Real-life quidditch – which is based on the game featured in the Harry Potter books – is being renamed quadball by the sport’s governing bodies to “distance themselves from the works” of author JK Rowling.
US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch said at the end of last year they would conduct a series of surveys to find a new name for the sport.
The leagues said the reasons included the name “quidditch” being trademarked by American film company Warner Bros. – which produced the Harry Potter movies – and because JK Rowling “has increasingly come under scrutiny for her anti-trans positions in recent years”.
The International Quidditch Association will also be adopting the new name worldwide, according to the announcement.
Major League Quadball, formerly Major League Quidditch, said changing the name “opens unprecedented opportunities for growth, exposure and partnerships”.
The league added it was a “game changer” and we are “looking to make the most of it”.
Mary Kimball, executive director of US Quadball, said in a statement: “In less than 20 years, 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.
“Our organisations are committed to continuing to push quadball forward.”
JK Rowling’s June 2020 tweet about “people who menstruate” led to highly publicised accusations of transphobia, which she denies.
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