The nerds are winning: Quidditch may become an NCAA-sanctioned sport

You’re of course familiar with Quidditch for Muggles; real-life Quidditch leagues in which players dart about on the pitch with brooms between their legs. Many are college students who have grown up with the Harry Potter novels, and can’t get enough of wielding bats, chasing quaffles, flying after snitches and getting regular swirlies from unamused bullies. So until technology finally catches up and allows them to actually fly, they hone their waddling-on-brooms-while-dressed-in-robes craft on various campuses, such as Middlebury College (pictured).

Quidditch, which is basically glorified handball while holding a broom between your legs, has somehow exploded across the nation, with tournaments and teams and special brooms (which is confusing to me, because they are essentially useless unless you put shard of glass on the bristles to attack other Quidditch-ers) and even a ‘Quidditch World Cup’ in New York City. The nerds, they are winning. From the Wall Street Journal:

Harry has grown-up — and so has the sport. There are tournaments, new rules and special brooms for competitive play. The “Quidditch World Cup” is moving this year to the Big Apple from Middlebury’s idyllic campus. More than 60 college and high school teams have registered to compete Nov. 13 and 14 — up from 20 last year — at a park in Manhattan.

But just as Harry experienced growing pains, so has the “muggle” version of the game. (Muggle is the books’ term for nonmagical people.) Some players want it to become more serious — with coaches, training and cuts to make the team. Others prefer to retain its innocence and inclusiveness, even for the un-athletic.

The craziest part of it all? Quidditchers are trying to get their ‘sport’ officially sanctioned by the NCAA. Yes, an activity based from a children’s series about a magical castle world that involves holding a broom between your legs as you wear capes is trying to gain NCAA status. Imagine what Bear Bryant would think. Actually don’t, because that thought would involve a whole bunch of dead ‘Quidditch’ players.

Valerie Fischman, who plays Quidditch at the University of Maryland, would like to see it go much further. She’s been finding out what needs to be done to get the sport NCAA status. That, she says, could “be a stepping stone” to becoming an Olympic sport.

The NCAA says typically 40 to 50 schools need to sponsor a varsity sport for it to consider sponsoring a national championship. The most recent sport to gain such status: women’s bowling.

AN OLYMPIC SPORT!? What’s next, are housewives going to petition for an official fly swatting championship? Will little boys demand freestyle Lego building? Baseball isn’t even an Olympic sport, for goodness sake. I need my blankie.

– Josiah Schlatter

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This Fantasy League Gets a Stage in New York, for Real [Wall Street Journal]