NOTE: This post has nothing to do with cooking. I apologize, but I have very few outlets for my frustrations regarding dumb people. I hope you all can forgive me for this one day. -Denny
Hello Adrian,
I was recently referred to your article by a friend on Facebook. Gotta love social networks, eh? (Note: I have linked to the actual article at the bottom of this post, if you decide he deserves a click)
It was quite the interesting read, to say the least. In case you forgot, I just wanted to remind you that you suggested that roller derby wasn’t really a sport. Quoted:
“As far as I can tell it involves a number of well-built young women in various stages of undress, roller skating with malicious intent. I have no doubt that there is an element of sweaty physicality involved and there might be some tactics employed. But, basically, it looks like an excuse for violence and brutality with a dubious element of perversion thrown in for salacious pleasure.”
I have to say that I completely disagree with your position, because I don’t really think you even had a position. I honestly can’t tell if your article was meant to be satiric, because the only argument you seemed to make against Roller Derby as a sport (written further down in the article) was its rampant use of fishnet stockings.
Man, this would totally be a sport if not for the tights with holes in them! Woo! I think I saw a nip slip!
…Really?
So just to clarify: your definition of a sport is one that only allows certain articles of…clothing?
While it is true that some women are undoubtedly ogled while playing derby, there are people ogled in every sport you listed in your article. Athletes are People love athletes for a reason: people love a perfect figure. I have seen plenty of magazine covers featuring a nearly naked David Beckham, a nearly naked Serena Williams, and a nearly naked Dennis Rodman (with wacky hair colors, to boot!). A two-second Google search even netted me a picture of four rugby players using rugby balls to cover their genitalia. I could send it to you if you like, or you can just do a Google image search for “good looking rugby players.”
Just make sure you’re boss isn’t around. Trust me on this one. I would link to it here, but I’m not interested in getting blocked by NetNanny for the foreseeable future.
In the interest of comparing apples to apples, Adrian, please do another search with the phrase “good looking roller derby players.” Let me know if you find anything as revealing in the latter as you do in the former, won’t you? Because I sure can’t. Note: In the interest of full disclosure, SafeSearch was set to ‘Moderate’ in both instances.
You know what I do see in these pictures, though? I see women. I see strong women of all shapes and sizes coming together, skating and playing a sport together. They aren’t trying to fight over a man or over a nice pair of shoes, as Sex in the City wants us to believe that all women are hard-wired to do. They are simply playing a sport together, using their guts and their muscle and their brains to try to beat one another for an hour. Then they go have beers together and compare bruises.
I’ll try not to read between the lines too much and assume that a sport dominated by women scares you (then again, I guess I did assume that. Turns out we can all make sweeping generalizations, huh?).
You are correct on some points, however: there is indeed “sweaty physicality” and tactics are employed. Come to any bout in the world and you’ll see women shouting plays, changing strategies mid-jam, and performing blocking maneuvers on par with any other sport (these are commonly referred to as “screen plays” by those apparently so “freakishly tall and ungainly” that a whole sport was invented just for them). Derby girls do all of these things in a pack of ten people, separated by inches from one another, while on roller skates. Do me a favor, Adrian: this Friday night, go to a local roller disco with nine of your friends and try to skate in a pack separated by a few inches from everyone else. You’ve mastered that? Great.
Now hit another friend with your shoulder.
These women are athletes, plain and simple. This sport requires finesse, agility, strength, stability, explosive speed, and a keen mind. How is that different than any other sport?
Finally, Adrian, could you explain to me how Roller Derby displays “violence and brutality with a dubious element of perversion?” How is roller derby any different than rugby, for example? I would argue that rugby is much more violent than roller derby ever hopes to be, and as my quick romp on Google shows, anyone can be sexualized (even those in sports predominantly played by men. The horror!). At least derby girls wear a full complement of safety equipment, including helmet, knee and elbow pads, wrist guards, and mouth guards. What is required of rugby players? A mouth guard. Roller derby is about as brutal as sleeping on a memory foam bed by comparison.
In summation, I would like you to immediately remove football “(the real one with the round ball)”, tennis, basketball, and rugby from your comprehensive list of actual sports. Clearly these are “crude amusement[s]” as well, since they are both violent and can be sexualized.
Some might argue that tennis isn’t violent enough to be removed from the list. John McEnroe just stopped by to non-violently throw a tennis racket at your face.
Thanks bunches for the thought-provoking article. Grade A stuff.
Sincerely,
-Denny
P.S. I have a great idea for your next article. Can you suggest that Michelangelo’s David isn’t art, since everyone notices his penis right away?
NOTE: The actual article can be found here. I copied it exactly in the link at the beginning of the post, in case you don’t want to click through to his website.
Learn To Love Eating In 
I have one word for Taylor–Speedos.
Poor Michael Phelps! If only he were a *real* athlete! Put some clothes on, Michael!
Thanks Denny, so much, for calling him out, specifically–“a sport dominated by women scares you.”
You speak the truth.
Thanks Brandi! I’m glad you liked it. I would have brought up swimming and beach volleyball to my man Adrian, but I wanted to make sure I was specifically talking about the sports he talked about since he didn’t seem very open to new things or ideas. Gotta try to keep it simple for these people, you know? =)
While I may agree with most of your points, you really lost me with “Athletes are athletes for a reason: people love a perfect figure.” I don’t think you could be further off the mark–and that statement plays *exactly* into the hands of a “Roller Derby is for chics who want to dress slutty on skates” mentality.
Athletes are athletes for many different reasons, but I think that “people love a perfect figure” is exceedingly low on the list–if it’s there at all. Yes, people appreciate Beckham’s body–but I sincerely doubt he became an athlete to show off on the cover of a magazine. I dare you to ask either of the Williams to their face if they only started playing tennis to look good. People become athletes to compete. They become athletes to engage in physical activity. They become athletes because of talent and skill in a particular sport. If you’re suggesting women engage in roller derby just to look good (and I don’t think you are), I don’t think you could be further from the mark. Looking good does not make one an athlete, although being an athlete probably helps one look good.
David Beckham. Serena & Venus Williams. Dennis Rodman. Lebron James. The list could go on indefinitely… but I think if you asked the majority of their fans _why_ they were fans (real fans of their sports, not just fashion fans looking at fashion magazines), their “perfect figures” would rank seriously low on the list. It’s the way they play their respective sports that got them where they are. Otherwise, they would be named Gisele Bündchen, Claudia Schiffer, or Heidi Klum–all of whom have pretty outstanding figures, but, to the best of my knowledge, aren’t known for their athletics.
Thank you so much for articulating what we are all thinking.
FYI, rumour has it that the author gets paid for every view on his article – it’s your choice but sending your readers to his post via a link means he is profiting from your blog trying to set the record straight.
Noted, Chap. I have edited my post to link to a full copy of his article here on our blog rather than linking directly to the website. Just in the interest of keeping things fair, I have included a link to the actual article at the bottom of the post so people can decide on their own whether or not to click through. Thanks for the tip. =)
You forgot to mention that ESPN magazine did the Bodies We Want piece, and Suzy Hotrod was the cover of the piece, and every person in there was an athlete in various sports. But the letter is awesome.
That is an excellent point, David. You’re correct- that’s not what I meant. I guess what I meant to say was that people will invariably flock to attractive athletes because people like attractive people, and usually athletic body types are the most preferred. I should not have said that attractive people get in to sports because they are attractive.
More on point would have been to say that athletes tend get on covers of magazines because they are attractive, and since their day jobs involve sprinting across rugby pitches or skating for hours on end, they tend to become even more attractive.
I won’t go back and edit the post at this point, because I should have noticed that gaffe and fixed it before I posted, but here is the amended sentence:
“People love athletes for a reason: people love a perfect figure.”
Thanks for the comment. Well thought out and articulated. =)
Very appropriate reply, Thank you. I was very disheartened by Adrian’s original letter stating Roller Derby as not being a sport. I firmly disagree. I’m a male who started in Roller Derby as a husband of a player. I didn’t really take it serious the entire first season of her derby career but that changed. Her second season I was hooked as a spectator and supporter. I was astonished at the amount of time and work these strong ladies were putting into this. The training was fantastic. I come from a long background of sports and training so I’m hard to impress. These women were training just as hard if not harder than some pro atheletes and even better they did it on wheels. Now that I was totally emerged into her league and the sport I was asked to be their coach. I coached the league for 3 years before starting a mens league. As per your comment about “fastest growing sport in the world” it really is. with over 1000 womens leagues around the world and now with the rapid increase of mens leagues it is the fastest growing sport. At first impression I could acutally see how you misunderstand roller derby as a “show” but give it time and I will promise you that is will earn your resepect as legit sport.
Coach Spanx
CoMo Derby Dames and CenMo Mens Roller Derby
Great article Denny! It’s too bad there are some that think Roller Derby is not a sport. My daughter does Roller Derby and she has lost weight, gain muscle and is one tough cookie. I enjoy watching these girls strive to win a bout. Football is, in my opinion a bunch of guys fighting over a ball and getting there bodies torned up, same with Rugsby. Roller Derby is a tough sport. I would love to see this Adrien guy put on a pair of skates and get out there. Bet he can’t even stand up on a pair let alone skate.
I don’t think he has ever talked to a rollergirl or seen a bout.
Sounds like he saw “Whip It” though.
Read my mind, Frank!
probably one of the four people in Oz to do so, Frank
Very well done, Denny
I love your letter to him. I wrote to him and I guess since I’m super polite and all, he actually wrote back. Here’s a link and if you don’t like people putting links on your page, then never mind I’m sorry.
http://derbygirlsblog.com/2011/12/07/mr-roller-derby-isnt-a-sport-wrote-me-back-betty-schnockered/
Dear Denny,
You are wonderful, thank you for the well thought out and worded response to (while I didn’t read the article and have no interest in giving him any attention) Mr. Adrian’s letter. It’s quite a shame and the sad truth that while strong women come together we are not taken seriously.
I would gladly invite him to visit any team who played in the world cup, championships, and/or regional tournaments and then still continue to say this isn’t a sport. I would like him to visit the WFTDA apprentice leagues who are trying desperately to grow in this organization providing their time, blood, sweat and tears to this sport and continue to say that. His loss, but thank you for defending this amazing sport and the work behind it.
I think the object of the article’s wrath here forgets the difference between real roller derby and the 90’s show Roller Games which was a WWE-ified scripted show using teams that knew the outcome of the shows each week.
Real roller derby is played by women who have day jobs. Soccer Moms who want a little more excitement than watching Rachel Ray. Secretaries who have found that other way to keep their bodies fit while acting on their aggression in a safe environment. Women who you would never know were Derby Girls until you saw them on the track. In other words Real women, not Stepford Wives.
Long live the Derby Girl.
exactly.
I offing love u! I wrote a 3 page email to him last night!
I love roller derby! I am a married 40 year old hockey mom to three boys. I am teaching my kids values about commitment and accountability. The easiest way for me to do that is by my actions on and off the track. I do not appreciate the generalized implication that we just fanny about in our fishnets. Some of us do spend too much time on our “boutfits” but the majority of ladies on my team are working very hard to legitimize the sport. We trained hard for more than a year before hosting our first event.
There is a rock and roll, rockabilly, zombie, punk culture and though I am not covered in tattoos or presenting myself at upsetting levels of undress, I SAY ROCK ON LADIES!
If you support roller derby or love a gal who does, then you are who matters to me! Not some uninformed pencil pusher! derby love
You may want to check your use of “it’s” and “you’re” before this goes really viral. I’d hate for him to be able to ding you on stuff like that while you make good points.
People who ding others on grammar while ignoring the salient points almost always come off looking shallow and petty.
THANK YOU for this letter! You said exactly what was on my mind…derby love ❤
more and more often, too, skaters are opting for compression pants or shorts and sport jerseys…rarely, if ever, do you see teams like Gotham or Texas or Oly or RMRG wearing fishnets…
I didn’t share his article or go look at it I read the copy and pasted copy on Facebook so no hits from me on that
I have to say another point that should be made is that of everything that article didn’t say and the rebuttal didn’t say either is this, Roller Derby is a sport that anyone can play, not just the best and the perfect body people. Anyway can walk on to a team and play the game.
If you asked me, the definition of a sport is a game that anyone can play regardless of size, color, background, job, who you were in high school or who you are now, if you are a mom or not, or you are young or old, and even now sex(as it relates to roller derby).
Roller derby is that game because you put in the work, learn to skate(no easy task) and then learn all the minimum skills require to play safely and pass a test. You don’t have to be drafted or play the game since you were 4 years old in order to play. I don’t think a sport should exclude people.
I believe you have to have heart to play a sport, Roller derby is non profit so everyone playing is doing so voluntarily and give up their time up doing volunteer work on top of it. I believe that when a sport becomes exclusive to a select talented few and they are getting paid millions and millions of dollars that you can’t call that a sport anymore, its a business.
I believe in little league and YMCA soccer and basketball because it is still the pure sport before money and big heads corrupt it.
That’s my two cents worth
Dear Denny, while I agree with everything you have said, please understand the context of this guys editorial.
I’ve tried to advise others of this and to avoid responding to this Adrian Taylor guy. If you look at The Morning Bulletin website (which quite honestly has no header on his article to help you figure this out) and find his article you will see it falls under “Leisure” in the “Humour” category. He mentioned roller derby simply because it is so popular and it will garner him tons of page views. He must be laughing his ass off at the furor this one article has received and he’ll probably say “he was just kidding” and all the while the page has become so popular. Bingo, he wins! Please don’t feed the trolls and waste our precious derby time addressing a smart aleck fool.
Several years ago, and still in some leagues (such as renegade leagues) the focus was more on the spectacle, not the show. However, the majority of the leagues now are more serious. It’s no longer “the zombie team places the slutty schoolgirl team” now it’s Philly vs. New York. Most teams have standard uniforms now, some very sporty, such as recent team I saw play which wore baggy jerseys similar to those softball players wear and knee-length baggy athletic shorts. Some teams and leagues are no longer using the funny names. At one point, roller derby might have been skating around in fishnets and looking cute, but it no longer is (as new recruits inevitably find out)
At the upper levels, women train for upwards of 2 hours a day 6 days a week on skates, along with running and strength training off skates. Some women put in over 20, 30, or even more hours a week in intense physical training (I’m in way better shape now than I ever have been, even when I ran cross-country), in addition to holding down a day job (because as much as we’d love to just play roller derby, we pay to play rather than the other way around) The best teams (such as Oly and Rocky Mountain) often have derby players that were world-class, Olympic level, speed or hockey skaters before they joined derby. For example, Atomatrix of the Oly Rollers has 18 world speed skating titles to her name. Women’s Flat Track Derby Association has 47 pages of rules which players must abide by. Many teams know how these rules work inside and out and have devised a multitude of strategies to manipulate these rules. Roller derby requires speed, strength, agility and coordination. Roller derby is an unusual sport because to be a good derby player, one first must be an excellent roller skater. However, being a good skater is not enough, because you know have to develop the skills and strategies necessary to play the game (think of it akin to playing football or rugby, but on skates) The skills and technique required for high level roller derby generally take several years training at an intense level to develop. It’s not just bashing into each other any ore.
However, on a simpler level if we look at the definition of sport: “Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sports generally follow a set of rules or customs. “ roller derby certainly fits that.
May I jusy say tht this is the best article I have ever read. I play Roller Derby with the Emerald City Junior Gems, I’m only in junior derby and I can say its the BEST workout I’ve ever had. I just had a boy tell me not long ago that Roller Derby isn’t a sport, yet he knew nothing of it. So I greatly suggest this Adrian fellow study up before he decides to cast such a wide opinion. That’s just my thought on the subject, but Denny, I thank you for righting this article, it will teach more than one person a lesson or two.
Sincerely,
HA! I want to marry you, Denny, whoever you are. You forgot to ask Mr. Taylor if wrestling isn’t a sport either since the guys who compete wear leotards, though.
My sister is a Roller Girl, and I live in Baltimore which has one of the best teams in the world……these Women are AMAZING! So Strong, So Fiesty….they have a drive that can’t be equalled or duplicated. They are Athletes, they are Unstoppable….say what you want, you’ll still be talking out of your ass while these Gorgeous Girls are KICKING ASS!
As a derby girl from the mitten state who certainly doesn’t hardly EVER wear anything more inappropriate than volley ball shorts and a tank top (well, I do occasionally wear layered tights), I wholly appreciate your rebuttal. Too often people think that what I/we do is the glamorized 70’s version of roller derby with the scripted fights and the bull$hit. I train 2-3 times a week on skates for 2-3 hours and on top of that, I work out at a gym for the rest of the week or run. I am on our teams training committee to make sure that we push our endurance and keep ourselves in top condition, but please, don’t confuse us with athletes. Yes, we have to have real lives to, like working 9-5’s, being EMT’s, nurses, being mothers, and wives. We don’t play for money; the money we collect goes to charity and everyone that helps to put this on is doing so out of their own time and dedication to the sport. And honestly? To say “But, basically, it looks like an excuse for violence and brutality with a dubious element of perversion thrown in for salacious pleasure” sounds like he’s spending quality time with his thesaurus instead of getting out, living a little and getting to KNOW what he was writing about…because I’ve been to and participated in a several bouts, and watched a ton more.. Perversion? Where? The same ‘violence & brutality’ exist in several other sports, and if you read the regulations, you’d know that we’re not even allowed half of what the basketball players are: shoving someone with an elbow will get you a penalty in just about any sport. Closed minds leave little to be desired. For that, I’m sorry he didn’t get to see something that he thinks he did, because what he described is everything that Roller Derby isn’t.
Mr. Adrian, let’s not forget the fact that Roller Derby is the ONLY sport where you play offense and defense at the same time while BOTH jammers are scoring points simultaneously! Do your homework a little better next time before you run your mouth off about a “sport” that has changed so many of our lives for the better. That article really chaps my ass, and this is coming from the mouth of a proud roller derby ATHLETE!
While I agree with the principle of this article, Adrian’s an obvious traditionalist, he’s going to have a difficult time accepting certain facts. Let’s leave it at, you watch your guys, we’ll watch the girls. Adrian should research a sport and have an open mind to it instead of not seeing past the panties and make up. I’m not accepting his view on the validity of my sport, I would only ask him to try and understand mine and I will do the same. Even if we don’t meet in the middle on it.
well I certainly didn’t start playing roller derby so I could dress slutty, I could do that on the weekends at the bar and save myself the insurance and membership fees. If roller derby isn’t a sport, why did thousands of people tune in online to watch the world cup last weekend? Your telling me these women who traveled to Toronto from all over the world, played like gladiators in one grueling game after , testing their limits, breaking their bones,
just wanted to look good in fishnets?
Thank you for this response. My only rebuttal to the original is, “Not a sport? Tell that to the _guys_ on my coed team who sweat along side me in drills and are not afraid to hit me with the keen balance between effectiveness and safety.” Don’t worry, I hit back, and we love it. And as a competitive equestrian, I suppose by this louse’s definition, eventing is not a sport rooted in tradition. I admire the athletes at the top level of both sports (er, ‘games,’ Adrian?) and hope that someday roller derby will join eventing in the Olympics. The top athletes in this sport deserve it.
Honestly, he should put on skates and try to stay one round on flat track and one round on bank track. He would not last! Even the training hard practice would change his mind. He seem like a person that doesnt play sports due to fear. Dont fear what you dont know and definitely dont judge it.
It is a fallacy to assume that you can’t be an athlete and wear stockings or “slutty clothes” at the same time. Don’t play in to the hands of the haters by conforming to their standards of what an athlete should or should not do.
Football would look exactly the same to someone who did not understand the rules of the sport and what was going on. Saying roller derby is just girls trying to knock each other down with “malicious intent” is just like saying football is just a bunch of guys tackling each other. What a douchebag.
One more thing…I think this attitude against roller derby that a few people have comes from the fact that they have ridiculous gender stereo types. They can’t imagine women being aggressive and playing a full contact sport (unless of course we’re all lesbians – which I’ve heard before). Therefore, they turn it into some sexualized show that we put on for men, instead of just a frigging sport like any other. Hockey, football, lacrosse…whatever.
Adrian needs to skate, just skate, for 2-3 hours 3 times a week and see how he feels after
This dipshit clearly knows NOTHING about roller derby. Do everyone a favor and drive off a bridge. That’s all.
O yeah I’m pretty sure we play offense and defense too, Just not with the round ball lmao. Your a joke! It must make you sick to see women play a hardcore SPORT. there’s soo much I could say right now but I’m stopping here… Just know that youre an idiot
Who cares what Adrian Taylor thinks. It’s not like he’s an authority on the definition of sport anyway. As far as I’m concerned, if a person reads his opinion and lets that be their decision on whether or not it’s a sport, they’re an idiot. In my opinion, people should attend the bouts and decide for themselves.
As one of the members of the league belittled by Adrian I must say we’re thrilled at the amount of support we have received. The pictures he’s commenting on we’re from our very first bout, which I might add was only and exhibition bout, as we are a league that is less than a year old. The colleague he mentions happens to be 1 of the 2 reffs our league has. We might be a small league but as Adrian has learnt, the league might be small but the (derby) family is huge. Thanks again for all of your support.
Hey Mandy, glad we could be of service. Keep fighting the good fight, and keep passing the star. The derby community will always have each other’s backs. =)
-Denny
“You will notice that these sports combine finely honed skills, finesse, strategy and guile and to excel at them requires a high degree of strength and fitness.”
I think he just described Brick Laying, and log rolling.
You think derby girls are scantily clad??? Have you EVER watched the U.S. Women’s Sand Volleyball (an Olympic Sport) and looked at their ass-cracks not quite covered while riding up the lower butt-cheek and the tops that are sports bras. Their “uniforms” barely exist!
Why don’t you go to your local WFTDA league and ask to participate in a week of their practice including scrimmaging. Then, you can write an article actually knowing a little about what you are trying to discuss.
Preach it sista! Well said. 🙂
I would love to know Adrian’s opinion on football (the real one with the round ball) when played by women in lingerie seeing as that sort of football is a “real sport”….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingerie_Football_League
I think he means soccer
Do NOT compare roller derby to lingerie football….ever.
Oh my Gawd! He’s caught me! I DO play roller derby so I can skate around with pretty, sweaty ladies, in the “hope that various bouncy bits might fall free of their inadequate harnesses”.
Pinned me in one.
You’re a genius, you frickin’ moron.
I guess this guy doesn’t think volleyball, gymnastics or tennis are real sports. Has he seen what they wear? Maybe his issue is just with females playing “sports” in general? Lots of guys sexualize and trivialize women who don’t act/do/wear what’s traditionally “lady-like”. You’d think they would grow out of this caveman mentality in this day and age (haven’t women been doing all sorts of things for decades?!), but, it’s still out there.