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Quidditch Players Change Sport’s Name to Quadball to Distance Game From J.K. Rowling

The niche sport from the books has taken issue with what it considers transphobic statements from the “Harry Potter” author.

The real-life sport of Quidditch has changed its name to Quadball in a bid to distance the game from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch rebranded to U.S. Quadball and Major League Quadball on Tuesday. They first announced they would look for a new name for the sport last December, after taking issue with some of Rowling’s statements that they considered anti-trans. The organizers also hoped the new name would allow the sport to grow after being freed from any potential copyright issues arising from Warner Bros. ownership of the “quidditch” trademark. The real-world sport—which has sometimes been referred to as “Muggle Quidditch”—involves two opposing teams running around an oval pitch with broomsticks while trying to throw balls through a series of hoops.