SPORTS & AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY // OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM, ROLLER DERBY & THE DENVER ROLLERDOLLS (Repeated from Tuesday last)

sports-notebook.blogspot.com . . . FOR MORE ANALYSIS, GO TO "MILE HIGH SPORTS RADIO," AM1510 or FM93.7, and to Denver’s best sports blogging team---milehighsports.com. SPORTS NOTEBOOK posts its columns Tuesday and Friday of each week. Ed., Publ., Marvin Leibstone; Copy & Mng. Ed., Gail Kleiner . . . // . . SPORTS & AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY // OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM, ROLLER DERBY & THE DENVER ROLLERDOLLS(Repeated from Tuesday last)---SPORTS, INDEPENDENCE DAY--- SURELY we are “Sports-Nation America,” which millions of Americans prove during a July 4th weekend with their presence at games, “Land Of The Free, Home Of The Brave,” followed by, “Play Ball.” And, there’s a powerful current beneath this, “Independence,” a gift that’s been nourished and built upon by Americans since 1776. Where’s the sports connection? It rides and reflects that current. Not only does America surpass all other countries in number of “private sector” sports associations (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHA, others), America’s sports speak to that which we are as a nation. It’s likely that during our Civil War and a cease fire, soldiers from both sides would have sneaked onto a meadow to play baseball, teams made up of both blue and gray, no guns or swords drawn. Perhaps a more explicit example of America’s love of, and need of, independence being expressed by an American sport is that after the Nazis were defeated in Europe in 1945 an American baseball game was played at the Nuremburg, Germany, stadium where Hitler had once had thousands of Germans gather to listen to his anti-independence gibberish. But many cynics say that America’s sports underscore a dark side of independence, they argue that within our freedom, our style of democracy, exists the unpleasant fact of “losing XXX-Large,” that an organization or an individual will definitely lose in America no matter the endeavor while others will win. Well, these cynics just don’t get it, they don’t realize that in America’s sports is a basic principle that most Americans cherish, this: “Sports are more about how a game should be played ‘win or lose.’” There’s plenty of win in this, no matter the final score, a fact to be remembered and honored on July 4th, for it is a subset of the freedom that we cherish. This year, America’s soccer team failed to go all the way during the World Cup, but Team USA did its best. There’s no sulking among its players now, their new mantra is, “Wait ‘til 2018.” Yet the cynics keep rollin’ in, which can overshadow that Team USA “dared greatly,” going up against great soccer (futbol) clubs, which reminds of the following statement made by U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt, (year, 1910), which surely all cynical and habitually-complaining sportswriters and analysts need to read several times a year. A survey would prove that the statement fits well with how most Americans prefer to think, even if many of us fail to live up to it 24/7, whether about sports, other occupations or our personal wishes, (paraphrased:), and the statement certainly resonates for America’s athletes and sports fans, “IT is not the critic who counts. . . the credit belongs to the person who is in the arena. . . who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who at the end knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he or she fails at least fails why ‘daring greatly’. . .” Let’s distill this, “Home of the brave!” . . . // . . ROLLER DERBY; DENVER ROLLERDOLLS (Repeated, last posting)---IT SN’T EVERY DAY that this page’s correspondent gets to watch and hear his daughter sing the National Anthem prior to a sports event, which happened for him on Sunday at Denver’s Glitterdome. Stephanie delivered the essence of our National Anthem superbly, causing attendees to re-experience true love of country, while her Dad added a few tears + smiles of pride in her. And, it isn’t every day that this page’s correspondent gets introduced, no “re-introduced,” to a sport that deserves a lot more interest and bigger audiences than it has received of late, which is what followed the cherished National Anthem and Stephanie’s fine rendition of it. The sport? “Roller Derby,” which lost large audiences decades ago due to the staged violence that is still seen during America’s televised wrestling matches. Well, that nonsense is gone from skating. On Sunday, I watched sub-sets of the Denver Roller Dolls defeat a visiting team’s like units from another region of the country. The competition that these teams engaged in was definitely “serious sport,” not the craziness that existed long ago. In other words, Roller Derby has cleaned up its act, “it’s been civilized.” Here’s how it goes now, no longer scripted mainly for low-end Jerry Springer-type entertainment---Two opposing teams of five skate in the same direction for a series of matches upon a circular track, one team assaulting, the other defending. Each team takes its turn in offense-mode to score points by having a team-member, the “Jammer,” skate through or around the defending five. Imagine football or rugby on wheels without the use of a ball, the “Jammer” being a sort of running back attempting to crash through or get around a defensive line. . . Roller Derby, a sport that became part of our culture in the 1930’s and grew an audience greater than 4.5 million, got “suckered” in the 1950’s and 1960’s by promoters wanting to keep the dollars rolling in via planned phony jabs, kicks, elbows in the eye, knocks on the head and hammerlocks, a phoniness that became tiresome and the sport’s near-demise. But a new millennium overhaul has recreated the Derby into pure competition, worthy of interest from the IOC. If there can be “curling” in the Olympics, why not today’s version of Roller Derby? Presently, there are more than 1,200 Roller Derby athletes worldwide, approximately half from the U.S., the lion’s share being women, and ranked high in U.S. and world competition are Denver’s “Roller Dolls,” seen regularly at Denver’s Glitterdome, 3600 Wynkoop St., denverrollerdolls.org