The real game that’s based on a fictional game has changed its real name.
Quidditch is from the imagination of J.K Rowling, who created it as a popular sport played by the characters of her best-selling Harry Potter novels. It inspired real-life leagues around the world that have now chosen to abandon the Quidditch name for two main reasons.
The headline issue is that the organizers of the real game have chosen to distance themselves from J.K Rowling, citing her “anti-trans positions,” which has caused her to be the subject of ongoing controversy. To say that Rowling has experienced a significant backlash for her ongoing transgender-related comments is an understatement. If you’re one of the few who are unaware of the controversy then it can be summed up by Rowling debating the identities of transgender people.
Overall, it seems as if Rowling’s legacy is becoming as much about her commentary on the trans community as it is about her writing Harry Potter.
Rowling has attempted to clarify her position by stating, “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
Rowling denies being transphobic but, regardless of what you might personally believe, she has made her opinions on the transgender community her main topic of discussion for the last two years. It has earned the displeasure of many actors of the Harry Potter films, including its stars who reunited as part of an HBO special without Rowling. All three stars of the blockbuster film series, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have spoken out against Rowling’s beliefs.
Eddie Redmayne, who stars in the Fantastic Beasts series – a Harry Potter spin-off series – stated, “I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”
There is another big issue, however. “Quidditch” is a term that’s trademarked by Warner Brothers and J.K. Rowling has approval rights. Alex Benepe, co-founder of the real-life version of the sport and found and commissioner of the International Quidditch Association, explained that Warner Brothers has been generous in allowing the selling of tickets and playing under the Quidditch name. However, not owning the name has prevented the sport from receiving broadcast rights and sponsorship opportunities. Not wanting to be prevented from growing any further, it seems a name change was the best solution. Now, that’s a reality.
The sport formerly known as “Quidditch” is henceforth known as “Quadball.” The name references the number of balls used and also the number of unique player positions. It’s also quite ingenious when you consider it starts with a “Q” and thus doesn’t force any leagues to change their abbreviations.
Both the International Quidditch Association and Major League Quidditch have stated that they will soon be changing the name to Quadball. The US governing body of the sport has already changed its name to US Quadball.
Benepe stated, “From a long-term development perspective, I feel confident this is a smart decision for the future that will allow the sport to grow without limits.”
Despite citing the J.K Rowling controversy, it seems clear that a name change is the direction that the sport has been wanting to go in for at least the last 5 years.
In a 2017 interview with Quidditchpost, Benepe stated that they were considering changing the name of the sport as well as the names of the player positions and other terminology.
Also in that interview, he further explained, “Our sport is already moving into its own realm. Let’s prove it is a true sport and create and define its own branding. Our rules are already significantly different and more complex than the books. The rulebook we wrote looks nothing like ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’ except for the names. This would also be easier on Warner Brothers as they would not have to police us.” You can read the entire interview here.
The sport began in 2005 and is now played by over 600 teams in 40 countries. Whether or not the name change truly does help the sport grow will certainly be intriguing to follow.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that Quidditch is a game played with flying brooms and thus the real-life equivalent technically cannot be Quidditch. It’s believed that wizards don’t actually play the game in real-life either. So, a name change to Quadball seems much more rooted in reality.