I’m not an athlete. I’m a ballplayer.”
But I will say this, you can’t fight the numbers. Here’s why you might want to consider giving writing about roller derby a spin (punny!): your posts generally get just under 100 views or less. You write one completely un-researched post on roller derby and your views peak past 300%. Not to mention the comments are on fire! That’s a lot of ad revenue in your pocket for 15 minutes of effort… Do YOURSELF a favor and go see a bout and then tell people what you think, I’d imagine you’d be happy you did. Not to keep ragging on baseball, which I love, but at least turning out a piece or two about 10 women turning left beats having to write about the Pirates’ abysmal losing record (isn’t it at like 17 consecutive seasons by now?). Do those guys even practice?
Best,
Erika/Barberika
Blocker, TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls
Austin TX
PS
In response to another comment. See in context »If you’re ever in town, hit me up for a press pass
Modern roller derby isn’t a retread of the descent into tawdry sports-entertainment spiral the game took in the 1970s. It’s a complete re-imagining of a game that was prior to that, from first principles. But it does take time to get the crops to harvest from earth so thoroughly salted and scorched.
Roller derby started as a promotion from day one in the ’30s. It never had that sandlot to stadium evolution that most sports underwent.
But it’s been going through that since about 2003. In 2006, it got its first governing sports body after a year of work, and its first legalistic rule set that could be enforced with little to no referee discretion.
Even the classic pre-1970s game only had a single referee and two points counters, certainly an insufficient officiating body for a sport with 10 people moving at fairly high speeds with a great deal of contact. The modern officiating staff has two dedicated referees who also call penalties for each point scorer, two dedicated to watching the defensive crew, non-skating officials tasked with collecting a host of penalties from hand signals, and a large variety of others who perform other tasks. Detailed performance statistics are maintained for each player, compiled post game on spreadsheets.
This is not to say that you can’t find the old kind of roller derby in isolated pockets around the country. Nor does it imply that all modern roller derby is nearly equal in skill and athleticim. The falloff from the top 7 teams in the nation to the remainder of the top 25 teams is huge, a game between a number 2 team to number 25 likely to result in a point spread of several *hundred* points.
But in Philidelphia, you have one of those top 7 teams. In nearby New York, you have another. It may be hard to coax you into seeing modern roller derby, but if someone convinces you to see a game, I would suggest starting with a game of no less than the top contenders, the Philly Rollergirls and Gotham Girls Roller Derby.
I would also insist on having a good coach seated to your left, and a good referee seated to your right, to explain the strategies (what is attempted and succeeds or what fails) and the point of the penalties. Serious work has been done in the last 4 years to ensure that games are won by skill, and not treachery.
But I understand. A lot of American sports writers don’t like soccer, the most popular sport in the world. You have to drag them kicking and screaming to a game. Americans are raised, generation after generation, to like three sports and only three sports: football, baseball and basketball. Football evolved from rugby between 1840 and 1892, and the NFL didn’t exist until 1922. The forward pass wasn’t legalized until 1906 or thereabouts, 3 years after the first professional league formed, and 60 years or so into the evolution of the sport.
So I think the expectation that fans of a sport that’s 160 years old would be expected to accept a sport that’s only 4 years into its own first true evolution is a little…unrealistic. But it’s evolving quickly thanks to the internet and its forums, and could be rewarding to see in its current manifestation as an investment in a future where the current sport evolves into one that is mainstream.
How likely is that? Well, around the country there are junior roller derby teams in development. It’s a sport that can run on practically no money at all, which is pretty much exactly how much money there is in it. Most of the admissions people pay go to supporting the team’s travel expenses, and nobody is paid.
The “leagues” are sort of cooperatives, owned by the players typically, and they don’t see a dime of profit, and most pay monthly dues. In the conventional sense, “league” is a misnomer, since they act as a league locally, but a team nationally.
The reward for the players for the risks and hard training (and volunteer hours to run an organization), is to test themselves against competitors. If they work really hard and learn to play smart, they might make it to the regional and then maybe national tournament. That’s pretty much it. That is what a sport is all about. Train hard and play to win.
This is one of the most ignorant and insulting articles I’ve ever read. I live every day of my life an ATHLETE. While you are at the salon, the bar, and the coffeehouse, I’m in the gym or at the rink training. Before a bout, the last thing on my mind is my hair and makeup. While I am on the track it is all SPORT. It just happens to be so awesome that it can be offensive, defensive, mental, full contact, entertainment, and so much more all in one spectacular SPORT. Please, everyone, do yourselves a favor and put a little more derby in your lives, you won’t know how you lived without it!
First of all, I commend you for having an opinion and being willing to state it.
That said, I think if you took the time to watch the sport at least once you would realize it is not the same thing as the 1970’s derby. Comparing roller derby of today to the 1970’s version is like comparing greco roman wresting to WWE. Nothing the athletes of roller derby do is scripted, there are no staged fights, and they put a lot of work into their leagues. The local leagues here spend a minimum of 6 hours a week training. Since all leagues are skater owned and operated it means that all promotion, accounting, training and anything else that is needed is done by the people that belong to the league. Derby practice is split between endurance drills, agility drills, stretching, strengthening and only after that work is done, the fun part of scrimmaging.
Are you seriously saying everything on ESPN is a sport? So to you poker, spelling bees and cup stacking along with historical AWA wrestling (check ESPN classic) are sports. How you define a sport by the station that shows it is an interesting concept, considering that ESPN does not cover lacrosse, track and field, rugby, or many other sports on a regular basis.
I am not here to change anyone’s mind, but I was a freelance photographer for two sports teams in my area and many of those professional athletes did not have the dedication I have seen from women who play roller derby.
Merriam-Webster defines sport as “(1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in”
And athlete as “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina”
I do not see mention of being shown on ESPN anywhere in the dictionary.
I’ll put it to you like this….
Practice with a team for one month, and then decide on weather you think it’s a sport. I think the Steel City Rollergirls would LOVE to prove you wrong! Do you have the guts?!?
Try researching modern rollerderby instead of watching a movie or recalling what rollerderby looked like 30 years ago! Yeesh! NOT A SPORT?? I know teams with members that are national & international speed skating champions, members of the US Women’s Hockey teams, & Olympic athletes! These women work their asses off to compete. What a disappointing article, Jody.
So heres the Deal….#1 Have You ever benn to a Bout? #2 I have played Roller Derby since 2006 and I have NEVER…. let me re-type that so its Very Clear I have NEVER worn Makeup,Fishnets,Crazy hair…..All I have Done is work my ass off. As far as I’m concerned I think you have not covered Roller Derby is because I think your Fat Ass is #1 Scared,#2 I think you tried out for Derby and could not keep up. Now let’s just see if this gets Posted!!!
People, criticize away. Some of you have posted really thoughtful, strong arguments which I really do appreciate. A few of you have even convinced me to go to a bout and check it out – although – no promises that I’ll write about it.
Now, I shouldn’t have to say it, but no ad hominem attacks. Or my T/S toadies will be forced to banish you.
You say you’re tired of being asked to write about Roller Derby. Let me tell you how TIRED we are, those of us invested in this sport, of so-called journalists who haven’t done their research and have written inaccurate articles based on supposition and assumption versus fact and observation. I would sincerely request that you do some research, outside of the bars you mention frequently in the article, about the SPORT of Roller Derby.
Educate yourself about WFTDA, mentioned in several comments. Observe some practices with the coaching staff of nearby top ranking leagues in order to get a feel for the athletic requirements of a highly skilled player. Speak with some referees about how they maintain objectivity in their calls and how their calls impact the game. Speak with the top ranked players not only about what they love about the sport but about the sacrifices they make to play. Financial, time, bodily sacrifices that excellent players make in order to play the sport.
There are women and men (yes there are men’s leagues as well) who drive 1-2 hours each way 2-3x per week to attend practices, who give up 18-40 hours per week in practice, driving, and gym time to enhance their performance, and who spend significant amounts of money in gas, dues, & equipment to play this sport. If it was all about “performance and costume and atmospherics” I don’t believe you would find that level of dedication on such a widespread basis. In fact, I’m pretty sure that not all of those athletes paid to play have that level of dedication.
So again, please educate yourself before you write another article filled with ignorance and speculation.
Thanks and oh, by the way – Envy MiYoni, Okay?
It looks like all the eloquent derby folks of our community have covered the bases on why we play, how our sport is organized, how roller derby is different from the 70s version, etc…
I thought I would hit on another angle you presented in your article, which is being ‘cool’. My name is Sarah Hipel and I play roller derby for Detroit. When anyone hears the word ‘Detroit’ they likely have a mental picture of the city and our hardships, but the roller community has a slightly different view and it likely involves us having a series of hard losses.
I think many folks in derby may have a similar version of ‘cool’, after all most people suffer many losses through-out an athletic career.
Cool to me:
‘Cool’ isn’t training four to six days a week in an either freezing or unbearable hot (but majestic and amazing) venue. ‘Cool’ isn’t training six days a week on top of those practices, including the most grueling personal training sessions and speed skating classes.
‘Cool’ isn’t breaking out in acne anywhere your pads and/or sports bra lays on your body 15-20 hours a week, or sports induced chronic asthma.
It isn’t very ‘cool’ to not really have friends other than your team/leagu-mates, since you don’t really have time for a social life outside of derby.
Nor are bloody feet, broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, a broken leg, a broken ankle, dislocated thumbs, or a broken sternum… none of these things are very ‘cool’ but it’s what happens in a hard hitting sport after playing for a half a decade.
The absolute least ‘cool’ thing of all is losing, especially the tough games. You know the games where you train six days a week, with a singular focus for months on end. Only to commit a bunch of penalties during a regional game, costing your team a chance to go to nationals. The kind of loss where you spend the next solid week sleeping on your hardwood living room floor crying till your half a sleep, but still awake enough to know that you cost your team the biggest goal in our sport.
In my half a decade of derby there hasn’t been much ‘cool’. Rather, we/I play derby cause I would die if I didn’t. We/I put it all on the line so we may see our teammates succeed. Derby is sweaty, dirty, smells bad, is rough and will break your heart.
I suppose the only ‘cool’ thing about it, is that we/I were/was lucky enough to stumble upon what I was born to do.
As a former collegiate and semi-professional soccer player who is now a roller derby chick – I must disagree with your assertion. There are aspects of roller derby that require a level of teamwork and participation that exceed even what is required to win on the soccer field. The workouts are as grueling and intentional as soccer practices, and the injuries are uncannily similar.
I have played numerous other sports in my life, including basketball and softball. Of all the sports I have played, I have never come across a sport that requires such dedication, teamwork, community based participation and that celebrates the essence of being a woman. Roller derby will remain the one sport I have been most proud to play.
We are not bimbos in tights – we are strong dedicated women that will bring roller derby into the mainstream and will persevere despite what people’s perception of our short-comings are. See you on ESPN soon!
Christina (aka Minimum Rage) – a name does not dictate my athletic ability
Ahem.
http://sports.espn.go.com/videohub/video/video?id=3401989
The skaters will speak up for themselves here, but I have to speak up for the referees. We work HARD. Reffing derby has to be one of the most challenging jobs in all of refereeing. A HUGE number of things are illegal — contrary to popular assumption. And unlike almost any other sport the action doesn’t stop when a major penalty happens — it keeps going, and the refs have to react and penalize skaters on the fly. For the record, fighting or staged takedowns will get you immediately expelled. I’ve been to hundreds of bouts and I’ve yet to see a single fight break out.
A friend recently figured out that refs skate between 4 and 7 miles per bout. We earn it.
Oh, and it’s also our role to keep score and report it quickly and clearly enough that the audience can stay involved. Unlike basketball or football, the scoring of a point is a subtle thing which must be determined with eagle eyes. All the more enjoyment for the sophisticated fans, but it can be daunting for new fans to tell what’s going on.
There are national criteria for derby referee certification, and I can tell you they are not easy to meet. I wear my certification patch with a lot of pride.
Ref love! You guys have a hard job, and all derby girls should try to appreciate what y’all do for us. Thank you!
In response to another comment. See in context »Hey some of us are lady refs!
Who am I kidding? I’m no lady.
In response to another comment. See in context »yes, much love for our refs! even though we wanna yell at you sometimes
In response to another comment. See in context »@howieswerve: More to the point, it’s the referees and NSOs that are giving roller derby its credibility as a sport. 4 active referees, two of whom do points as well as penalties on the scoring players, a managing referee (head ref), penalty trackers, penalty box officials, etc. And the rules read like a law book.
The ethics of roller derby officiating and their propagation throughout the huge roller derby world and widespread standardization is nothing short of amazing.
Also @Elwood Bruise: modern roller derby traces its lineage back 9 years. But roller derby as a sport in the modern sense we call a sport only dates back 4 years to the release of the first WFTDA rules. That first version did not even include mandatory ejection for fighting, that came with the subsequent revision a year later.
The difference between just a game that isn’t staged or predetermined, and a sport, is to a large extent standardization. Even the banked trackers are following WFTDA standardization of penalties, refereeing and officials for interleague games (to about 90% at this point from what I hear).
What has been accomplished in the evolution of derby in 4 years is greater than the evolution of roller derby in the 20th century even during the pre-1970s era when it was played as an unstaged game. In fact, thanks to TV producers, it de-evolved so completely that it’s an utter embarrassment to skaters today.
And your observation that roller derby “isn’t ready for prime time” is spot on. At the 2009 Nationals, the Oly Rollers showed the “community” what a team of accomplished roller athletes can do.
But I don’t think you’re going to see “pro roller derby” anytime soon. It seriously goes up against an ingrained socialist ethic (“by the skaters for the skaters”), an egalitarian ethic (“any WFTDA league can rise to the top”, non-WFTDA leagues need not apply), and a deeply seated distrust of moneyed ownership (the WFTDA requires skater ownership of leagues, and one league can not be an owner of another league).
Pro roller derby in the sense that other sports are “pro” would require a different kind of organization than the sport currently has, and a new organization of that nature would be met with a great deal of resistance if it happened in the near term.
In response to another comment. See in context »I DARE this so-called sports writer to train with a Roller Derby team for one week. Then she can decide if there is no strategy, no competition, only ‘entertainment’, no comradery. What a nit-wit of a writer to write about something she has not even witnessed! Maybe she should go into politics.
Wow, thank you for enlightening me that roller derby is not a sport, and it’s just a hobby for the PBR alternative Elyn Page wannabes.
You’re obviously pretty ignorant and have never seen roller derby live, especially in the modern sense. I’ve done team sports all my life and some of the most incredible athletes I’ve ever met and been on any team with are in my roller derby league.
Personally, I’m as far from the Elyn Page wannabe PBR type as you can get. Most of the women in my league are. No tattoos, no piercings. I have a master’s degree. I’m trucking my way through my law degree part-time (at the top of my class) while working full-time in a corporate job. I have competed nationally and even internationally in figure skating. I guess you probably don’t call that a sport either…good thing I was also a swimmer and distance runner in my younger days. Those are sports, right?
Maybe if you were a real writer, you’d do a little research before you publish such garbage. I’d love for you to come to one of my bouts and strap on a pair of skates so I could knock you on your ass.
As a woman who’s been to about two roller derby bouts ever, could throw a softball and shoot a gun before I entered elementary school, and sank into a deep, months-long depression when my team lost the NCAA Basketball Championship in 2008 (Memphis!!!), I’ve gotta say- this article is so depressing and ignorant. Everything you criticize derby girls for is mirrored in mens’ professional sports in some way. Chad Ochocinco wasn’t given that name by his parents; Troy Polamalu wouldn’t have a Head And Shoulders commercial without his famous hair; Dennis Rodman looked the way he did before the modern incarnation of derby ever existed. So why no criticism of them? Do you think it’s okay for male athletes to be theatrical and outlandish, but that women athletes have to conform to a certain look that you personally approve of? Because that’s how you’re coming across in this article. You know those certain jerky guys who like to rip womens’ sports apart, say women can’t be “real” athletes, and that womens’ sports aren’t real sports? That’s exactly what you sound like. Congratulations.
I hope you realize your asking for an avalanche for writing an article about a sport which base you information on maybe part of one game and the movie Whip It?
If a sport has to be uncool and not entertaining, I suggest you let the NFL, NBA, and NHL that.
I am glad you are going to see a bout. Heck, go see two. Do some research on how the game is played before you go so you’ll know what you’re looking at. If you write so that the public will read your articles and the public is asking you, repeatedly, to write about Roller Derby, why then would you not write about it? I think what you have here is a valuable, untapped resource. You’re going to gain some temporary, yet negative, notoriety from this article. Do some field work, join a team, immerse yourself in the world and do a fascinating op/ed on the piece. As soon as you become as captivated by this sport as thousands have across the United States, you will then gain a groundswell of loyalty and a readership that most reporters only dream of.
“sport /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [spawrt, spohrt] Show IPA
Use sport in a Sentence
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–noun 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature,”
Which MOREthan defines modern roller derby. For more on the SPORT of modern of roller derby do some research and check out http://wftda.com/ Enlighten yourself.
Julie Brandt-Glass is a world-class inline speed skater who has been profiled in Sports Illustrated (Google her). Last I’d heard she’d won something like 13 world gold medal titles, perhaps there were some Pan-Am Games medals in there, I wouldn’t know.
She also skates as a jammer with Olympia, Washington’s Oly Rollers as Atomatrix. They’re the current WFTDA national champs.
The NY Times lowers itself to give the sport ink from time to time, so I suspect it might manage to survive without your interest. Your loss, though.
Wow. You know, it’s amazing to me. There are about 70 leagues across the world from Australia to the US to Europe that are registered with the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and bordering on 400+ all-women, flat-track leagues, plus several all-women, banked-track leagues — each having an average of 50+ skaters — who have been busting their butts for years to create democratically-organized leagues to foster the sport of roller derby. The members of WFTDA have created a governing, standardized set of rules and tournament structure, officiating guidelines, and membership structure; everything in the name of validating this thing we love so much as a sport.
Sports coverage is painfully dominated by men and by sports filled with men. If there’s anything we need now more than ever, it’s valid, substantiated, enthusiastic sports coverage — even better if it was women who did that, too.
If in case my real name isn’t listed it’s Aimee Miller. I was on a roller derby team for one season, my skate name was Ida Mae Tricks (matrix for the movie)
I am as “normal” as they come I am a nervous person who is afraid of pain. I saw that there was league in my town and decided to try out. I practiced 2 times a week and lost 20lbs and was able to get pregnant due to the exercise I was getting. I am not a tattooed “freak” I am not emo, I am not a betty page wannabe (I didn’t even know who she was until I joined my team- I was more of a Marylin gal) I am afraid of pain, I am an outsider with bad social skills and wanted to do this so badly. I used to play sports in school and roller derby is more athletic than most of the sports I played. I was more exhausted and sweaty after practice. So I guess if you don’t count roller derby as a sport it’s your choice but I can say that it’s more exciting to watch a bout than watch basketball or tennis.
you’re saying this, and you haven’t even been to a bout? that’s not exactly fair and balanced…
i invite you to see a bout in your area. looks like you have some standing offers in your comments. better yet, lace up and hit a few practices.
yes, people focus on the “entertainment” aspect. well, women’s volleyball can be just as crudely entertaining for people who like to watch bathing-suit clad women jumping up and down. but that’s not what either of these sports is about.
i’m on a derby team, and i can’t tell you how much it has changed my life for the positive. i’ve met a group of amazing women and men, helped build a league from the ground up and i’m in the best shape of my life. that’s just the start of it. i understand how the alter egos and costuming can distract from the truth of it, but this IS a sport, whether you or anyone else decides to deem it as such or not. the girls and guys on the track know better.
By definition a sport is “Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively”, according to thefreedictionary.com. By this definition roller derby is in fact a sport. Here is a link to the rules we go by: http://wftda.com/rules. It is my no means comparable to riding in a car..except that wheels and moderate danger are involved.. You don’t have to write about it. You especially don’t have to appreciate it, but please don’t say it’s not a sport with out facts to back that statement. Also, while the stereotype of a roller girl is a tattooed rocker chic, there are two girls out of twenty five on my team that actually have tattoos. Most are conservative looking moms and wives who have employers that request no visible tattoos. We are not doing this to portray an alternative life style. We are doing this because we enjoy the competition and comradery of playing a team sport. Also while it is entertaining to watch, all of it is real. There are no staged falls, hits, wins, or fights, which is way more than i can say for wrestling. Finally, the fact that we wear skirts makes it no less of a sport than tennis. If you want to learn about what it means to be a team, a player, or a fan, roller derby has the most dedicated of all of these that i have ever seen for any sport. It also has nothing to do with burlesque…after rereading your article I must ask, what is it that you think roller derby is??? I hope you’ve done some research since you wrote this, hopefully in the future you will do research before you form such harsh opinions.
If my friends pushed me to write about something I knew nothing about, I hope I’d stop short of making an ass of myself. You couldn’t be more wrong. Your slant on roller derby would like an NBA player hoping that fouling out of the game and being seen later on ESPN would net him 30 seconds of highlights on Sportscenter. Derby is about stats, not image. The image part is about girls finding an identity… something that many people never have the stones to find.
You think speed skating is a sport though, right?
What about a roller derby team… made up of speed skaters? That would be the Oly Rollers, the current national champions.
I don’t think you have the right to critique something you’ve never seen but other people have said as much while being nicer than I would be.
no doubt it is your right to write whatever you choose about any topic that pleases you and i certainly wouldn’t presume to tell you what to write about, but i find your insistence that you won’t promise to write about roller derby ridiculous.
you may not have covered a bout here, but you can’t deny that you’ve posted quite a commentary on the sport… or what you think the sport is, having absolutely no first-hand knowledge of it.
it’s a shame that you’d use your pulpit here to denigrate a sport that has come a long way since the 70s and even from it’s Austin, TX inception. gone are the days of choreographed cat fights, but now is the time for serious speed skaters and strategists.
i hope that the next time you choose to write about a sport you refuse to write about you get your facts from the competition or even the fans, rather than movies or clearly out-dated versions of the games.
What a great way to write about Roller Derby without actually writing about roller derby! Your article reads pretty prejudicial to the subject, which is your prerogative, but very unfair to the actual SPORT of modern roller derby. I’ve checked out your profile, I too am from Southwestern Pennsylvania and at least a huge Steelers fan if nothing else. My wife joined the local derby league at the start of 2008, and maybe a little like you, when she first mentioned Roller Derby I kinda rolled my eyes and envisioned what I remembered from the early 80s, sort of the WWF campiness… so I was surprised when we went to our first Bout in Pittsburgh to check it out and was floored by how fun it was… and ATHLETIC. WAY gone are the days of campy acting and drama. The only thing that remains of that era really are the funny names, which is the FUN aspect of Derby. Remember what FUN feels like? Anyways, Womens Roller Derby has actually become my second favorite sport, and it’s no because of my wife, or the fishnets and girls bumping each other. It’s because I took the time to go to bouts and learn what was going on in the rules, and understanding just how HARD this sport is. It’s clearly not something that any wanna-be Ellen Paige can walk off the street, strap on some skates and DO.
Your article reads like many of the opinions I encounter in our pretty close-minded area of Southwestern Pennsylvania. I’m a little insulted by the insinuation that these women are freaks, alternative chicks and wannabes… many, if not most of these women are professionals with families. I won’t even get into the topic of how empowering this sport is for women in general. As yourself, a Pittsburgh Passion fan, you’d think you’d possibly understand that aspect of it. But it appears that you’ve never been to a bout. I know they’ll all invite you out to the home opener here. And I look forward to your follow up article saying that maybe you were actually surprised by this sport.
I think the comments about ESPN are uncalled for. (actually, they do rerun old derby on ESPN classic, but yeah, that’s the campy old stuff)- Judging an entire sport or atheletes on whether they are covered on ESPN or Sports Illustrated is like judging your sports writing hobby here by saying you’ll never be good enough to be in a real paper or magazine, and you can only publish on some website. That wouldn’t be a fair statement at all to make.
Who knows… since you’re a local sports writer, you may be surprised at how awesome our local LEague is nationally and moving up. You might be surprised that of ALL the articles you’ve written, this one gets the most pageviews and comments. Maybe you’ll even like the sport so much and be surprised by it that you could write a local column about it! That’s what a smart writer would do.
But don’t take it from me… what could I possibly know about publishing or a career as an artist or writer!
! I’m just a typical derby widow and Pittsburgh sports fan.
Signed, D.J. Coffman
I recall inviting a friend to a bout. She worked at a rink for years and often played the mascot for nights when there were a lot of kids at the rink. She could skate. She played a lot of sports. I thought she be my next derby buddy. I was so disappointed when she left at halftime with this explanation: “Where are the big, crushing hits? These girls are wimps!” She saw a bunch of people skating in a circle and failed to see the reason why. It would be like watching the Super Bowl and saying that it’s a bunch of men patting each other on the butt and rolling around in the grass. On image: The image part of derby helps sell tickets as people will not pay to watch robots.
I joined a roller derby team a year ago and fell in love with the sport the moment I saw my first bout. Like most comments of other players listed, our team trains three times a week for two hours. We even have the luck of having one practice led by a well renowned speed skating coach. The women come from all walks of life and the ages, at least on my team, range from early 20’s to mid 40’s. We play because we love the sport, simple as that. But our team relies on our community, sponsors, and our fans in order for our team to survive financially. We have several fundraisers throughout the year. We also donate to local charities to give back to the community that supports us.
I’ll be turning 30 this year and was never part of an organized team/sport and never considered myself athletic. I turned to roller derby for various reasons. I had just moved to Des Moines, IA to be closer to my mom after the loss of my younger sister to suicide. Roller derby entered my life when I needed a reason to get out of bed, when I needed a way redirect and have a distraction from my anger and frustration. I needed the exercise. I had not worn a pair of roller skates since I was 12, but I thought “what the hell” and wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone. Now, a year later, I have more confidence and feel stronger. Also, I feel that roller derby helped me mentally and continues to play a part in my healing process from the loss of my sister.
And yes, the derby names and fishnets are apart of the appeal to the sport but it is so much more than that. Whether or not you write a follow up article, go to a bout. Talk to refs, talk to players. Go to a practice and watch– hell, even put on a pair of skates and try to participate. You may still not have any interest in roller derby, but at least you’ve truely tried to understand the sport.
Erin Brown
AKA Mississippi Bruise
Mid Iowa Rollers
Des Moines, IA
A sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature. Derby is all of the above and more. You talk about sports like your a professional but obviously its clear that your not. You dont even know what a sport is. You cover things that spark your interest not all sports. and from what you said you are obviously clueless when it comes to sports. Dont write about something when you have no idea what its about.
Also you have never been to a game so you haven’t got an understanding of basic rules or any basic knowledge of the game. From the looks of it you haven’t even experienced many sports yourself, you may sit on the couch and catch a football game but that is not being apart of it. Derby is meant for the fans to become apart of the experience and for them to want to try it. And derby is not only a sport but it gives you a bond between other people, a whole family. You would know this if you actually had done your research instead of making assumptions. So instead of sitting at your desk and typing something inadequate about a sport you haven’t got a clue about why don’t you get up and come to a few practices then try and explain a little something about derby. We are not alternative chicks with tattoos and crazy colored hair we are a family of girls who come to have fun play a game and release daily stress. So i urge you next time to get YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.
In response to another comment. See in context »There is no need to add further comment in regards to flat track derby and banked tracked derby as a sport. The faithful in our community have already done so quite eloquently, ever wishing to enlighten others rather than fiercely defend.
What I would like is to offer a statement in defense of the author. Yes, she is just another contributor to the vast abyss of negligently researched press about modern roller derby. However, I think we underestimate her. She has managed, by criticizing harshly and reducing to stereotype hundreds of the most dedicated people I will ever have the pleasure of knowing in my life, to generate more web hits and more interest in her writing than she ever has- or likely will ever- achieve in her extraordinarily unremarkable career. Kudos! I think you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. It might be the only aspect of this subject in general you were well aware of. No, I will not add to your “success” by forwarding this dime-a-dozen blog around the internet. Peace.
I would have to guess that you’ve never been to a bout. If you had, you would not be mistaking today’s roller derby with roller derby from the 1970’s. Although our names may be outrageous and our outfits unique, we are not ALL spectacle. The vast majority of today’s leagues concentrate on the SPORT aspect. The Oly Rollers, WFTDA’s 2009 National Champions, has world class speed skating champions and hockey players on their team and they are not alone. It takes endurance, balance, agility, strategy, strength and pure will power to be a derby girl.
If you don’t want to write about roller derby and chose to remain clueless, then why did you even bother to write this? We don’t need you to write about us to have a sense of validation of our sport. All this article did was make you look old school ignorant.
I’m honestly at a loss of words on what to say about your article. No research? Check. Complete bias? Check. Asinine assumptions? Check. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Not a sport? Let’s see: training 2-3 hours a day, 4-5 times per week, plus cross-training, all of this in our spare time since we don’t get paid for it. We often “sustain bumps and bruises”? Yes, we do. On a good day. On a bad day there are broken collarbones, legs, wrists, tailbones, fingers, noses, cracked ribs, sprained ankles, knees injuries…the list could go on. The amount of sweat, blood and tears that go into this sport are just as many as your streak runners, football coaches or urban deer hunters. Actually, I take that back. Much more than those deer hunters who are trying not to accidentally shot a child.
In the six years that my league has been around, roller derby has grown and changed. We are no longer “entertainment first, athletics second”. Sure, we still have the fun names, the crazy hair and makeup, the loud bands at half-time, the crazy drunken fans. But for the women up on that track, the only thing they are focused on is playing the game. The strategy, the points, the opponents, the clock, the lineups. Who can jam next, who can pivot and block? Who is hurt, who needs a break, how much time is left on the clock? The audience fades into the background. It’s all about which team has practiced harder, plays stronger and skates as a team. That sounds like a sport to me.
I’m glad that you have since decided that you will at least go check out a bout. Good for you. I hope that you can open your mind enough to see roller derby for what it has become and not what it was in the past.
I was actually pretty amused by this whole article. First of all, the fact that you chose to bash a sport that you’ve never even seen and know next to nothing about is COMICAL. You’re funny and I’m laughing at you.
Second, PLEASE don’t do the derby community any “favors” by writing about us in the future. Clearly from what I have witnessed by what you have already written, I do NOT want you writing about my sport.
Third, the fact that you don’t like derby doesn’t mean it’s not a sport. The first dictionary entry for SPORT is as follows…”an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.” Hmmm, what makes you more qualified than the dictionary to define a sport?
Fourth, the fact that ESPN doesn’t broadcast it means NOTHING. ESPN isn’t the defining factor in sports. If they had sense they would broadcast it because they’d make a load of money off of it but even if they did or ever do, it still won’t mean that derby has reached “legitimate” status.
Fifth and probably most sadly, I have seen attitudes such as yours before about things both derby and non-derby. Derby has given women all over this country and the world a place to be a part of a team and compete in a physical sport. Your dismissiveness is disrespectful and shameful especially when you admittedly know NOTHING about real derby.
I went from never hearing of Jody Diperna, to totally ignoring Jody Diperna, all in a four and a half minute time span.
You just made my heart sink and break there, ma’am. I too sometimes get turned off by stuff that is “hip” or “edgy” and sometimes struggle myself with those elements of derby, but that didn’t stop me from joining roller derby. I spent most of my time from ages 9-15 in ice-skates as a figure skater and later, played a decent amount of softball so I understand what it means to train as well as how to work with a team. If you attend even just one roller derby practice any one of the current 78 WFTDA leagues across the country (www.wftda.com), you will see that roller derby is clearly not just a sport, but a sport that requires, strength, agility, endurance, teamwork and brains. We have rules. We have an organization that regulates those and the leagues. We have rankings. We have a regionals and a national championship. We have strategies. Our players have stats. We have rabid fans that understand the rules, the strategies, player stats and yes follow us clear across the country to support us. Please please do not insult those of us who train our hearts out for this sport and study and memorize our playbooks by speaking ill of something you admittedly claim you haven’t covered. As for me, I am not edgy, not covered in tattoos and yes have considered changing my derby name from Akilles Wheel to my real name. Maybe that’s what has to be done to convince folks such as yourself that we are not all out there just trying to look cute. Thanks for listening.
Oddly enough, I’m not all that outraged by this article.
First of all, I made my name in the sport of roller derby by writing about it. Somehow or another, I became fairly popular doing it, too. I suppose it’s probably due to the fact that when I first started writing about it, there were really only 2 of us who were doing it.
The one comment of your I totally agree with is how sports are the opposite of “cool”. You’re absolutely right. I mean, go to any sporting event and what do you see? Grown people wearing the jerseys of their favorite team and player. Some even doll themselves up in makeup featuring their favorite teams players. Many fans gather around outside the arena to get their favorite players autographs. Are these the actions of a stable human being? Really, I’ve never thought so. But that’s the world of hero worship. The same things can be said about people following other types of celebrities.
Anyway, over the last year or so I have actually got into coaching the sport. I coached my local team a little where I used to live (the Dockyard Derby Dames out of Tacoma, WA). And just a little over a week ago, I arrived here in Tulsa, OK to coach the local league here, the Green Country Roller Girls.
Why did I pack my life up that I had lived for almsot 36 years to move half way across the country to coach this amatuer sport? Because at the end of the day, I believe in the sport. I believe that the potential of it is rather high. And I like being in on the ground level of something like this. It’s exciting to me. So here I am. In Tulsa, OK. Doing my part to help build on a dream so many of us have.
Right now, the sport as we know it is only 9 years old. I would compare it to where competitive skateboarding was in—say—1980. Back then it was just a little sport with a cult following based mostly in southern California. Even in the late 1980’s, the only way Tony Hawk and co. were famous were through the video tapes you could buy in the back of those underground skateboarding magazines (cause good luck in finding a boarding mag at your local grocery store back in the 80’s. Or even the 90’s).
But right now, as it is, it probably won’t get that big-time coverage on ESPN, FSN or Vs. Simply because those networks want to cover the best of the best. I’m not gonna compare it to the rock/paper/scissors or any of those other things. But I will compare it to the reason those networks (at least at the national level) don’t cover minor league sports (baseball, basketball, hockey, etc). They aren’t the “best of the best”. They might cover their all-star games. But you’re not gonna see a mid season matchup between a couple minor league teams based out of North Carolina.
Once the sport takes it’s first shot at going pro—meaning creating about 8-12 teams featuring nothing but the best of the best the sport has to offer—then it will start getting some major coverage. It will also be at that point that the speed, skill and toughness of these athletes will truly be displayed.
Anyway, you don’t have to cover derby if you don’t want to. I mean, there are sports I don’t care for. I’d rather be found dead than having to cover a golf tournament. Listen to the Jim Rome show and he will give you pretty much the same reasons I have for not caring at all about soccer. And about 2 years ago, I was actually invited to cover a women’s MMA card. But I turned it down. Why? Because I’m just not that interested in MMA—men’s or women’s.
But I don’t cut people down for playing or following their sports. I just continue on doing my own thing. To each their own. And I suppose that’s why I as a writer find it so odd that other writers will post things seemingly to simply torque people off and get lot’s of comments thrown their way. I’m pretty sure that you—like me—get paid by the hit for writing about whatever it is you write about. So I guess as I think about it a little longer, I don’t blame you for posting such a potentially inflammatory article. I salute you, actually. I’m sure you’re smiling all the way to the bank.
I guess what I’m getting at is that if you have these negative feelings about derby, just stay away from it. Like I said—I don’t go to or watch golf, soccer or MMA events. And I don’t write about them. Really, it’s not all that hard to leave things alone that you don’t care about.
Well said.
In response to another comment. See in context »First and foremost I am a Flat Track Roller Derby Referee. To do that I train as much as the ladies of my league, and more then some.
I would also point out that Men are starting to play Roller Derby as well. I’ve been lucky to play in 1 game, and am helping to plan another in the future.
We have our skater names, but we play hard. I’ve played football, soccer, track, basketball, and wrestled. Roller Derby is, by far, a much harder sport to play then any of those sports.
does sports illustrated count as a reputable sports mag? http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0909/roller.derby/content.1.html?eref=sircrc
Jody, as a primer before you go to the March 20th Bout, you can watch this youtube video which features our local league and goes over the rules of the sport http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=684KRvsL56U
Hope you come out and give it a REAL shot.
Jody, looking over your articles it appears you found a formula to get your highest hits and comments ever. Looks like Derby finally made your a relevant sport writer, not bad for a game you don’t understand.
Ms. Diperna:
Clearly, you’ve never seen a modern roller derby (RD) game. In this respect I agree with you one hundred and one percent – you should not write about RD. That would include the instant article, I might add.
RD isn’t for everyone. I don’t care for baseball – listening to the avid stats trackers it occurs to me that a sport whose hard core fans improve it with bookkeeping can’t possibly be exciting.
The biggest appeal to me is that the skaters are the league owners. You won’t see Al Davis throwing the perfect spiral or Jerry Buss shooting from the three-point line, yet this is exactly what happens in RD.
Sure, sure, the fishnets and funny names are fun. There’s a bit of Superhero in every skater – she can put on a persona and be the bad girl for the night. Or did Wayne Gretzky and Dennis Rodman not do the exact same thing?
And hip? I’m so far from that ideal that sometimes I think my pelvis might be in the next county. I do drink Blue Ribbon beer, but I’m not kidding.
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion whether you choose to write about it or not, but you ought to at least find out a little bit about the sport before saying that you won’t write about it.
Here’s how your article reads to me: “I don’t like modern Roller Derby.” “When have you seen it?” “Never.” Enough said.
Mike “Willy Callit” Harris
(no league affiliation)
Seattle WA