Yes you read correctly, real quidditch! Quidditch, as in the sport that they play in Harry Potter. Sunday was the World Quidditch Cup hosted by IQA (International Quidditch Association). If you’ve never heard of quidditch before, let me take a brief moment to explain the game. Two teams play against each other with seven players on each team, 1 seeker, 3 chasers, 2 beaters, and 1 keeper. The point of the game is to score as much as possible, and to capture the snitch. In the book, the quidditch takes place in the air (because it is a book about wizards), but since people can’t fly real quidditch does not involve flying.
If you’re still confused, I suggest you google it.
When I first heard about it, it was a mixture of awe and shock that people actually play quidditch. I was extremely curious as to how they could manage to play a sport that exists only in books and movies. I know that there are millions of Harry Potter fans out there, but being there on Sunday was truly an experience. I’ve never been a Harry Potter event, whether it is a book signing, concert, or a leaky con. The effect that this series has on people is incredible. Harry Potter is an extremely good example of how profound the effects of the arts are. A book series created a new sport that real universities play! (Much like how Star Wars inspired a religion of The Force).
Regrettably, I wasn’t able to take any good videos of the games but I did find something on Youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKW4rVivffU&feature=related
Click Here for another video that somehow didn’t show up here.
What can I say? Harry Potter is an epic world wide phenomenon. Of course there are organized Quiddich leagues.