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When Would-Be Wizards Became Warriors

If you look hard enough, there are no shortage of incredibly awesome fringe sports being played on this wonderful planet of ours. From road tennis in Barbados to cycleball across Europe, local pride frequently manifests itself in these oft-hidden and much-beloved acts of sport and ritual that the mainstream often overlooks, with a myopic eye often toward only what's trending on Twitter.

But beyond these fringe sports, which are often rooted in hundreds of thousands of years of history, once-fictional sports are now coming to life, imbuing the global sporting scene with new ways to compete in a communal spirit previously left to living room book clubs. Competitive Quidditch, the high-flying, broom-centric sport played by the young wizard wannabes of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular children's book, has led the way in this movement, popping up a mere five years ago on the campus of Middlebury College as a club sport for Harry Potter enthusiasts.

Today, it has grown into its kind of global phenomenon, which culminated this fall as thousands of people descended on New York City for the Quidditch World Cup, won (perhaps unsurprisingly) by Middlebury over the upstart Tufts Tufflepuffs. (Yes, that's their club name.)

There is a movement underway to petition the NCAA to make Quidditch a full-fledged U.S. collegiate sport, and if there's any justice, students around the country will soon be attending university on Seeker scholarships. Because, when you think about it, aren't we all after a Golden Snitch of some kind?

Image: Tina Fineberg /AP

Authors: Erik Malinowski

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