Roller Derby: A Sport Like No Other

Roller derby: to some, it may seem like a mere pastime, but to many communities, it has created a space like no other— one that unapologetically defies the expectations of womanhood, identity, and the male gaze. 

Roller derby sprang into existence in the 1930s when Leo Seltzer created the Transcontinental Roller Derby, a spectacle tour that began to draw attention in the mid-Great Depression. Decades later, it was broadcast onto multiple networks but despite attempts to gain visibility, its popularity and attendance seemed to decline. The mid-2000s, however, marked a turning point for the social-cultural impact and overall popularity of roller derby. Revitalized with the “Amateur Revival,” roller derby began this revival as an all women’s sport. The sport has taken the world by storm, roller derby has over 1,500 leagues around the world today. 

But what makes roller derby so special? While the contact-on-contact and fierce aggression on the rink is arguably compelling, the subverted norms and lack of conformity of derby is what truly sets it apart from other prominent Western sports. 

With a distinctive campy-punk and “do-it-yourself,” self-organized, feminist culture, roller derby’s facets of inclusivity are truly incredible. As Molly Stenzel, president of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, said to the New York Times, “There are very few spaces in the world where women, transgender and gender-nonconforming folks get to use their bodies freely and unapologetically.” Indeed, roller derby is a space for all ages, abilities, sizes, and gender/sexual identities–– as long as you have a love for the thrill. 

Players typically skate under pseudonyms, too–– fun names, inspired by drag culture, like “Punky Bruiser” and “Trauma Queen,” creating another level of unapologetic expression with these alternative personas. But that’s not to say that the players don’t take their sport seriously, despite the fun behind it. 

As a team-based contact sport, derby requires full energy, endurance, and aggression. Two teams on roller skates compete on the track in 90 second contests called “jams,” with each team having 5 players consisting of four blockers and one jammer–– one of which is the scoring player who gets points by passing the opposing player. With “checks and bumps” to push and hit players out of the way, bruises are inevitable in the game. 

Without a doubt, not only does derby have a tangible ferocity and intensity like no other, but an unparalleled community and counter-culture, one that continues to make history.