The Harry Potter sport of Quidditch is being renamed ‘Quadball’, following JK Rowling’s comments against trans rights.
The sport of Quidditch became a global phenomenon after its appearance in the ‘Harry Potter’ novels and movie adaptations, with thousands of fans playing the game across the world.
While flying on broomsticks remains physically impossible (for now), players instead mount sticks as they aim to get the balls through specific goals, all while keeping an eye out for that pesky and evasive Golden Snitch.
However, the name of the game has been changed from Quidditch to Quadball, in the wake of copyright issues and to distance the sport from Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s comments on trans rights.
'The name change indicates a firm stance with our trans players and members, as well as giving us more firm legal footing and opening up greater opportunities for funding and external partners', a UK spokesperson for the sport explained in a statement.
‘We’ve tried to be clear that it’s both reasons,’ Jack McGovern, a spokesman for the sport, tells The New York Times. ‘We did not intend to give a value judgement about which reason was more important than the other.’
The new name, Quadball, refers to the number of positions in the sport (four – a seeker, keeper, chaser and beater) and the number of balls (four – the snitch, a quaffle and two bludgers).
The UK Quadball spokesperson confirmed that players can expect the balls and snitch to be renamed in the near future.
‘In less than 20 years, our sport has grown from a few dozen college students in rural Vermont to a global phenomenon with thousands of players, semi-pro leagues and international championships,’ says Mary Kimball, the executive director of US Quadball.
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