April 14, 2024, marked a historic day. The Harvard Horntails, Harvard’s esteemed Quadball team, flew to Round Rock, Texas, and emerged victorious as the 2024 US Quadball D1 national champions assuming their spot as the fifth college to claim the US Quadball (USQ) Cup after Middlebury College, University of Texas Austin, University of Rochester, and University of Texas San Antonio (USTA). Quadball, inspired by the beloved broom-flying game Quidditch in the Harry Potter series, has found acceptance as a real-life sport today. J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World may be a fantasy, but “muggle (non-magical people) Quidditch” is the next best option for fans. It breaks free from the boundaries of conventional sports to spearhead a new era of athleticism where people of all identities can come together to compete.
It is every eight-year-old’s dream to sweep through the air on a Firebolt, dodging bludgers, and chasing after the Golden Snitch just like Harry Potter. The sport came to the muggle world in 2005 when two boys, Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, brought it to life as an intramural activity at Middlebury College. They never expected their contribution to the Harry Potter fandom to grow into a global phenomenon in less than 20 years.
Omitting the flying broomsticks and magical balls, Quadball is designed to mirror the magical game as much as possible. The objective of the game is simple: to score more points than your opponents. The full-contact game combines the peak strategies from a multitude of sports. With basketball boxing-out, rugby tackling, dodgeball strategy, and handball scoring, Quadball sounds like every NARP’s (non-athletic regular person) worst nightmare.
Seven players assume the pitch during a Quadball match, each straddling a broom (a PVC pipe) at all times. Three “chasers” score goals by throwing the quadball, a deflated volleyball inspired by the quaffle, into the opposing team’s hoops while the keeper is tasked with defending them. The field turns into a chaotic game of dodgeball on steroids when the two “beaters” come in hurling dodgeballs, inspired by bludgers, at the opposing players to knock them out. Finally, the seeker’s sole job is to chase down the flag, inspired by the Golden Snitch, which is strapped to the waistband of the flag runner, who is released 18 minutes into the match. Catching the flag is worth a whopping 35 points and ends the game.
In 2022, the U.S. and U.K. associations devoted to Quidditch rebranded the name from Quidditch to Quadball, marking an important moment in the sport’s history and allowing for growth, sponsorship, and expansion. The USQ supported ditching its name for two reasons: to trademark an original name away from Warner Bros and to separate ties from J.K Rowling, following her comments toward transgender people. Quadball may be young, but it has rapidly grown from a niche college sport to establishing a base of thousands of players across 40 countries and nearly 600 teams, according to the United States National Team (USNT).
Out of Harvard’s 450 student organizations, intramural sports, and extracurricular opportunities, it is doubtful that an eager high-school student lands in the Yard determined to start their Quadball career. But with a club table full of gregarious and good-looking athletes, it is hard not to be intrigued by the Harvard Quadball team. Jessica Lee ’25 led the Harvard Horntails to victory this year alongside her fellow captains Ian Palk ’25 and Max Semegran ’25 in a historic rematch against 2023 defending champions UTSA with a final score of 160-140.
Growing up playing soccer, basketball, wrestling, and rugby, Lee came to Harvard looking for a new team to join and felt that “the sport was just made for an all-around athlete.” The fast-paced game requires highly competent individuals, and Lee loves playing for The Harvard Horntails—not just because of their athletic chemistry, but also because it is one of the most inclusive teams on campus.
The International Quadball Association (IQA) believes that “Our sport has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive sports in the world on gender equality and inclusivity.” As captain, Lee feels it is imperative to live up to this reputation and foster a team environment anyone can be a part of. That was one of the reasons she was drawn to the sport: “[It is] one of the only co-ed sports here. It’s a very gender-inclusive sport and advocates for women on the field, so that was a huge plus for me.” Not only is Quadball co-ed, but the USQ has a gender maximum rule that stipulates that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the pitch at one time.
Most sports on the high school level and above operate on a binary system, divided into exclusively men’s and women’s teams. The gender maximum rule in Quadball turned this traditional gender binary on its head. Similar to Title IX, a bill ensuring equal participation in scholastic sports at the collegiate levels, the USQ developed its own version, Title 9 3 ⁄ 4, referencing the fictional train platform nine and three-quarters from the Harry Potter series. Lee emphasizes that The Harvard Horntails are dedicated to breaking the harmful gender stereotypes of being a more masculine or feminine sport and providing a platform for non-binary and transgender players to feel welcomed, respected, and valued on the pitch.
Do not be fooled by its fantastical origin—Quadball is taking off as a legitimized national sport. “One of the struggles with Quadball is people around campus not really taking it seriously,” Lee explained. “I don’t blame them. Like, it’s Quidditch.” Quadball is challenging. It is physical. It is complicated. The game has become a huge part of Lee and her teammates’ lives. She reflected, “I wish that more people would just kind of try it out or be open-minded to it as a sport.” Lee and her teammates have been scouted for the US National Team Developmental Academy. They represent the highest level of play and the future of this sport.
With four of the six starters graduating this year, the Harvard Horntails are looking for eager first-year students to hop on a broom and take the pitch. Quadball attracts people with any athletic ability and knowledge of the sport itself. Unlike the trauma many face from intensive soccer camps and mean dance instructors, Quadball is a unifying experience, because it is new for everyone. The unusual game draws people into its inclusive community and breaks down the barriers between novices and experts. Next year, the Horntails aspire to two-peat their national title and, more importantly, uphold their legacy in the strong community across the world.
Ellie Tunnell ʼ27 (ellie_tunnell@college.harvard.edu) has a celebrity crush on Viktor Krum.