Roller derby looks like a modern, punk-rock invention, but women have been in it since the day it began. Here is where it started, whether the skaters got paid, who they are today, and which California leagues lead the way.

1. Roller derby began in Chicago in 1935

Roller derby was born on August 13, 1935, at the Chicago Coliseum. Promoter Leo Seltzer had made his name on Depression-era walkathons, and he needed something more exciting to draw crowds. His Transcontinental Roller Derby was a weeks-long skating race that simulated a trip across the country, with 25 teams of two skaters, one man and one woman each. Seltzer then took the show on the road, and it spread to arenas across the United States.

2. Women were on the track from the first day

Women competed under the same rules, on the same track, as the men. Seltzer saw women as an untapped audience and believed women spectators would be drawn to women skaters. Women skated against women and men against men, in alternating turns. For a contact sport in the 1930s, that was almost unheard of.

3. Yes, the early skaters were paid, but not always equally

Early roller derby was a professional show, and skaters earned money from it. Seltzer bragged about the sport's equality from the start, but historians note that this equality did not always reach the pay scale. Women were also often objectified in press coverage and promotion, even while they played a hard-hitting sport. Historian Michella Marino has written that women skaters paid a price for challenging gender norms.

4. Roller derby boomed, then faded

By 1949, roller derby was a national sensation. Seltzer's son Jerry took over in the late 1950s and leaned into drama and rivalries. In Los Angeles, a rival league called Roller Games launched its flagship Los Angeles Thunderbirds in 1960. In September 1972, a Thunderbirds game against the Midwest Pioneers drew more than 50,000 fans. Interest fell in the 1970s, though, and the original league shut down in 1973.

5. A group of women revived roller derby in Austin

The modern revival began in Austin, Texas, in the early 2000s. A group of women decided to build the sport themselves. They paid for equipment and track time with their own money and taught themselves how to play. They moved to a flat track, which is cheaper than a banked one, and they created the pun-filled skater names the sport is known for today.

The modern game is skater-owned, not a paid show. Skaters pay league dues, and many leagues, like Sacramento Roller Derby, run on 100 percent volunteers. They are teachers, nurses, engineers and students who treat roller derby like a second job they love.

6. How many leagues exist today?

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the sport's governing body, started in November 2005 with 22 member leagues. By March 2023 it had 443 member leagues on six continents, and it keeps adding new ones. In 2026 alone it welcomed leagues from California, Maryland, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Wisconsin and the United Kingdom. Many more leagues play outside the WFTDA. Roller derby now exists on every continent except Antarctica.

To join the WFTDA, a league must be at least 51 percent owned by skaters who identify as women or are gender expansive. Today's roller derby is also a welcoming community for many people beyond the women who started it.

7. Big names in California roller derby

California has some of the strongest roller derby in the world.

Angel City Derby (Los Angeles). Founded in 2006, Angel City was one of the first Southern California leagues to join the WFTDA. Its top team, the Hollywood Scarlets, has qualified for every global championship since 2013.

Sacramento Roller Derby. This league formed in 2018, when two leagues founded in 2006, Sac City Rollers and Sacred City Derby Girls, merged. It has more than 100 active skaters, three adult women's teams, and two all-gender junior teams for ages 8 to 17.

Central Coast Roller Derby (Paso Robles). Founded in 2006, it is a WFTDA member and one of the original leagues on the Central Coast.

Ventura County Derby Darlins (Camarillo). Founded in 2007, it became a full WFTDA member in 2013.

Mission City Roller Derby (Santa Barbara). Founded in 2009 by a skater who came from the Derby Darlins, it became a full WFTDA member in 2015. Its team is the Brawlin' Betties.

Other California leagues in the WFTDA include Misery Loves Company Roller Derby in San Jose, Outlaws Roller Derby in Auburn, Lockeford Roller Derby and Santa Cruz Derby Groms.

Why roller derby still matters

Roller derby started as a Depression-era spectacle, faded, and then came back because women decided it was theirs. Today it is a global, skater-owned sport with hundreds of leagues, including some of the best in the world right here in California. If you want to try roller derby, look up your nearest league. Be sure to bring your camera.