I have been told far too many times that Quidditch is not a sport. This rejection does not typically come from my peers; rather it comes from those in positions of power in relation to clubs and sports on campuses. For the 1000s of us that play around the country, we disagree.
In case you don’t know the back story, Muggle Quidditch began a few years ago at Middlebury College. Several years and well over 100 college teams later, the International Quidditch Association is now a 501c3 non-profit, and there is to be a World Cup held in New York city this year to see which team is the best of the best. In the game, the quaffle is a deflated volleyball that needs to be run down the field and thrown by one of the three chasers into one of the three hoops. The two beaters on each team need to try and pelt the other team with dodgeballs. If you get hit, you need to stop what you are doing and run around your goal line. The keeper is the goalie. And the seeker chases after the snitch. The snitch is a person dressed in yellow who is tasked with the power to anything in order to get away.
As you can see, it is quite a developed game, with new versions of the rule book put out every year to optimize the game. Quidditch also happens to be a full contact sport, so it is not for the faint of heart. So then, why is Quidditch shunned by sports editors, and athletics departments alike? They claim it is not a real sport. Well, let’s ask then what defines a sport.
Merriam Webster defines a sport as such: (1) :a physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in."
By that definition, Quidditch is definitely a sport. It is a physical activity and people play it because it is a shit ton of fun. Lets look at the more in depth definition provided by Wikipedia.
"A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In sports the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome (winning or losing). The physical activity involves the movement of people, animals and/or a variety of objects such as balls and machines or equipment."
Quidditch has an organized set of rules, and it is played competitively team against team. It is entertaining to watch, and it requires strategy and skill to really excel at it. The winner is whichever team has a higher score when the snitch is caught. It takes commitment to a team to do well, and fair play is governed by a team of multiple referees. It involves the movements of people and balls down the field. Once again, it seems by definition, Quidditch is very much a sport. Why then is there so much friction against its support by athletics departments?
I think the main reason why is because it is based off of Harry Potter. It is based off of a wizard in a magical land with flying brooms, magic wands, and people who can talk to snakes. It is considered preposterous that something from such a fantasy world can be a sport to the likes of soccer, or baseball, or even ultimate Frisbee. I think that this is totally a flawed approach. A sport is something that you want people to enjoy doing. You want it to be marketable, and to draw crowds. You want it to be something to draw prestige to your athletic department. If you look beyond the initial ridiculousness, Quidditch can do just that.
Harry Potter is certainly marketable. It is arguably the most successful media franchise of recent memory with a dedicated fan base, and millions upon millions grossed on movies and book sales. Quidditch can draw crowds. In fact, at Tufts, Quidditch brings out larger audiences then most other sports that are going on. Additionally, with the World Cup growing larger than ever this year in NYC, there is a chance to win prestige by making it far into the tournament. Any argument that I have heard against is simply unfounded on any real base.
One more great reason for the existence of Quidditch is that it is a sport that is open to all. There are many people who go out and play Quidditch who have never done any sports in the past. They feel it is more accessible than other sports, and they have a great time playing it. Quidditch is valuable in helping to promote healthy exercise, and can offer people a true sports team feeling that some people may not ever have had in the past.
So where do we go from here? At Tufts at least, we are hopeful that the administration will be open to conversation about where Quidditch can fit in. For the mean time, until we get the recognition that the sport deserves, we will continue doing what we have done from the beginning. We will go out there and have a fraking good time.
By the way, check out these two websites to see more:
To see some cool pictures of the game being played, and myself chasing a Snitch, check out the documentary being made by some great Tufts students: http://itsrealforus.com/
For more information on the IQA: http://www.internationalquidditch.org/
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