OT: Quidditch now a club sport at Michigan

Submitted by evenyoubrutus on

http://www.michigandaily.com/content/quidditch

This is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

My favorite line:

The “Snitch Runner” sticks a tube sock containing a tennis ball into his or her pants.

“So to catch the Snitch you have to grab the ball out of the Snitch’s pants,” Byl said. “The Snitch can hide, the Snitch can climb trees ... it’s pretty fun.”

So the big question is: when does MGoBlog start covering it?

UMAmaizinBlue

October 21st, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^

I mean, why even bother with the Quaffle if the snitch is worth 150 points and it's almost always caught before the game gets out of hand? That ALWAYS bothered me. It's like playing basketball for a few hours only to have one team win because the mascot did a backflip dunk at the end, regardless of the previous score. Frustrating.

steelymax

October 21st, 2010 at 4:35 PM ^

A very apt analogy. I suspect JK Rowling isn't much of a sports fan because she clearly doesn't understand how competetive team sports work and how strategy is applied... or she just needed something for Harry to be good at and invented the "seeker" position.

smwilliams

October 21st, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^

All I have to say is this...

Rich Rod needs to do a better job recruiting teenaged English wizards who could've made a big difference in both the MSU/Iowa games by casting spells to either blind opposing QBs or turn JT Floyd and James Rogers into super-fast, super-tall giants.

I mean, Potter and Weasley both went to Hogwart's and Weasley barely played under that snake oil salesman Dumbledore.

Nick

October 21st, 2010 at 9:53 PM ^

It is because the points are cummulative so sometimes at the end of the season, teams would need to get say like a 50 or 100 or whatever point lead first and then catch the snitch to win by a lot.

This would allow them to leapfrog teams in the standings and win the cup!!

BlockM

October 21st, 2010 at 4:13 PM ^

Heard some guys talking about this today on campus. Also saw a girl wearing a "Michigan Quidditch" shirt while walking to the Iowa game. She was walking in the opposite direction, obviously.

CRex

October 21st, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^

I think we should make Ezeh join.  He could use the tackling practice and sometimes you just need to knock some sense into people.  

Also I will bet a majority of that team is made up of girls, so you could at least meet chicks.  Although I don't think I'd date a girl who was that serious about Harry Potter.  Still exercise and meeting girls is exercise and meeting girls.  

steelymax

October 21st, 2010 at 4:17 PM ^

There are "points" scored by each team, but they're completely irrelevant once the snitch is caught...? Every Harry Potter fan I know is a girl and none of them can explain the logic of this.

Md23Rewls

October 21st, 2010 at 6:55 PM ^

IIRC, the winner of the Quidditch Cup wasn't the team with the best record, but best point differential. Therefore, playing the quaffle is very important for that purpose. Of course, in a game where you realize your team is more talented, the seeker should just try to obstruct the other seeker while your team racks up points. 

Blue in Seattle

October 21st, 2010 at 7:36 PM ^

The only thing worse than complaining about a fairy tale game in a fairy tale is justifying the fairy tale game.

Or are you missing that fact that grown adults with magic are letting children with magic face all the danger and solve everything themselves?

The reason is because it's a children's book, written for children's intellects.

Oh wait, I think I just cleared up my confusion about why this was even posted.

Carry on kids!

ty@thelionsinwinter

October 22nd, 2010 at 2:18 PM ^

Plucky teenagers with swords and spiky hair aren't the best choice for besting hundred-million-year-old space monsters, either, but Chrono Trigger is still the best videogame ever.  Is there any more universal children's fantasy than showing dumb old grownups how its' done?

BTW, I thought Rowling effectively warded off the Snitch/Seeker deus ex machina effect.  Didn't a World--er, Quidditch--Cup knockout round ended with a seeker catching the snitch when his team was down 160?

Peace

Ty

schmakj

October 21st, 2010 at 7:53 PM ^

Is there a chance that JKR designed Quidditch to be a silly and ridiculous sport which everyone would be insanely crazy about to make a point about society's obsession with sport and the negative lengths to which we take that passion?

I feel like JKR channeled her personal thoughts about sport through Hermione when Hermione would get flustered about the ridiculous amount of time spent on sport and the anger, frustration, and consternation that stirred friendships and created stark divides between competing teams/houses during Quidditch matches. JKR, perhaps, was suggesting we, as a society, spend too much time and negative energy on simple games which are supposed to be a wholesome distraction emphasizing sportsmanship, athleticism, and entertainment.

...

Alright, now I'm off to go watch the UCLA-Oregon game just in case it effects Michigan's BCS chances and to simultaneously root for the result to somehow hurt OSU and MSU.

Zone Left

October 21st, 2010 at 4:18 PM ^

Am I the only one who thinks having a hidden ball in someone's pants that needs to be retrieved could result in some unfortunate (or fortunate) unintended consequences?

Where can the snitch hide?  There's a sausage joke here somewhere.