ABSTRACT
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), as governing body of the sport, advised teams how best to use Whip It. WFTDA recognized that the film could encourage old myths about roller derby and sought to give leagues the tools to answer "undesirable questions" in ways that separated the major-studio fiction of Whip It from the largely DIY ('do it yourself') sport. Co-optation of a rebellious, DIY scene like roller derby to the dollar-focused salesmanship of mass consumer culture is nothing new. Aimed at a mass audience, the closed system of production had pushed female athletes mostly to TV's sidelines, treating them more as characters than as athletes. Female athletes face sexual stigma and stereotyping that discredit their athletic professionalism. Greater legitimacy as athletes means less defiance. Women struggle with the prospect of adapting to the men's model of sport that they took such pride in flouting.
