Quidditch: Sweeping the globe

Over the years Quidditch has been growing in popularity, jumping out of our most beloved Harry Potter books into our Muggle world. Many schools in the United States have decided to join the sport that has captured a lot of attention. In the United States there are more than 100 teams registered on usquidditch.org. Internationally, Quidditch is one of the fastest growing sports.

Complutense University in Madrid has jumped on board the sport of Quidditch. They have fully embraced it, wearing their purple, yellow, and white jerseys, their mascot being the lynx. For the Madrid team, the sport has become a lifestyle. They travel around Europe competing, just like those in the United States who travel across country for sport. Take a look at how the students became involved with Quidditch and why they love it!

Some join for the love of Harry Potter and their desire to be part of the universe; others do it for the love of sports (Check out our previous Quidditch article addressing this issue: “Is the sport slowly breaking away from the books?”). Quidditch is about competition, just like any other sport.

Quidditch in the books looks really violent, and to be honest that’s the same here,” laughs referee Jean Blake as two players crash into each other behind her. “It’s more violent than you could ever imagine.”

But what gives it the edge is the creativity that goes behind it and the sense of community it instills. Quidditch is becoming a part of the lives of sports lovers and Harry Potter fans alike.

For those who already love the sport or would like to watch it for the first time, US Quidditch World Cup 8 will be held April 11-12 and streamed live for all to view! More information can be found here.

A big thank you to Alex for the tip!