Still with me? Well, the sport has become tremendously popular over the last few years, and dozens of clubs have popped up at colleges and universities all around the world. Enough so, in fact, that the International Quidditch Association (yes, this exists) recently wrapped up its fourth annual Quidditch World Cup. This year, more than 750 athletes from 46 teams converged on New York's DeWitt Clinton Park for big-time Quidditch bragging rights.

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Putting the "Fun" in Fundamentals

Quidditch, in its real-world form, is pretty simple to play. Two sides converge on the Quaffles at the beginning of the match — much like the start to any dodgeball contest — and proceed to start scoring as quickly as possible. The Quaffles usually consist of a slightly deflated soccer ball or kickball, and players run around with brooms between their legs, trying to rack up points as their designated Seeker waits to grab the Golden Snitch, which is worth 30 points. (In the books, the Golden Snitch is essentially a flying golden ball with wings. Read on for how real-world Quidditch accounts for that bit of mythology.)

Photo: AP/Mary Altaffer

Authors: Erik Malinowski

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