Male Support Networks in Women's Flat Track Roller Derby

FLEMING, PATRICK KEGAN, M.A. A Man in a Woman’s World: Male Support Networks in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby (2016). Directed by Dr. Stephen Sills. 147 pp. Is modern women’s roller derby a form of feminism, and what role do men play within it? I propose that women’s roller derby is born out of radical feminism, while male volunteers and supporters act as important nodes in broad support networks. In this article, I examine the history of male supporters of women’s movements as well as feminist perspectives of Title IX and women’s sport. I then contrast the findings with survey and interview data from a women’s roller derby league from the east coast. As roller derby’s revival exemplifies radical feminism as sport, survey respondent’s views on roller derby as a women’s movement correlated with their level of active involvement with the league. The interviewed athletes, volunteers, and fans, however, were primarily interested in roller derby as an athletic outlet and not as a form of feminist expression. Regardless of their view on derby as a women’s movement, the majority of respondents had positive reactions towards male involvement, and understood that they played important roles in creating the league’s formal and informal support networks. While roller derby allowed women’s gender maneuvering and the creation of alternative femininities, it also allowed for alternative masculinities, inviting the participation of men who are “not like the others.” A MAN IN A WOMAN’S WORLD: MALE SUPPORT NETWORKS IN WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY by Patrick Kegan Fleming A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Greensboro 2016 Approved by ______________________________ Committee Chair APPROVAL PAGE This thesis written by Patrick Kegan Fleming has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair ____________________________ Committee Members ____________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee _________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 II. HISTORY OF FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY ..............................................4 III. STRUCTURE OF GAMEPLAY ..........................................................................8 IV. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ..............................................................................11 V. MALE GATEKEEPERS OF WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS ................................17 Women’s Education ...................................................................................18 Women’s Suffrage .....................................................................................24 Women’s Social and Political Rights ........................................................28 VI. TITLE IX AND EQUALITY IN SPORT ...........................................................38 Feminist Perspectives of Title IX and Sport ..............................................41 Feminist Perspectives on Roller Derby ......................................................46 Homophobia in Sport and Roller Derby as a Safe Space ......................................................................................49 VII. PRIOR STUDIES ON ROLLER DERBY .........................................................53 Alternative Femininities .............................................................................54 Roller Derby’s Punk Ethos ........................................................................58 Gendered Power Dynamics ........................................................................60 Alternative Masculinity .............................................................................63 VIII. TERMS AND LANGUAGE ..............................................................................66 IX. DATA COLLECTION METHODS ...................................................................71 Respondent Selection .................................................................................73 Interview Procedure ...................................................................................75 X. INTERVIEW RESPONSES ...............................................................................79 iii Roller Derby as a Women’s Movement .....................................................80 Male Participation in Roller Derby ............................................................86 Problem Men in Derby ...............................................................................91 Support Networks in Roller Derby ............................................................96 XI. THEMATIC ANALYSIS .................................................................................102 Legitimacy ...............................................................................................104 Relationships and Support Types .............................................................113 Interrelations Between Expressed Themes ..............................................118 XII. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................123 WORKS CITED ..............................................................................................................131 APPENDIX A. VOLUNTEER SURVEY .......................................................................138 APPENDIX B. SPECTATOR SURVEY ........................................................................140 APPENDIX C. SKATER SURVEY ...............................................................................142 APPENDIX D. SPECTATOR INTERVIEW GUIDE ....................................................144 APPENDIX E. VOLUNTEER INTERVIEW GUIDE ....................................................145 APPENDIX F. SKATER INTERVIEW GUIDE ............................................................146 APPENDIX G. CONSENT FORM .................................................................................147 iv 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The scholarly study of the women’s roller derby revival has been relatively sparse. The all women full contact sport has seen a tremendous explosion in popularity since its early 2000’s resurrection, spreading from a single league in Texas to become an international phenomenon, complete with a unifying governing body and multiple yearly international tournaments. Those researchers who have published on the sport have discussed it primarily through the lens of female empowerment, through the creation of women’s only spaces, allowing gender maneuvering and open defiance of socially ascribed gender roles. The women who play the sport also own it, running the organizations as a non-profit and fulfilling all of its necessary duties, from league governance to physical setup and breakdown of the track on game day. However, while derby is an outlet for female expression, male involvement in the sport cannot be ignored, despite its absence from prior study on roller derby. Men in women’s derby serve not only as referees, coaches, and fans, but are also important nodes in the derby community’s support networks. Whether as an active participant or a supporting friend, family member, or significant other, men have played integral roles in supporting the resurgence of women’s roller derby. In this paper I seek to examine the roles filled and social networks created by men in derby, as well as explore relationships between players, volunteers, and fans in 2 general. I will frame male participation within the broader context of male involvement in historic women’s movements as well as discussing prior study of derby and those researcher’s findings on gender construction within it, and the knowledge gaps created by failing to explore male participation. I will begin by discussing the history of roller derby, beginning with its creation in the 1930s before examining its revival in the early 2000s. I will briefly outline the game and its structure as well as my personal history within the sport across multiple roles. I will explore male involvement in women’s movements across history, citing both primary and secondary sources from male participants advocating for equality in women’s education, suffrage, and health, as well as political and social equality. Cited figures include Thomas Wentworth Higginson, John Neal, W.E.B. DuBois, Horace Mann, John Dewey, William Sanger, Isaac Asimov, and Senator Joe Biden. I then shift focus to existing literature on women’s roller derby, discussing the creation of alternative femininities and women’s only spaces, and exploring roller derby’s DIY nature and punk ethos. I close the section by focusing on gendered power dynamics within general sport culture, while comparing and contrasting those patterns within the sport of roller derby. I also briefly touch on the language embedded within derby culture, and how that language is rooted in traditional masculinity despite evolving out of a women’s sport. The data collection in this paper took the form of exploratory, inductive research. While initial attempts at mixed methodology were attempted, the absence of available 3 respondents lead to a shift in method. In its place, qualitative interviews were performed, and then thematic analysis was used to

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