| RollerJam Revisited and The Status of the Game |
| by Erick Smith |
| I just can't take it anymore. I've had it. It's been about three years since I picked up my pen and wrote anything about the game, but I feel it's time. I've got something to say, the first real fan written article in many years. I've been waiting, as many of us have, for Derby's/Jam's major reincarnation. I haven't seen it yet. Chances are, I won't ever see it. Not with the way things are going today anyways. I started out checking out what's going on in California, not much apparently. This didn't surprise me. I haven't yet seen much impressive out of California. One thing I will compliment California on (despite a lack of professionalism) is their marketing. They always try and keep the fans informed, even if there isn't much going on. However, it seems to me that California is perhaps a bit too much about making money. If they put that same marketing skill in to marketing the game instead of articles and product, they'd be doing a lot better. Jump over to the other coast, to Florida. There are two leagues clearly trying to take over where Jam left off. One is continually fighting an uphill battle it seems, the other I can pretty safely say is a splinter group trying to find a less modern way to fight to the top. The external marketing juggernaut just hasn't found its way out of Florida yet. Heck, I'm not sure it's reached outside of Orlando yet. Somewhere in between, there's Texas and a ladies league which I'd really like to see sometime soon. Much to their credit, they are doing it right. Let's face it, the key demographic for Roller whatever is about the same as professional wrestling, 18-49 year old males. Place a bunch of females on the track, appropriate sales, something sounds right here. Yet they aren't a television league, probably never will be, can't imagine they'd want to be either. So where does this leave us? Well unless you live in Texas, it leaves us with nothing. Thank goodness for RollerJam and RollerDerby sales on E-bay. Seriously though, you can't be in this for the money at this stage in the game, Orlando only drew well because of cheap beer and no admission when they moved to the strip. It's time to say it, unless you all start working together, nothing is going to happen. You've all got qualities that make the game great, but none of you seem to be able to pull things together. I know it takes time, and money, and marketing, but seriously, the way the fan base is today, and the location for the fans, unless you can all pull your things together, nothing great like RollerDerby will ever happen again. Perhaps a suggestion too, while some of you try and put together ideas, and sponsors, and all the rest. Take a look at reality television, see who these shows are appealing too. See what they are trying to do. They are involving the every day folks. Maybe you should take a look at your fans to reincarnate the game. |