summer 2012

Whydo we playquidditch?You only need one reason for anyone to playthe game, and there are hundreds of reasonsto choose from. Once again, quidditchfinds itself in a unique place in the worldof sport. In this case, it’s because some ofthose reasons are perceived to be mutuallyexclusive. Can quidditch be a serious andcompetitive sport in which the championshipsmatter, and at the same time, keep thewhimsical, fun, sometimes Harry Potterbasedelements that got the game started inthe first place?This dichotomy has always been presentin quidditch, back to the days when teamswere required to wear capes at the WorldCup (which was most recently the case atWorld Cup III in 2009). Some teams stillgo with capes, some go with joke or nonnumbersor fake names on their jerseys, andseveral rock tie-dye uniforms. Texas A&Mhas become famous for the shiny leggingsthat several players use as part of their uniforms.Western Cup champion USC’s jerseynumbers include