Once again, fiction becomes reality—sort of. The wizard sport Quidditch, from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series1, has made its way into the real world. The International Quidditch Association “serves to promote Quidditch as a new sport and lead outreach programs to increase athletic participation among children and young adults and bring magic to communities.” According to the organization’s website,
“Muggle Quidditch,” or “Ground Quidditch,” began in 2005 as an intramural league at Middlebury College in Vermont. The rules were adapted from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels by Alexander Manshel, the first Quidditch Commissioner. […]
Since then the IQA has helped students from more than 400 colleges and 300 high schools form teams, and over half of them are active already.
Players must be mounted on broomsticks (while running), and the snitch is played by a neutral “Snitch Runner” dressed in yellow and bearing a yellow sock with a tennis ball in it. sadly, no one flies. The 2011 Quidditch World Cup will be held in NYC November 12-13. Let’s hope that some parts of fiction don’t become reality.2
If you’re not an athlete but still want in on the Quidditch craze, consider one of these T-shirts:
and dig the unholy mashup between the new sport, the novels, Jay-Z, and internet memes.
1 Did I really have to tell you that?
2 Seriously. “Harry Potter.” It’s a series. Go get yourself a copy.
