Gotham Girls Roller Derby

1
Gotham Girls Roller Derby

• Media and Public Relations Plan
• July 1, 2008
• David Hyatt
• Prof. Jay Rosenstein

2
Old School Roller Derby

• Invented in the 1930s in Chicago
• Wildly successful televised co-ed sport
• Athletic, but scripted action, managed from above
  by the promoters (The Seltzers)
• Similar to wrestling the show traveled from town
  to town
• Created national celebrities
• Anne Calvello Joanie Weston
• Charlie OConnell Mike Gammon
• Sold out baseball and football venues
• Died out in the 1970s
• Some lame sputteringthereafter (Rollergames)
• Roller Derby explicitly as show business

3
Modern Roller Derby

• Roller derby was re-invented as an honest amateur
  sport in 2001 in Austin, Texas.
• Migration to Flat Track from Banked Track
• Currently organized by the WFTDA, a coalition of
  54 separate USA leagues
• Each league is independently managed
• Each league does its own sponsorship, media, etc.
• Each league schedules its own internal bouting
  and interleague bouting
• Shared ruleset and gameplay standard development
• Collective insurance bargaining
• Collective licensing (video games, etc.)
• National ranking polls
• Annual tournaments and champions
• Old School roller derby fabricated drama
• New roller derby drama via honest competition
• WFTDA mottos
• By the skaters, for the skaters.
• Real. Strong. Athletic. Revolutionary.

4
Gotham Girls Roller Derby

• Founded 2003. First bout 2004. First full season
  2005.
• A leader in the national flat track roller
  derby movement
• 324 active leagues around the world, all founded
  since 2001
• 13,000 registered participants globally (Europe,
  Australia)
• GGRD among the most experienced now the top
  rated all stars

Sources http//www.derbyroster.com
http//www.twoevils.org/rollergirls/
http//www.flattrackstats.com 27 June 2008
5
Roller Derby Action

• What does it look like?

Double-click!
6
Gotham Girls Roller Derby

• Four teams, appx 12-15 skaters per team
• All-volunteer 50 skaters, 10 referees, 20
  other volunteers
• All four teams practice together and run the
  league together
• Skaters pay dues to skate. Practice 2-4 nights
  per week. Annual tryouts.
• 9 home bouts per season (8 league bouts, 1
  all-star invite)
• Bout at local college gyms capacity appx. 1100
• Reincorporated as a not-for-profit in January 2008

7
Public Relations Objective

• Already receiving frequent media coverage
• with by day by night profiles
• National and local press abounds
• April 23, 2008 Newsweek
• Two-part on-line video profile human interest
  story
• July 2008 Readers Digest
• Astronomer Moonlights as Roller Derby Queen
• June 18, 2008 USAToday - Lifestyle Section
• All Female Roller Derby Elbows Its Way In as a
  Legitimate Sport
• June 4-10, 2008 - Time Out NY Summer Fun 08
• June 20, 2008 Paul Lukass UniWatch.com blog
• Problem GGRD and modern derby routinely
  compartmentalized as a lifestyle story
• Goal More coverage as a sport
• Goal Get bout events and results listed in major
  NY daily sports sections

8
Why does derby need to be perceived as a sport?

• Growth
• Major upside as both a lifestyle property and a
  sports property
• Gateway for many young women who otherwise
  would have no interest in team sports
• Sponsorship
• Need experienced and focused sports property
  sponsors to continue growth and support the sport
• Morale
• Skaters need to feel rewarded as athletes
• May need to start paying skaters

9
Assets

• The athletes. Friendly, talented, accessible,
  and fun.
• Mature and impressive talent.
• Can no longer be dismissed as women in lingerie
  skating in circles.
• The history of roller derby. Fond public
  memories
• The team names (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens,
  Bronx)
• The human interest stories. Girl next door.
• Compelling art (logos, uniforms)

10
Assets (continued)

• New York City location national stories bring
  the media here.
• Rabid fans
• Statistically robust. (Points, assists, blocks,
  jams, etc.)
• Affordable
• Manageable schedule (1 bout every 3 or 4 weeks)
• The sport is HOT right now a global cultural
  phenomenon
• Major studio film (Whip It) w/ Ellen Page,
  release target 2009

11
Liabilities

• Low budget. Annual marketing/p.r. budget appx
  10,000
• All volunteer thin control of player and staff
  assets
• Decentralized leadership. Not for profit. By
  the skaters
• Public unfamiliarity with the sport
• Female team sport
• Historically a staged exhibition
• Skater names (e.g. Suzy Hotrod, Surly Temple)
  reinforce image as entertainment, not sport
• Not a professional sport nor a collegiate sport
  unfamiliar model
• Press left to wander around during the games
• Gets lumped together with other extreme sports
• Competing in crowded NY market
• Facility limitations
• Skaters might be too interesting as human
  interest stories

12
Media Strategy

• Emulate mainstream sports properties
• Cant expect to be treated like a sport if you
  dont act like a sport
• Actively court attention from specific sports
  media outlets
• Columnists, editors, bloggers

13
Media Tactics

• Send player news to local papers
• Bout MVP winners, rookies who pass try-outs
• Develop hospitality area
• Pre-game and post-game statistical summaries
• Post-game press conferences
• Develop introductory 5-minute DVDs
• Distribute long-form DVDs event proposals to
  local sports bars, along with GGRD logo coasters
• Schedule bout footage screening happy hours at
  local sports bars

14
Tactics (continued)

• Court specific reporters and columnists
• How? P.R. committee divide responsibilities
  for tracking writers / outlets
• Continue to develop separate press fan e-mail
  blasts and releases
• Update web content and YouTube channel with more
  snippety game action and intro to the sport of
  derby content
• Develop 2009 schedule to skirt other major NYC
  sporting events
• Create pressbox area staffed with full-time
  wrangler
• Educate skaters and staff on unified messaging
  with respect to derby past pay homage, but be
  distinct
• Send post-game stats to sports desks Saturday
  evening
• Aggressively recruit more stats staff for faster
  press support
• Support national sponsorship efforts of WFTDA
• New York as test market for national derby
  partners
• Achieve 501(c)3 charity status, court pro bono
  media work

15
Metrics

• Bout previews in the sports section
• Scoreboard listings after bouts
• More traditional sports sponsors

16
Finale

• Beyonsláy. Nuf said.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vL1uVC0VlqwY (start
at 025)
Next bout July 26