The Origins of Roller Derby
Roller derby began in Chicago, IL during the Great Depression Era (circa 1920s). Originally, speed skaters consisting of co-ed teams that skated around a banked track and competed to see who was the fastest. By 1935, Leo Seltzer came up with Transcontinental Roller Derby, and he changed roller derby from a racing endurance sport to a more physical contact sport. This is because he noticed that the crowds that came to watch roller derby became more enthusiastic when players would accidentally fall and hit one another.
The sport continued to grow in popularity, and by the 1940s, it began to be televised at the end of WWII. By the 1960s, Jerry Seltzer, Leo's son, took over the franchise. Soon different teams began to emerge that favored a more theatrical style of playing rather than focusing on athleticism. By the 1970s, roller derby became a full-contact sport that was valued more for its entertainment purposes like WWE. However, this was short-lived due to the Energy Crisis of the 1970s which led to the shortage of petroleum. Due to the gas shortage, the roller derby teams struggled to travel especially with the bank tracks that they'd have to haul to different cities.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there were several failed attempts to revitalize the sport which did not have the success of previous decades.
In 2001, flat track roller derby was born in Austin, Texas by the Texas Rollergirls. Many other grassroots teams developed in other American cities with the success of playing on a flat track rather than a banked track. This is because of the ease of creating a flat track anywhere there is a smooth, flat surface. No longer did teams have to ship their banked tracks to bout locations.
In 10 years, flat track roller derby had become international, had an international governing body, Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA), and consisted of almost 500 teams spanning 6 continents.
The rebirth of roller derby led to a more serious version of the sport that differs from its more theatrical predecessors of the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike the past, moves such as elbowing, punching, kicking, etc. are now considered illegal and punished by sending the offending player to a penalty box. Also, players are not likely to wear costumes and accessories such as boas, fish nets, skirts, etc. Additionally, teams are also now managed and run by the athletes themselves rather than an outside owner or business.
Currently, flat track roller derby consists of leagues that play by official international rules and regulations, has international competitions and world cups, and has more functional, athletic uniforms. It is the hope that one day, women's flat track roller derby will become an official Summer Olympic Sport with its continued growing popularity across the world.
Many teams have female-only players, but they do welcome male coaches, referees, and volunteers. WFTDA has given leagues the discretion to determine individually whether they will allow people who identify as transgender/transsexual or gender queer to play on their team (most women's teams accept trans and gender queer players).***
There are also more and more co-ed and men's only leagues being created as the sport becomes more popular.
The sport as a whole is very inclusive and has adopted an attitude where people are welcomed no matter gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, or body type. This is due to its grassroots rebirth of the 2000s that emphasized social justice and local community outreach (especially with regards to the various women's empowerment movements throughout history and into modern times).
***[Special Note: BADD and WVRD Leagues do not and will not differentiate between members who identify as female and those who identify as a non-binary gender (including but not limited to genderqueer, transmasculine, transfeminine, and agender) and does not and will not set minimum standards of femininity for its membership or interfere with the privacy of its members for the purposes of league eligibility].
The sport continued to grow in popularity, and by the 1940s, it began to be televised at the end of WWII. By the 1960s, Jerry Seltzer, Leo's son, took over the franchise. Soon different teams began to emerge that favored a more theatrical style of playing rather than focusing on athleticism. By the 1970s, roller derby became a full-contact sport that was valued more for its entertainment purposes like WWE. However, this was short-lived due to the Energy Crisis of the 1970s which led to the shortage of petroleum. Due to the gas shortage, the roller derby teams struggled to travel especially with the bank tracks that they'd have to haul to different cities.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there were several failed attempts to revitalize the sport which did not have the success of previous decades.
In 2001, flat track roller derby was born in Austin, Texas by the Texas Rollergirls. Many other grassroots teams developed in other American cities with the success of playing on a flat track rather than a banked track. This is because of the ease of creating a flat track anywhere there is a smooth, flat surface. No longer did teams have to ship their banked tracks to bout locations.
In 10 years, flat track roller derby had become international, had an international governing body, Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA), and consisted of almost 500 teams spanning 6 continents.
The rebirth of roller derby led to a more serious version of the sport that differs from its more theatrical predecessors of the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike the past, moves such as elbowing, punching, kicking, etc. are now considered illegal and punished by sending the offending player to a penalty box. Also, players are not likely to wear costumes and accessories such as boas, fish nets, skirts, etc. Additionally, teams are also now managed and run by the athletes themselves rather than an outside owner or business.
Currently, flat track roller derby consists of leagues that play by official international rules and regulations, has international competitions and world cups, and has more functional, athletic uniforms. It is the hope that one day, women's flat track roller derby will become an official Summer Olympic Sport with its continued growing popularity across the world.
Many teams have female-only players, but they do welcome male coaches, referees, and volunteers. WFTDA has given leagues the discretion to determine individually whether they will allow people who identify as transgender/transsexual or gender queer to play on their team (most women's teams accept trans and gender queer players).***
There are also more and more co-ed and men's only leagues being created as the sport becomes more popular.
The sport as a whole is very inclusive and has adopted an attitude where people are welcomed no matter gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, or body type. This is due to its grassroots rebirth of the 2000s that emphasized social justice and local community outreach (especially with regards to the various women's empowerment movements throughout history and into modern times).
***[Special Note: BADD and WVRD Leagues do not and will not differentiate between members who identify as female and those who identify as a non-binary gender (including but not limited to genderqueer, transmasculine, transfeminine, and agender) and does not and will not set minimum standards of femininity for its membership or interfere with the privacy of its members for the purposes of league eligibility].