True Tales of Roller Derby by Lisa Titan

It was under consideration as a roller sport for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Modern roller derby is an international sport, mostly played by amateurs. Although roller derby retains some sports entertainment qualities such as player pseudonyms and colorful uniforms, it has abandoned scripted bouts with predetermined winners. Gratuitous showmanship largely ended with the sport's grassroots revival in the first decade of the 21st century. In the ensuing decades, however, it predominantly became a form of sports entertainment, where theatrical elements overshadowed athleticism. Professional roller derby quickly became popular in 1940, more than 5 million spectators watched in about 50 American cities. While the sport has its origins in the banked-track roller-skating marathons of the 1930s, Leo Seltzer and Damon Runyon are credited with evolving the sport to its competitive form. Because roller derby uses a penalty box, power plays, where one team has a temporary numerical advantage, have major effect on scoring.

The blockers simultaneously defend by hindering the opposing jammer, while also playing offense by maneuvering to aid their own jammer. The jammer scores a point for each opposing blocker they lap. Each team, typically with a roster of 15, fields five skaters during each jam: one jammer, designated with a star on their helmet, and four blockers. Ī 60-minute roller derby game, or bout, is a series of two-minute timed jams.

It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. Roller skates, helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, mouthguard 15 on roster, up to 5 on track during each jam.

True Tales of Roller Derby by Lisa Titan