It seems like roller derby is always fighting for attention. We live in a marketing-driven society, and cable television and the internet have brought a world of sports to our fingertips. —So it's no surprise that derby has to fight like hell just to avoid getting completely lost in the shuffle. Skaters have to put up flyers, make numerous appearances at community events, and partner with various sponsors just to get the word out. Despite all that effort, it can feel like they're still shouting in a vacuum. News media rarely acknowledges derby, and mainstream sports fans still view roller derby as a spectacle or kitsch.
As most leagues who have done a demographic survey can tell you, the vast majority of modern roller derby fans either know someone involved with roller derby or are involved themselves. Derby does not have a large following in part because it hasn't been around long enough to cultivate a fan base that rivals other sports. Beyond that, though, the stigma of the fake fights and staged outcomes of 70's roller derby seems to inhibit the sport's ability to be taken seriously. Derby remains very much a neglected sport despite every effort to be recognized. Meanwhile, networks like ESPN continue to cover professional bowling, competitive eating, and strongman competitions.
As roller derby continues to grow and evolve, it faces the question of how to break that barrier and take it's rightful place as a legitimate team sport in the American consciousness. The drum derby fans usually beat is: "Look at the WFTDA Big 5. You can't argue that this sport isn't athletic and competitive and sophisticated." While that argument is very true, it doesn't exactly convert many people dismissive of roller derby.
Perhaps the route to take with that kind of non-fan is actually at the other end of the spectrum. Junior derby has a big advantage that isn't being utilized to it's full potential. As people involved in roller derby, we tend to view junior derby as the next generation of skaters. I've heard it said on numerous occasions: "These kids are going to be the superstar skaters of tomorrow." While that is true, the more important and often overlooked statement is: "These kids are going to be the hardcore fan base of tomorrow."
Outside of roller derby, my favorite sport to watch is baseball. I grew up playing little league and watching the Twins win the World Series in 1987 and 1991. I didn't realize it at the time, but the bond I was developing with a simple summer pastime was the foundation for a lifelong obsession. I love baseball in a way that I honestly can't ever love roller derby. It's a connection to my youth that's so ingrained in me it's difficult to overstate. Roller derby simply does not have that kind of following because it hasn't had the opportunity to build those kinds of ties. Not yet at least.
I see the kids from the two local junior derby leagues (TCJRD and NERDy) at the local adult derby bouts all the time. They are far more into the action than the average fan. It's so endearing to seem them geek out about a star pass or an apex jump. They relate to the sport in a way that adult fans cannot. What's probably just as important as that is the fact that they are introducing derby to friends and family members who otherwise would not pay attention to the sport. A non-fan, dismissive of roller derby, is far more likely to give the sport a chance when viewed from the junior derby angle. The juniors don't have to battle a memory of pro wrestling-ish antics in the past. Junior derby is automatically assumed to be pure.
Along with it's lack of the "fake derby" stigma inhibiting it, junior roller derby is also undeniably cute. Crowds love it. Media loves it. It's attention-grabbing and approachable for anyone, even the conservative grandparents who do not like to step outside of their comfort zone. Suddenly, the crazy, far-out sport that they are not comfortable even thinking about is something interesting and new and fun for the whole family. That's what junior derby can do. —It can break down barriers for the sport and convince people to be more open minded towards it.
Junior derby is still relatively small when compared to the adult version that has driven it's inception. There's roughly 9 or 10 adult leagues for every junior roller derby program in existence. At some point, that needs to change. The future of the sport is not going to be 20-something or 30-something women (and men) finding a hobby later in life. It's going to be people who grew up with the sport and see it as part of who they've always been. That's how a sport's hardcore fan base is supposed to feel about it, and that's how derby is going to ensure that it doesn't disappear into the history books once more.
In my opinion, developing junior derby should be a goal of every modern derby league looking to secure it's future and a strong fan base. It could be something as simple as an occasional kids derby clinic (how it started here in Minnesota), but ultimately the best thing is for there to be a functioning junior derby league. Leagues should embrace this and invite the kids to skate pre-bout or at halftime. Some leagues even have junior derby programs as part of their own operation. Junior derby in any form is always good for adult derby.
There's a saturation point for adult derby out there somewhere. We haven't hit it yet, and it still seems to be a long way off, but you can be certain that it does exist. At some point, WFTDA and MRDA are going to stop growing. When we get there, modern roller derby is either going to hold steady or start fading. Junior derby holds more power than most people realize. It has the ability to secure the future of the sport in a way that the current adult version, which gets most of the attention, simply can't.
1 comment:
When I read your argument, I can't help but compare it to things I've read, if not word for word, then sentiment for sentiment, when it came to soccer. "The kids is what'll finally make this a major sport in the US." 40 years later, it's still not there; even though MLS has overtaken the NBA in attendance per match, the mindshare outside of MLS cities just isn't there; and even inside them, there's still scant coverage in newspapers.
What junior derby will do is what youth soccer did for the US (soccer) National Teams, which is make the sport more competitive, more athletic, and more fun to watch. But as far as making more mainstream? If I knew how to do that, I'd make a whole lot more money than I do now.
MLS started to do well (or at least, better) then they stopped trying to appeal to Americans, and just appeal to soccer fans (encouraging singing sections, flares, etc). Derby needs to stay true to its core - if it explodes onto the scene, then so be it. If it doesn't, then I'm OK with letting those who love to the sport continue to hold the torch.
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