Two of the largest Quidditch leagues in America announced to change their names to “distance” themselves from the Harry Potter author. In recent years, J.K. Rowling has increasingly been caught in controversy for her anti-trans positions. In a joint statement, Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) said they would decide on a Quidditch name change.
Quidditch first appeared in her book series as a fictional sport played by the wizards. Over 450 teams in more than 30 countries play the real-life version of the sport.
J.K Rowling’s spokesman emphasized that Rowling had never endorsed these Quidditch leagues.
The Times said possible options being considered by USQ include Quicker, Quickbal, Quidstrike, and Quadraball.
USQ and MLQ said the Quidditch name change might enable them to detach themselves from the works of J.K. Rowling. The author of the popular book series Harry Potter has been under fire following a trans row.
“Our sport has established a reputation as one of the most progressive sports worldwide on gender equality and inclusivity. Thanks to its gender maximum rule.” – Excerpt from USQ and MLQ’s Joint Statement.
The teams’ position has been supported by QuidditchUK, the national governing body for the sport.
However, the Blair Partnership literacy agency spokesman said that J.K. Rowling has never endorsed these teams.
J.K. Rowling trans controversy
Rowling initially sparked debate in June 2020 for posting tweets on the issue with the phrase “people who menstruate”. She opposed the idea of avoiding the use of the word “women”. She was also criticized for questioning that the male and female sexes don’t exist.
In a follow-up blog, she narrated her interest in trans issues stemmed from being a survivor of abuse and problems regarding single-sex spaces.
Rowling also shared a news article about an MP who had tagged the “absurdity” of police recording rapists as women.
Rowling shared a message from a follower online apologizing to the author for having earlier labeled her transphobic when she had been “standing up for women.” Some people applauded Rowling’s comments, while others criticized her. Many high-profile individuals associated with her have avoided Rowling’s comments about trans issues. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint were among those who have distanced themselves from Rowling’s remarks. Several Quidditch organizations are now following suit.
What is Quidditch?
Rowling introduced the sport in her popular book series, Harry Potter. The sport first appeared in the novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 1997. Her works show that games are played on a large oval pitch with three ring-shaped goals. Each team has seven players: three chasers, two beaters, the keeper, and the seeker.
The team with the most points at the end of the match wins unless one team locates and catches the Golden Snitch. Catching the Golden Snitch earns them an undisputable game-winning 150 points.
Harry Potter and other wizards and witches played the game, flying on their broomsticks at Hogwarts school.
The real-life version, which began on the US universities in 2007, has players run with brooms between their legs. Several American schools, such as UC Berkeley, have added Quidditch as one of their team sports. Collegiate leagues compete in an annual national tournament, where the University of Texas emerged as the winner in 2020.
Since then, the sport has become popular in more than 25 countries and multiple international tournaments, including a World Cup. The Quidditch Premier League includes 10 teams in the UK, divided into the North and South divisions.
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