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A Very Simple Game: The Story of Roller Derby
- GenresRoller Derby
210 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1971
11 people want to read
About the author
Herb Michelson
8 books1 followerAugust 14, 1988
HERB MICHELSON, 57, author and special writer for The Sacramento Bee, died Friday of a heart attack. Michelson was a daily columnist for the Bee from 1978 to 1984 and moved to the paper's San Francisco bureau in 1984. He published six books, mostly on sports.
HERB MICHELSON, 57, author and special writer for The Sacramento Bee, died Friday of a heart attack. Michelson was a daily columnist for the Bee from 1978 to 1984 and moved to the paper's San Francisco bureau in 1984. He published six books, mostly on sports.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 21, 2014
Another true gem, along with Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby, curiously produced the exact same year. Compelling, insightful portraits of a variety of people; from superstars of that and earlier eras—Bogash, Atkinson, and Monte, to Cavello, O'Connell, and Weston—to announcers, hopefuls, support staff, and fans. A first-person accounts are unadulterated original source material, with all mannerisms of speech intact. Brief and utterly engaging as slices of mid-century American life, whether one is interested in Roller Derby in the least.
As with Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby, the modern roller derby participant will discover fascinating touchstones to how the sport is now, although as a professional organization and somewhat small and insular business, there are more than an equal number of differences.
They say history is written by the winners, and that has proved true enough with Roller Derby. A Very Simple Game was produced by, and wholly focused on, the "Seltzer circuit", and I will continue to lament the dearth of published accounting of what competition they faced throughout the years. Competing organizations—and, in fact, surviving and thriving in the face of them—is an important aspect of the history of Roller Derby, and there are still enough people alive today who might speak to all aspects of the history of the sport.
A Very Simple Game: The Story of Roller Derby is well-worth reading, certainly if one is a fan of Roller Derby, but also for what it reveals about sports history, American history, and a unique phenomena that was capable, in its day, of significant cultural impact.
As with Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby, the modern roller derby participant will discover fascinating touchstones to how the sport is now, although as a professional organization and somewhat small and insular business, there are more than an equal number of differences.
They say history is written by the winners, and that has proved true enough with Roller Derby. A Very Simple Game was produced by, and wholly focused on, the "Seltzer circuit", and I will continue to lament the dearth of published accounting of what competition they faced throughout the years. Competing organizations—and, in fact, surviving and thriving in the face of them—is an important aspect of the history of Roller Derby, and there are still enough people alive today who might speak to all aspects of the history of the sport.
A Very Simple Game: The Story of Roller Derby is well-worth reading, certainly if one is a fan of Roller Derby, but also for what it reveals about sports history, American history, and a unique phenomena that was capable, in its day, of significant cultural impact.
Displaying 1 of 1 review