Roller Derby as a Secular Alternative to Religion*

Abstract

Drawing on interviews with skaters on teams from all over the country in the women's flat track roller Derby association (wftda), this article argues that roller Derby can be viewed as a secular alternative to religion for its participants. Following Stolz et al.'s ((Un)Believing in Modern Society: Religion, Spirituality, and Religious-Secular Competition, Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing, 2016) argument that social and cultural change has led to a change in the religious 'competition' regime which has resulted in changes to the nature of both intra-religious competition and religious-secular competition so that religious groups now find themselves competing with secular leisure activities. This article finds support for this theory: that roller Derby functions as a secular competitor to religion in the lives of these skaters in three key ways: (1) roller Derby participants make a significant investment of time, energy, money, and physical wellbeing into their sport; ( 2) roller Derby does, in fact, satisfy most if not all of the individual needs traditionally satisfied by religion as identified by Stolz et al(2016). ((Un) Believing in Modern Society: Religion, Spirituality, and Religious-Secular Competition, Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing, 2016); and, (3) participation in roller Derby does conflict with individuals' formal religious involvement.Catholicism has a large community to offer, and it is an international community, very much like Derby. When I got started in Derby, I did not really find the need to go to church so much anymore. Religious-Secular CompetitionRecently, in their book entitled (Un)believing in Modern Society, Stolz et al. ( 2016) put forward a theoretical perspective in which they argue that as a result of cultural and social shifts, including secularization at the institutional level, there has been a move toward what they call the me-society. In which, individuals have more ability to define themselves and choose what they want to participate in, and in which religion 1 has become a choice rather than a social necessity or obligation. Given these changes, they argue that in the mesociety, religions and religious groups are no longer just competing with other religious groups for power within society, for the authority and legitimacy to interpret, and for individual demand. Rather they are competing with other religions and religious groups as well as secular alternatives (including leisure and other collective activities). There has been a sea change in the religious