I keep hearing local roller derby outfits being referred to as “leagues.” Whats the difference between a “league” and a “team”?
Like many elements of modern roller derby, the “local league” structure is something of an accident of history. When modern roller derby was reinvented in Austin starting in 2001, the organizers never imagined it would spread beyond their decidedly quirky home town, so they built a league structure with four teams to compete against each other. A couple years later, as derby spread to Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles and beyond, the idea of robust intercity competition still seemed far-fetched, so each local organization formed 3-5 teams, with the term “league” reserved for the overall local business structure. By early 2005, modern roller derby had taken hold in over two dozen cities. While each of these early leagues primarily conducted bouts locally between its member teams, the drive toward intercity (or “interleague”) competition was irresistible. Local leagues formed “all star” or “travel” teams, composed of top skaters from each of the league’s component teams, to represent them in
