In 1997, JK Rowling changed the entire literary world when she wrote the first installment of her Harry Potter series. The left-leaning, progressive authoress has been making more money than she has headlines with her tale of a young boy who discovers that not only is he a wizard, but he’s the chosen one meant to take on the most evil wizard of all time.
So immersive was the world that Rowling created, that she even invented a completely new sport for her wizarding world called Quidditch. In the story, wizards and witches fly on brooms while trying to throw a ball through three different hoops on each side of the field. They also use two enchanted balls that try to knock into the players, and finally a special ball that flies through the air that only two opposing players may catch to end the game.
The popularity of the books encouraged people to try to figure out a way to play Quidditch without magic. They apparently did so, and it looks absolutely ridiculous.
Yes, these are grown adults running around, holding on to sticks between their legs as they throw balls at each other. Some balls you throw at each other (?), others go through the hoops, and I still haven’t quite figured out how they manage the gold snitch part of the game. I am not entirely certain that I care enough to check it out, either.
The sport is apparently so progressive and inclusive that they have instated something called a “Gender Maximum Rule”, which apparently makes it so that a team cannot have more than four members of one gender on the field at a time! This was clarified in the statement they released announcing their intentions to change the name of the game from Quidditch to something far less copyrighted/trademarked, and therefore profitable.
“Our sport has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive sports in the world on gender equality and inclusivity, in part thanks to its gender maximum rule, which stipulates that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the field at a time.”
They can claim what they’d like about why they are changing their name, and stand boldly before their fans and proclaim themselves gender identity inclusive all they want. The end of the road is still the same. It’s all about the Benjamins! Which isn’t really that big of surprise. Everyone wants to get paid, and being a capitalistic society, there’s nothing wrong with that.
However, part of the society is following some rules, which state that you can’t sell merchandise with trademarked or copyrighted images that you haven’t been given permission or licensing for. Warner Brother’s and J.K. Rowling own that trademark on the word Quidditch, and with the “Leagues” trying to get their games broadcasted, or trying to profit off the selling of merchandise, they have no choice but to make a massive change in name.
“For the last year or so, both leagues have been quietly collecting research to prepare for the move and been in extensive discussions with each other and trademark lawyers regarding how we can work together to make the name change as seamless as possible,” MLQ Commissioner Amanda Dallas said.
USQ executive director Mary Kimball added: “I believe quidditch is at a turning point. We can continue the status quo and stay relatively small, or we can make big moves and really propel this sport forward into its next phase. Renaming the sport opens up so many more revenue opportunities for both organizations, which is crucial to expansion. Through joint ownership of this new trademark, USQ and MLQ will be able to pursue sponsorships, broadcasting on major TV networks and other projects that’ll address some of the biggest barriers to playing the sport, like access to equipment.“
We’ll see how this goes. I can’t imagine that this will be as profitable as they are hoping it will be, but then again, you never know. Look at Lacrosse.
This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News