Roller Derby has its booms and busts; currently on upswing

Back in the 1960s, Joan Weston was most likely the highest paid female athlete in the world. Of course, you probably never heard of her. She was the star of

Frank Deford | May 19, 2010

Roller Derby has its booms and busts; currently on upswing /

Back in the 1960s, Joan Weston was most likely the highest paid female athlete in the world. Of course, you probably never heard of her. She was the star of the Roller Derby. It wasn't her choice. It's just that she was a fabulous natural athlete and, in those days, there weren't many opportunities for women in professional sport.

One night, somewhere out on the road, because the Derby was always somewhere out on the road, Joanie held her little dog in her lap, sighed, and told me this, wistfully: "All I want out of the Roller Derby is to make good money, get out of it in one piece, and years from now, when I say I was in the Roller Derby, I want people to still know what it is. I want that."

Joanie died much too young back in 1997, but she'd be happy to know that, incredibly, yes, in 2010 a lot of people do know what the Roller Derby is. The sport, which was dreamed up in the '30s as a Depression divertissement, regularly has booms and busts, but it just can't be killed. In the last few years it's resurfaced again, but this time as an amateur participant sport -- and almost exclusively for women. This thing is like mah jong, on wheels.

The number keeps growing, but there are now more than five hundred women's leagues in sixteen countries, from all over North America, to Europe, to Australia, to Brazil, to Abu Dabai.

The A&E network did a reality show on the revival. Drew Barrymore made a movie about it. I even saw a musical comedy showcase. Now the Derby's actually starting to draw crowds in the thousands, with respectable ticket prices -- $15 to $20. So many women are migrating to the mayhem that two skaters, Jennifer Barbee and Alex Cohen, have written an "Insider's Guide" for aspiring skaters . . . or "dolls," as they prefer to be called.

Now, what kind of a woman would get herself involved in a disreputable fracas like this?

Well, you'd be surprised. The majority of skaters are college-educated, and many are professionals. Alex Cohen, for example, just happens to be the local host of "All Things Considered" in Pasadena. Our own NPRD -- National Public Roller Derby. She's skated under the nom du knockdown of "Axels of Evil," which is one-of-a-kind, as you have to register your skating name. Sorry, you wannabe dolls, these are also already taken: Margaret Thrasher, Demolicious, Baby Ruthless, Sybil Disobedience, Eve L. Stepmother, Georgia O'Grief and Ginger Smack.

For the skaters, the appeal seems to be that they can be both sexy and strong . . . and themselves. Also: The after-bout parties are fabulous.

My old friend Joanie Weston would be thrilled. Not only is the Derby thriving again, it's downright respectable to be a doll on wheels.

Published May 19, 2010

FRANK DEFORD

Frank Deford is among the most versatile of American writers. His work has appeared in virtually every medium, including print, where he has written eloquently for Sports Illustrated since 1962. Deford is currently the magazine's Senior Contributing Writer and contributes a weekly column to SI.com. Deford can be heard as a commentator each week on Morning Edition. On television he is a regular correspondent on the HBO show Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel. He is the author of 15 books, and his latest,The Enitled, a novel about celebrity, sex and baseball, was published in 2007 to exceptional reviews. He and Red Smith are the only writers with multiple features in The Best American Sports Writing of the Century. Editor David Halberstam selected Deford's 1981 Sports Illustrated profile on Bobby Knight (The Rabbit Hunter) and his 1985 SI profile of boxer Billy Conn (The Boxer and the Blonde) for that prestigious anthology. For Deford the comparison is meaningful. "Red Smith was the finest columnist, and I mean not just sports columnist," Deford told Powell's Books in 2007. "I've always said that Red is like Vermeer, with those tiny, priceless pieces. Five hundred words, perfectly chosen, crafted. Best literary columnist, in any newspaper, that I've ever seen." Deford was elected to the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Six times at Sports Illustrated Deford was voted by his peers as U.S. Sportswriter of The Year. The American Journalism Review has likewise cited him as the nation's finest sportswriter, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of The Year by the Washington Journalism Review. Deford has also been presented with the National Magazine Award for profiles; a Christopher Award; and journalism honor awards from the University of Missouri and Northeastern University; and he has received many honorary degrees. The Sporting News has described Deford as "the most influential sports voice among members of the print media," and the magazine GQ has called him, simply, "The world's greatest sportswriter." In broadcast, Deford has won a Cable Ace award, an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award for his television work. In 2005 ESPN presented a television biography of Deford's life and work, You Write Better Than You Play. Deford has spoken at well over a hundred colleges, as well as at forums, conventions and on cruise ships around the world. He served as the editor-in-chief of The National Sports Daily in its brief but celebrated existence. Deford also wrote Sports Illustrated's first Point After column, in 1986. Two of Deford's books, the novel, Everybody's All-American, and Alex: The Life Of A Child, his memoir about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis, have been made into movies. Two of his original screenplays have also been filmed. For 16 years Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he remains chairman emeritus. He resides in Westport, CT, with his wife, Carol. They have two grown children – a son, Christian, and a daughter, Scarlet. A native of Baltimore, Deford is a graduate of Princeton University, where he has taught American Studies.