Two quidditch leagues, in a professional sport inspired by the sport described in the Harry Potter series, have officially decided to change its name, owing to author J.K. Rowling’s problematic political stances.
The Harry Potter franchise has remained one of the most popular fantasy book series in the world, with all seven books being international bestsellers and all eight films based on it being major box-office hits.
Quidditch is a sport mentioned and described in the books as the most popular sport in the wizarding world. The game involves players in four main positions: Beater, Chaser, Keeper, and Seeker, chasing various kinds of balls, namely the Quaffle, Bludger, and the Golden Snitch.
Players play the game riding on their broomsticks. The main goal for each team is to catch the notoriously slippery Golden Snitch, which lands you 150 points and ends the game. A Seeker’s job is to catch the Snitch, which leads you to victory more often than not. This is also the position in which Harry Potter played.
Quidditch tournaments were held annually at Hogwarts with the teams of the four houses competing against each other for the Quidditch Cup. The fictional sport led to the formation of several quidditch leagues in real life, such as U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch.
However, the popularity of the franchise has decreased recently, owing to J.K Rowling’s transphobic comments on social media. Rowling’s anti-trans views majorly upset the Harry Potter fandom, and many fans from the LGBTQ+ community boycotted the series.
According to a report by NBC News, the governing bodies of two quidditch leagues, U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch have confirmed their plans to change the name of the sport to disassociate themselves with J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series.
The game has now been named quadball, owing to Rowling’s anti-trans views in recent years as well as due to the Potter series trademarking the name, making it difficult for the leagues to find proper sponsorship and support.
Moreover, the International Quidditch Association will also be implementing this change of name worldwide.
The quidditch-inspired quadball quickly became one of the most popular extra-curricular activities in universities across the world. This is not just because of the fantastic, high-flying element of it being implemented in reality, but also due to the machismo in the sport being much less than in other organized sports.
The change in the name of the sport also acts as a tool to limit the reach of J.K. Rowling and circumvents the debatable separation between the art and the artist, which has been a part of the Harry Potter discourse over the years. Previously, Rowling was also excluded from being a part of the Harry Potter Reunion in 2022.
This decision also gives out a strong message in support of the trans community and shows solidarity toward the LGBTQ+ community. It reflects the changing discourse of political views all over the world and the idea of accountability for controversial beliefs.
Therefore, it is promising to see these governing bodies changing the name of the sport to make it more about their own efforts rather than becoming an initiative under the already established umbrella of the Harry Potter franchise. Hopefully, the decision will work in the sport’s favor.
About Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a film series based on the eponymous novel series by J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The film series follows Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and his journey to take down the evil wizard Lord Voldemort and save Hogwarts, the Wizarding School he attended, with his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
The series was mainly produced by David Heyman, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
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