The Golden Age of Roller Derby

Sports History This Week

November 29, 1948. Thousands of screaming fans are packed inside New York City’s 69th Regiment Armory, eyes peeled on the wooden oval track, shining under the spotlights. Roller derby is just a few years old, but this new sport already has a huge fan base. And now, for the first time ever, roller derby will be broadcast to the masses – on television. Fans have never seen anything like it: the speed, the violence, and the fact that men and women compete alongside each other as teammates.

Today, how did the so-called “golden era” of roller derby come about, going from a Depression-era sideshow to a multi-million-dollar empire? And how did this sport challenge traditions of athletics and society?

Special thanks to our guests: Michella Marino, author of “Roller Derby, the History of an American Sport.” Shari Gammon Cantal, granddaughter of roller derby legend Gerry Murray. Steve Seltzer, grandson of roller derby entrepreneur Leo Seltzer. And Nick Scopas, member of the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.

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