Conflict of Interest

So, with the Oscars tomorrow night, I thought my plans for Sunday had been sewn up for months.  However, something came up last night while I was on the P1WAC that changed my mind: roller derby.

There's a women's roller derby league in Austin called the Texas Rollergirls, and they're doing exhibition matches Sunday night at the What's Hot Fun World in sunny South Dallas.  The matches begin at 6:30 pm, and should provide a good insight to what flat-track roller derby is supposed to look like.

Discussion on the whole resurgence of roller derby turned to a graphic I saw in ESPN the Magazine (not ESPN, the Laundry Detergent) on the cost of professional sports franchises.  At the top, obviously, was an NFL team, weighing in at $625 million, then down to an Arena Football squad, which costs $19 million. 

This is where I got myself into a bit of trouble, for not bringing along a copy of the magazine.  At the very bottom of the list, I remembered seeing the cost of a Major League Roller Derby team listed as $10,000.  Problem was, it was actually the cost of a roller hockey franchise.

But, as the old journalism maxim goes, "never let facts get in the way of a good story."  So, the idea now is to form our own Roller Derby League in North Texas, becoming franchise owners ourselves.

Yeah, I know, I know.  But, hear me out.

As sports fans, it's in our very nature to bitch about team ownership and management, and say, "If I were the owner, I would do such a better job."  This is a way to have a practical experiment with a very real, palpable result -- and have a helluva lot of fun while we're doing it.  People would be able to buy in to the league with an ownership stake starting at $100, and be able to be an active, vocal member of a league ownership group.  Drafting and personnel, sponsorships, marketing, insurance, revenue sharing... all of this would be a very real exercise in what it takes to own a sports franchise.

So, I may very well be going to What's Hot Fun World and miss the first hour or so of the Oscars, but when a Big Idea hits, who am I to ignore it?

Comments

[Kevin F]

Why not enjoy some double-dutch jump rope competition while you're at it? :)

The Ocho!

-/K

[Linds]

*rolls her eyes*

You're SUCH a male.

I'm in, I kickass at "old-school" four wheel rollerskating.

[Cheatin' Chong]

There is a Roller Derby League forming right here in DFW. Come check out our website and see what ya think.

Cheatin' Chong
Info Mistress
Dallas Derby Devils
www.dallasderbydevils.com