Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    College Advising
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Blog

Research Centered

75% administration, 25% research… life on the alt-ac track.

The Chronicle Blog Network, a digital salon sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education, features leading bloggers from all corners of academe. Content is not edited, solicited, or necessarily endorsed by The Chronicle.

Academia vs. Roller Derby

By Minerva Cheevy December 5, 2011
Thanks, http://fuckyeahrollerderbyotter.tumblr.com/!
Thanks, http://fuckyeahrollerderbyotter.tumblr.com/!

Roller derby! It seems to be everywhere these days, and I couldn’t be happier. Derby 101 has begun at my local league, and I am learning to skate (in between all the times I fall down). I’ve started noticing some important ways in which academia and roller derby are similar -- and ways in which they are really, really, different.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Thanks, http://fuckyeahrollerderbyotter.tumblr.com/!
Thanks, http://fuckyeahrollerderbyotter.tumblr.com/!

Roller derby! It seems to be everywhere these days, and I couldn’t be happier. Derby 101 has begun at my local league, and I am learning to skate (in between all the times I fall down). I’ve started noticing some important ways in which academia and roller derby are similar -- and ways in which they are really, really, different.

SIMILAR:

1. You’ll fall on your ass. A lot. And you just have to keep getting up over and over again. In academia, it’s metaphorical, but it still hurts.

ADVERTISEMENT

2. Perseverance is much more important than innate talent. In academia, it’s been noted by many people that finishing your Ph.D. is more a reflection of your ability to keep at something until you finish it, and less a reflection of your intelligence. In roller derby, the same seems to be true. More than once I’ve been lying on the floor panting, and a veteran derby girl skated over to assure me that the first time she put on skates, she couldn’t stand up without falling down either. It just takes practice, and the willingness to get bruised (see #1).

But this is pretty much where the similarities end. It’s much easier to think of ways that roller derby and academia are different.

DIFFERENT:

1. Criticism vs cheering. In academia, it’s all about peer review and criticism. The idea is that peer reviewers are the gatekeepers of scholarship, ensuring high-quality work. In reality, however, peer review can be just plain mean sometimes -- we all have our Reviewer #3 experiences to share. Graduate students are encouraged to start thinking this way right away. If you’ve ever given a seminar to a group of early-stage graduate students who turned in anonymous critiques of your talk, you know what I mean -- they’re often hyper-critical without any sympathy, because they haven’t yet tried to do much real research themselves. The general attitude of academia is sink-or-swim: if you can’t take the criticism, then you don’t deserve to be an academic. When you fall down (see above), people tend to look the other way and hope it doesn’t happen to them.

In roller derby, the emphasis is on cheering each other on. During practice, we are told that we are not allowed to judge ourselves and feel bad about how we’re doing. I am one of the slowest and least skilled skaters on the track, but several times during practice the instructors make a point of telling me what a good job I’m doing and how fast I’m improving. When you fall down (see above), people check to make sure you’re ok, assure you that it’s happened to them too, and help you get back on your feet.

ADVERTISEMENT

In both academia and roller derby, when I first began, I felt like I really didn’t know what I was doing, and that everyone else was better at it than me. In my first year of graduate school, I spent many tearful nights alone in my apartment, seriously considering dropping out. In roller derby? Not a chance. I’m having a fabulous time, and I’m confident that I’ll get better at this.

2. Exclusivity vs. inclusivity. Academia is a tough world to break into. It’s hard to get into grad school, finish grad school, land a tenure-track job, get tenure, get funding. Etc. And a lot of people think that’s just fine, and enjoy the exclusivity. In roller derby, the more the merrier! Tell a derby girl that you enjoy watching derby, and she’ll invite you to learn to skate and to try out. Seriously.

3. Unfriendly vs. friendly competition. Academic rivalries can get pretty ugly, to the point that journals and grants usually give you the opportunity to request that certain people not review your manuscript or proposal. In roller derby - despite what you saw in Whip It - everybody’s friends. Go to any derby bout, and you’ll see the opposing jammers dancing together or even hugging during the line-up before the jam starts. Yes, they compete against each other hard - but then they go out for beers together after the bout and tell each other how awesome they are. And they mean it.

4. Mostly men vs mostly women. Is this the reason for the other differences? Hmm, maybe. Sometimes I think so. But there are men involved in roller derby too, as coaches and referees and non-skating officials, and they are just as inclusive and supportive as the women in roller derby, so maybe it’s more than just gender.

In roller derby, and I suppose in other team sports (not that I’ve ever played any), all of the time spent on the track and falling down and being in pain and whatnot are a bonding experience. It’s something that the other people in your life don’t understand and haven’t experienced. Academia is also time consuming and often painful... but it doesn’t seem to lead to the same kind of bonding. I used to be ok with it, but now it makes me sad.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

University of California, Berkeley chancellor Dr. Rich Lyons, testifies at a Congressional hearing on antisemitism, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on July 15, 2025. It is the latest in a series of House hearings on antisemitism at the university level, one that critics claim is a convenient way for Republicans to punish universities they consider too liberal or progressive, thereby undermining responses to hate speech and hate crimes. (Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)
Another Congressional Hearing
3 College Presidents Went to Congress. Here’s What They Talked About.
Tufts University student from Turkey, Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested by immigration agents while walking along a street in a Boston suburb, talks to reporters on arriving back in Boston, Saturday, May 10, 2025, a day after she was released from a Louisiana immigration detention center on the orders of a federal judge. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)
Law & Policy
Homeland Security Agents Detail Run-Up to High-Profile Arrests of Pro-Palestinian Scholars
Photo illustration of a donation jar turned on it's side, with coins spilling out.
Financial aid
The End of Unlimited Grad-School Loans Could Leave Some Colleges and Students in the Lurch
Brad Wolverton
Newsroom leadership
The Chronicle of Higher Education Names Brad Wolverton as Editor

From The Review

Illustration of an ocean tide shaped like Donald Trump about to wash away sandcastles shaped like a college campus.
The Review | Essay
Why Universities Are So Powerless in Their Fight Against Trump
By Jason Owen-Smith
Photo-based illustration of a closeup of a pencil meshed with a circuit bosrd
The Review | Essay
How Are Students Really Using AI?
By Derek O'Connell
John T. Scopes as he stood before the judges stand and was sentenced, July 2025.
The Review | Essay
100 Years Ago, the Scopes Monkey Trial Discovered Academic Freedom
By John K. Wilson

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin