Quidditch is now quadball: Sport CREATED by JK Rowling snubs author over alleged transphobia
The sport of real-life quidditch, modeled on the fantastical game from 'Harry Potter,' has rebranded to “distance themselves” from author JK Rowling. Now, athletes will mount broomsticks to play 'quadball.'
US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, the sport's regulatory bodies, indicated last year that they planned to change the name for two reasons. First, they want to "separate themselves from the works of JK Rowling, who has increasingly come under fire in recent years for her anti-trans sentiments." Second, they claimed that Warner Bros has trademarked the term "quidditch," limiting the sport's broadcast and advertising potential.
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They stated that they adopted the new moniker after conducting a poll among players and fans. The term quadball refers to the number of balls used in the sport as well as the number of places.
The sport's US governing body altered its name immediately, while Major League Quidditch indicated it will adopt the moniker after the 2022 MLQ Championship in August. According to Tuesday's statement, the International Quidditch Association will likewise accept the name change globally.
"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 in less than 20 years," Mary Kimball, executive director of US Quadball, said in a statement. "Our organisations are devoted to pushing forward."
The leagues said in their statement on Tuesday that Rowling's ideas have been criticized by three lead actors in the 'Harry Potter' film series, as well as LGBTQ advocacy groups such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign.
In recent years, Rowling has frequently tweeted and written about transgender people. For example, in June 2020, she published a nearly 4,000-word blog piece that some dubbed a "transphobic manifesto." In the post, she questioned whether more young people have come out as transgender as a result of a "contagion" driven by social media.
She also spoke about her personal experiences with domestic abuse and assault, which she claimed made her concerned about the safety of women and girls in public restrooms and locker rooms.
According to a 2018 study conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, there is no evidence that allowing transgender people to use toilets and other public facilities that correspond to their gender identity increases safety risks.
According to the leagues, Rowling's public statements contradict the sport's dedication to diversity. Quidditch, now quadball, has "developed a reputation as one of the most progressive sports in the world in gender equality and inclusivity," according to US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, in part due to its gender maximum rule, which states that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the field at the same time.
The real-life game, invented in 2005 by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe at Middlebury College in Vermont, is similar to soccer and field hockey, but uses broomsticks. It is now played by over 600 teams in 40 nations. When the leagues announced the name change in December, Benepe stated he was "thrilled that USQ and MLQ are headed down this route."
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According to the leagues, he added, "Big changes like this don't come without risk, but I've been a strong champion for making this shift for a long time." "The sport requires its own place with no restrictions on its future expansion, and altering the name is critical to attaining that."
