Top Ten Derby Bout Themes

by Ava Tarr May 16, 2012 - 7:53am

Roller derby has earned its reputation as being cutting edge. Why, then, are bout themes so painfully unoriginal? I’m the first to admit that Han Solo once gave me a lady boner, but Star Wars? Done. Ninjas? Pirates? Superheroes? Over. And if I see another zombie theme, I am going to feast on the brains of your lame ass bout producers.

So, if your league still insists on a bout theme, feel free to offer one of these fine suggestions:

10. Civil War Hospital

9. Juvenile Diabeatin’

8. Bring Your Own Tapeworm!

7. Kome as Your Favorite Kardashian

6. An Evening at the Nursing Home

5. Absolutely No Pants

4. Got Meth?

3. Gathering of the Juggalos

2. Lord of the (Cock) Rings: The Adventures of Dildo Baggins

1. A Visit From Aunt Flo

Section(s):

Derby Life

Steal An Idea

Comments

Tired old themes

Permalink Submitted by Vivi Section on May 16, 2012 - 9:46am

As a member of the committee that determines the bout themes for my leagues, this made me laugh! It's hard to be original, especially in this context; it's a challenge to find something that's clever, fits well with derby and works as a visual motif for posters, etc. (Some leagues, it seems, have done away with them completely.) So I don't necessarily think overlap and duplication of themes proves that much of a problem for leagues in different cities — even if you've seen it or heard it before, your fans probably haven't. I'd be curious to know what (actual) themes have impressed you recently.

Not a fan

Permalink Submitted by Ava Tarr on May 22, 2012 - 11:15am

Honestly, I don't advocate themes. I think for the general population (many of whom are still caught up in the televised fake derby of yore) it adds unnecessary spectacle to the sport and confuses people about whether or not derby is "real" or even what it is. I can't count the number of bout posters I see where I can't figure out what the hell it's promoting because there is no imagery of athletes playing the sport (or, worse, the images are awful, objectified, highly sexualized, cat-fighting cartoon girls as if it's foxy boxing night at the local strip club. Note to everyone: STOP IT.) Given that we're still struggling with identifying ourselves as a competitive sport, I don't think we need to distract from that image with unclear marketing.

I also think that, while some people find theming bouts fun, it is not the best use of a league's (typically limited) time, money, and resources. I would rather have skaters spending more time at practice becoming better skaters than spending hours brainstorming/arguing/voting on themes, purchasing and planning decor, booking entertainment, getting elaborate promo materials made, making their own costumes/accessories to fit the team, decorating the venue on bout day, etc. It's a lot of extra work and I don't think it pulls in any more fans than it deters. I have been at both a high-production/theme-promoting league and a low-production/themeless league and don't feel fan engagement is different because of themes--but I do know that during a home bout week, there is a lot less stress and more competition-focus in the themeless league as a whole because there is less to worry about, production-wise.

Rather than spending league time/money on themes, invest that in a free merch give away (e.g., giving away a couple of t-shirts, using the decor budget to give free Your League keychains, stickers, or bottle openers to the first 100 fans) that will make fans happy at the bout and work to advertise/promote your league outside of the bout.