Rock’em sock’em women? Top 5 roller derby myths

As an avid roller derby fan, I find myself explaining the rules to curiosity seekers and newbs on a fairly routine basis. Almost always, without fail, the first question is, “So, do they hit each other and stuff?” It’s perplexing, since this question usually comes from people not old enough to remember the second wave of roller derby as WWE-style sports entertainment in the 1960s and ‘70s, which was markedly more violent than the new roller derby of the aughts.