Ironic Roller Derby?

As if trying to discern the irony level associated with guns and steak wasn’t already diffcult enough, now we hear that roller derby is enjoying a renaissance:

And there are signs that the sport is moving from localized hobby to national pastime. In August Las Vegas will play host to Rollercon, the first roller derby convention; in January the A&E Network, banking on the appeal of tough and toned women in skimpy outfits, will begin showing “Roller Girls,” a 13-episode reality show. “The dramatic part is, they go and act out their therapy on the rink, which makes for good TV,” said Nancy Dubuc, a senior vice president of programming at A&E Network and the executive producer of the show.

The Web site for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league (www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com) describes each player as “an amalgam of athlete, pinup girl, rocker and brute,” and derby girls are hardly typical jocks. Their uniforms are more Victoria’s Secret than Nike, and many members of the league say the derby is the first organized sport they have ever joined.

What should be scary for New Yorkers — the cultural elite — is that no one participating seems to consider it good old ironic fun, rather, this is serious stuff:

More than 500 rockabilly fans, skateboarders, stylish girls in leg warmers and a reporter from German Playboy braved the rain on April Fool’s Day, paying $12 each to watch the Mayhem and the Bombshells in the opening bout of the season, which runs to October.