Derby Reinvented: Commentary on 21st Century Roller Sports

[DavidSams]

There has been a lot of chatter on this site about what will and what will not work as it relates banked-track roller sports in the modern era.

Some fans and players want to see the original game come back, just as it was pre-TV. Others want to see the game take on the reality of the flat-track movement.

Ironically, the key to the success of the game--going forward--is to appeal to kids and teens. Bottom line, if kids and teens flock to this sport they will pull their parents along with them. That being said, a new era for this great sport will emerge.

The challenge is to mount serious competition while not taking ourselves so seriously that we become just another wanna-be sport that will take years to establish. The attention span of today's 12 year old is about 7 seconds. As a result, what we put on Television must be worthy of capturing and keeping the attention of today's remote-happy audience. This is not 1967, when there were basically three TV networks and a couple of Independent stations in each market. Today's audience has hundreds of channels, a massive amount of video games, and, of course, the Internet to choose from.

So, my friends, what do you think it's going to take to capture and hold the attention of today's savvy kid and teen audience? Is this great sport going to win over these young hearts by putting on a traditional game? Or, does the game need to be reinvented? What makes football the great game that it is? Why do young fans still go to the ballpark, gloves in hand, to watch Major League Baseball? Why does the NBA appeal to young and old alike? Even better, why do millions of fans support professional wrestling even though they know it is fake?

It all comes down to kids and teens. Without them, we might as well hang up our skates.

I look forward to your reply.

[Ryan Rachal]

Ok i think that you should put on a traditional game,and then they should learn about the old school to educate them like Ralphie Skinni Minnie,Mr Mean,Monster Man,T-Birds,
Mark D'Amato,as well as the stars of the future,but you can reinnovate and have traditional so as long as there are no silly storylines,then you will be ok,

[Tim Patten]

I don't think the traditional game can catch a teenagers attention in the first 7 seconds.

The traditional method of staging the jams with TWO, FOUR, SIX and BLOWOFF for the women's period and ONE, THREE, FIVE and BLOWOFF for the men's periods just don't fit into any modern TV format.

Changes are a must.

[Tod]

HI David.

I hate the new flat track derby.
Please keep bank track derby going.

Sincerely Todd in Canada

[Chuck, a.k.a. "Mr. Neato"]

I think what needs to be done to attract the younger generation in these games, is make it more into something they would like. Flat track skating would more or less be like going to your local roller rink.....not really anything particularly exciting. You get on the banked track, which is probably a real challenge to some, because you are skating on a track, banked at probably 6 degrees on the straights, and maybe as much as 12 degrees in the corners. That would be a challenge to new skaters who have never done that.

I can agree with Ryan Rachal about putting on a traditional game so the younger generation can learn the fundementals of the sport, but I think, instead of skating traditionally, take it up a notch and put a twist on it of their own to make it their own style. Variety is the spice of life. I have no disrespect for the older generation of skaters out there still skating, but there are people my age or younger that can probably do a great job, if not better than what's going on now days. I think there is way too much T&A out there in wrestling or in other sports, that you don't need to have that kind of stuff in the Derby. The games of the 60's, 70's and 80's didn't use any T&A in the sport, and I don't think there is any need for it here in 2008, or in 2009. Keep it simple and keep it real. Make a believeable storyline if you go by scripts, or else just do a legitimate game. There's more credibility there......but above all, keep it entertaining. Even the Harlem Globetrotters play at least 2 periods of real basketball, and 2 periods of goofing around! LOL :-)

[Tim Patten]

What appeals to teenagers is "violence", translated into roller derby that means plenty of falls, crashes, spills, pileups, stunts and yes... fights.

This has always been the formula for roller derby and TV, along with the sex factor that ladies are doing something so brutal.

[Rich Erickson]

The younger audiences love the thrill of a sport that has people on the edge of their seats. Whether it be the new X-fighting to the traditional Sunday football schedules. The new Roller Derby has to have a start and an end to a season. Pre-season games should also be included. The summer is a bad time for a schedule as most people are outside and/or on vacations. The pre-season games could play in September of each year; the regular season played October through March each year; playoffs beginning in April and ending in May each year. Additionally, I believe that you need 16 teams with 4 in each conference. The philosophy of the Bombers winning all the time needs to be deleted from your thoughts. Like baseball, basketball, hockey, or football; may the best team playing win. No one wins every game !!!! The Coaches (NO GM's) can be inside the track but cannot get involved in the game as a participant or they are fired for the season (possibly banned!!). They have to control their players as in the other sports listed above. Rivalries are a positive approach to the new Roller Derby. Referees must have 100% say in the game. The teams need to be evenly matched amongst the players and make it real. Getting hit hard on the track should be similiar to getting hit hard in football. Take it and move on. Revenge theories through fighting needs to be eliminated. Revenge can be taken out on the next play within the rules. Young players like speed, hard hitting, and some scuffles now and then. Make the players earn their money by getting into the playoffs as a team and one team will prevail as the National Champion. Best 3 out of 5 in division playoffs, and best 4 out of 7 in the Championship Series.

Skaters need to look like they are skating on the track as professionals; not like most of the videos I see now. The current videos I see look like the skaters just began skating the week prior to making the video. They do not look like professionals. Look back at the Roller Derby from the 40's to the 70's and those skaters looked professional when skating.

Just like the other major sports; Roller Derby can be just as powerful. Yet; the teams need to have home games and away games throughtout the Unites States. From San Francisco to Denver to Dallas, to Chicago, to Detroit, to Atlanta to Philadelphia to New York to Boston to name a few cities. 16 cities in all competing. Look at the WNBA and see how they started up and how they have grown. People want to root for their home teams and all of the teams have been from California only recently. That does not draw the people except in California. That is the primary reason why the previous Roller Derby has failed.

By making the game where everyone can sit down and watch it on TV like Sunday NFL Football will satisfy the parents as a valid competition sport and not just a brawling bash each week. The younger people will thrive on the hard hitting and vailid competition that takes place.

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts on this subject.

[Grand Poobah]

@Rich:

What you are describing was sort of done in the past, albeit with traveling home and away teams. In other words, they'd bring both teams from town to town and make it look like the home team was actually from that city. There weren't enough skaters to have a really large league structure.

What you're describing pretty much already exists via WFTDA, though it's a fair bit less structured than something like NFL or NBA. The travel teams arrange on their own to do home and away bouts with one another. This COULD happen with today's unscripted banked track leagues, but money tends to be tighter for them, and they have far wider variances in rules sets and tracks. Bouts between them either involves rules negotiations or "play by the home team's rules."

Realistically, something like what you're describing is only going to happen in a sport organization that forms from the ground up, like the other sports you mentioned did. The teams/leagues form on a local basis, the stronger athletes emerge and the best of them take each other on in each other's home cities.

For a top-down TV show like he's doing, doing games all across the country is a terrific waste of money. He'd more likely continue what's been happening for the past few decades. Roller derby happens in pretty much one place, with teams also based in that place pretending to be from other cities (or maybe not even referencing cities).

In the event that it becomes more popular, it gets taken on the road to markets it might work in. Like he said, there's now hundreds of channels versus three or four in each market. Simply putting roller derby on a cable channel is not going to generate the level of viewership that roller derby had in the past with syndication.

[Drilla]

I really liked the "wall" of the tv series it was honestly one of my favorite things. But what I think will work is to show what makes the game spectacular. Show the art of the sport. The chess match, "the game within the game". I know that now derby is about "bad girls" or at least that's how it's portrayed, but I believe a lot see it as an act, especially a surprisingly intelligent young audience. So I say even if you go scripted, which I'm not against, be real. Heart above antics, make the game mean something. Make the Sport the important part of the show, not vice versa. The reason the "big" sports are big is because these people do spectacular things, put their heart on the line every week and the games mean something. also I know that a rink can only be so big, but I do believe scale does hinder at times, unfortunately, I'm not sure what could be done to remedy that one. Football, Soccer and Baseball fields span 100+ yards and basketball is almost 100 feet, being spread out allows more detail to be seen. Unfortunately If you spread out a derby rink, there'd be no way to defend it not to mention the tire and wear of constant skating around and up such a distance. So I say heart, meaning and if scripted the game would have to somehow be "truer" than pro wrestling. Maybe play up the people without discounting the sport. Wrestling was better and better loved when people weren't sure if it was real or not.

[Magnum 357]

I absolutely think Banked Track Rollerderby is going to be the more interesting game for spectators to view via TV. Considering I have skated both, there is no doubt I enjoy banked track over flat track. I have also found the crowds to be larger in number with banked track. People want to see the traditional rollerderby over flat track.

[Ray Dean]

Following the general consensus of the above replies, I agree on several points... and have added others.
1 Banked track, or up, down and banked. There is a guard rail to separate you from the spectators for the most part.
2 No flat track, particularly as I have seen it here in Australia (on videos), where spectators are sitting on the skating floor because it is a basketball court or indoor sports stadium. That is plain DANGEROUS. It is too hard to stop at speed, particularly if you are otherwise engaged in the game, or shunted into the crowd.
3 Proper training and practice, not just flat out (one way) on a banked track, which is fairly easily achievable with practice.
The training must involve not just speed skating but the skaters should be able to do basic positioning ie be able to place their skate where they want it. They should have some basic dance steps or figure routines. They should be able to skate in both directions and backwards. They will have something to do on skates when they give up the derby besides skating around and around a rink.
4 Men and women, as it was in my day of 60s and 70s. I have heard it said that a bunch of (mostly) lesbians in skimpy outfits and silly names will not bring in the crowds.
5 None of the WCW type crap. Sure hype it up and sex it up a bit...match races etc, colourful personalities, male and female. Make it look like fun and exciting, not just men and women beating the crap out of each other on skates.
like Ralphie, Ronnie and Ann et al. NO crocodile pits and the like. Play the GAME.
6 Follow traditional formats like baseball, football, basketball etc. with local teams and away teams....favourite skaters. Get publicity in mainstream TV.
That's just a few of my ideas.
I have skated at 27 rinks, 8 in the US and 19 here in Australia, as well as a lot of other "non rinks" and yes, I have skated banked track. I have skated on and off over 40 years and still skate every weekend barring rain.
Ray Dean,
Sydney Australia

[RubyROX]

Banked track ALL the way! Also finding people that the teens can relate to is the biggest thing. Young people with BIG personalities and cool outfits. NO SPANDEX!

[Joe vecchione]

Just bring it back the it was in the late60's and early 70's . the way the n.y. bombers and the phila. warriors. I skated in the mid 70's with a few teams. I end up skating with warriors it was good but it started to go down hill. What really destory the sport was when they may that movie kc bomber.people didn't know how the game was play until they saw the movie.