There are a lot of people out there who are completely obsessed with sports, and there are constant arguments about which sport is better or if it even is a sport at all. For example, cheerleading is constantly downplayed as a sport and football is extremely, almost religiously, up-played as a sport. Pun intended. But there is one game that is catching on in the world that some people refuse to except as a sport: Quidditch.
Quidditch consists of seven players on a team running across a field with a broom between their legs. The players include three Chasers, whose job is to score on the other team using the Quaffle; two beaters, whose job is to disrupt the other players by throwing bludgers, or dodgeballs, at them; a Keeper, who guards their team's goal post; and a Seeker, whose job is to catch the Snitch, or in Muggle Quidditch, a person with a tennis ball stuffed into a sock into their shorts. Sound complicated? It's really not.
How can Quidditch be a sport? It's a fantasy game created by the amazing author J.K. Rowling and played like a cult in the Harry Potter books. Well, it is played as an actual sport as of 2005 and has brought together almost one hundred teams and thousands of people. There have been nine World Cups held by the United States Quidditch (USQ) association with the last one being April 16th and 17th, but I'm getting off topic.
Many people don't think or believe that Quidditch is a sport and to the Quidditch advocates out there, this is not okay. It is just as physical and complex as any other sport and even better in some aspects. And because of the great love of football in our country, I thought it would be nice to compare and gives reasons as to why Quidditch is better than football.
1. The Amount of Physical Exercise
Quidditch is an extremely physical, contact oriented sport. Players throw dodgeballs at each other, hardcore tackle each other, and are constantly moving. And they do all of this without padding! Try doing that in football.
2. Requires Great Coordination
In football all you have to do is catch a ball and run while avoiding the other players. In Quidditch you have to keep a "broom" between your legs at all times, score on the other team, avoid the bludgers being chucked at you, and keep in mind that you can only touch the balls allowed for your position.
3. Serious Players and Serious Fans
This is a good tie here actually, because let's face it, there are some pretty loyal fans and players out there for both Quidditch and Football. This is just a comparison to show that Quidditch is taken very seriously just like football.
4. The Gender Rule
Football is a "man's" sport. This is not to offend all of the girl football fans out there who are just as hardcore-if not more than guys, but this when you consider who plays professional football, it is all men. Quidditch, on the other hand, has an actual rule regarding the amount of gender a team can have. USQ states that there can be no more than four of the same gender on one team, not including the seeker.
5. People Grasp Quidditch Better
For some reason, Quidditch is easier to catch on than football. Maybe it's because people actually want to learn how Quidditch works and don't really care for football?
6. It's FANTASYtic
Quidditch is such a fantastic idea and so many people come from all across the nation and internationally to participate in Quidditch events. Sure you have the Superbowl every year for football fans, but can you really say that is a magical experience were teams, every single team, can bond over and meet friends for life? Football teams are out to win and claim the next Superbowl title, Quidditch teams compete to share a common fantasy or goal about making their dreams and imaginations come true. It allows them to go back to their childhood of when they read Harry Potter and actually live the parts they once desperately wanted to be a part of. Can you say that about football?
Sports have been part of the American culture since the beginning and football has been around for a long time. Many people think Quidditch is not going to last, but if you were to ask a Quidditch player if their game will stick around, they will reply with "Always."
