It's every child's dream to have elements of his or her favorite storybook come to life, and the Harry Potter series was a lot of children's favorite books. With this in mind we present the following: There is a national quidditch league, and they're playing this weekend in San Francisco.
Quidditch existed solely as a fictional sport in the Harry Potter universe until 2005 when, according to the Major League Quidditch press kit, Middlebury College students created a version of the game that didn't require flying brooms (although players are required to keep brooms between their legs at all times).
Picture some combination of field hockey, rugby, and dodgeball.
The rules (emphasis added):
Three chasers use a slightly deflated volleyball called the quaffle to score goals on one of three hoops. Each goal is worth 10 points. They advance the quaffle down the field by running with it, passing it or kicking it. Each team has a keeper who defends the hoops. Two beaters use dodgeballs called bludgers to disrupt the flow of the game by “knocking out” other players. Any player hit by a bludger is out of play until they touch their own hoops. Each team also has a seeker who tries to catch the snitch. The snitch is a ball attached to the waistband of the snitch runner, a neutral party in a yellow uniform who uses any means to evade capture. The snitch is worth 30 points and its capture ends the game. If the score is tied after the snitch catch, the game proceeds into overtime.
The action starts tomorrow near the Beach Chalet, where the San Francisco Argonauts will challenge the Los Angeles Guardians to a three-game series. Apparently the Argonauts and Guardians are division rivals, so you know it's going to get heated.
Tickets are free, and the action takes flight at 2:00 p.m. To hold you over until tomorrow, definitely watch the sweet quidditch highlight reel embedded below.
