Two teams of colleges square off against each other, trying to throw a deflated volleyball through three vertical hoops.
As offense they throw dodge balls at each other, all while using one arm to keep a broom between their legs. Off field the “snitch” has been caught, ending the game after only a few minutes.
Even if you are familiar with Harry Potter, the Muggle Quidditch Tournament on April 24 is a lot to take in. The fact that the mysteriously broken camera I used to film the event caught everything in red and green only adds to the 70s acid trip effect.
Muggle Quidditch is definitely an act of geek culture, which is evident from the fake magical brooms to the slogans printed on the back of the players uniforms, some lifted straight from the book.
Harrison Homel, commissioner of the Moorpark College Muggle Quidditch club, is aware of how his sport looks to outsiders, a geeky activity on the same page as D&D and Live Action Role Playing.
He still says, however, that Muggle Quidditch is more than that, a legitimate sport for college students, even those not familiar with Harry Potter.
He recently was called on to KROQ’s Kevin and Bean morning talk show, where he tried to defend Muggle Quidditch as the two talk show hosts made fun of the event.
“People keep saying they were harsh and stuff, but I feel like it was exactly what I was anticipating, because that’s what they do,” said Homel.
He took issue with one comment, however, where they compared the game to Furrries, internet fandom centered on anthropomorphic animal characters.
“I took offense at the furry comment. It’s just not the same,” said Homel.
He also said that if Kevin and Bean actually came down to play a game, they might change their tone.
“I wanted to challenge Kevin and Bean to come out and play with us,” said Homel. “They need to play with us, and when they do they will find out that it is a lot more like some of the sports they’re more used to, then people who dress as animals.”
There is also one other activity that is almost eerily close to Muggle Quidditch. Live Action Role Playing, or LARPING, is essentially a version of Dungeon and Dragons acted out in public.
Cambria Wells, secretary for the Muggle Quidditch club, agrees that there are some parallels between the two activities.
She says that Muggle Quidditch differs in the sense that it’s meant to taken as more of a sport.
“I think there’s a serious side to Muggle Quidditch that Live Action Role Playing doesn’t always have, because there is real competition and there is real injury,” said Wells.
Muggle Quidditch will probably continue to grow in popularity throughout the colleges, and also will continue to draw criticism from geek culture outsiders looking in.
For now though, Wells and other players can keep playing a sport that doesn’t have to worry about being totally centered on intense competition, a sport that still lets it’s players have fun.
“Right now it’s kind of the golden age of Muggle Quidditch because it’s organized, but it’s not ridiculously serious like other team sports,” said Wells. “That’s why I play it.”
