美国国家公共电台 NPR--Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from Harry Potter author

Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from Harry¹ Potter author

Transcript²

The San Antonio Soldados and the Kansas City Stampede face off during the 2021 regular Major League Quidditch season last July in Round Rock, Texas. The league and the sport's governing bodies announced on Tuesday that the sport is rebranding as quadball.

Major League Quidditch

Fans of quidditch are now fans of quadball, the new name for the real-life sport that was first inspired by the Harry Potter book series.

U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch announced the name change on Tuesday as well as their own rebranding as U.S. Quadball and Major League Quadball. The groups announced their intention to find a new name for the sport in December, citing what they called anti-trans positions of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

In addition to distancing themselves from the author, organizers hope the name change will give the sport more opportunities to grow and not be inhibited³ by the trademark⁴ for "quidditch" being owned by Warner Bros.

"Bringing full creative control of the name of our sport to the vibrant⁵ community of players and fans that has grown and sustained it will allow our organizations to take the next step," MLQ co-commissioner Amanda Dallas said in a statement. "We are now able to pursue the kinds of opportunities that our community has dreamed about for years."

Fans and players were polled as part of the name change process, MLQ said, with "quadball" receiving "strong support across demographic groups in the surveys."

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The rules of the sport will remain the same, with four balls on the field and four different positions. Both of those are referenced in the new name.

The names of those positions and the balls will remain the same for now, but MLQ notes that both could change at a later date.

The first quidditch match took place at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2005, where the game was created by Alex Benepe and Xander Manshel. Benepe called the name change a "bold move."

"For me personally there is definitely some nostalgia⁶ to the original name, but from a long term development perspective I feel confident this is a smart decision for the future that will allow the sport to grow without limits into its own unique space for many years to come," he said in a statement.

During the sport's initial years, many were drawn⁷ to it because of the connection with the blockbuster book and movie series, but since then it has become known as an intense, full-contact sport full of athleticism⁸. It's now played in at least 40 countries with nearly 600 teams in existence.

While the inspiration for Harry Potter may remain a draw for some, MLQ media outreach coordinator⁹ Jack¹⁰ McGovern said it's important for the sport to remain welcoming to everyone.

"I think our leagues have always and still attract people from lots of different backgrounds. People who come to the sport because they are Harry Potter fans and people who come to the sport because they are looking for an outlet¹¹ for athletics¹² in their life," McGovern said. "The sport has also always drawn heavily from the LGBTQ+ community and maintaining a welcoming space for all of those people who might be interested in the sport is really important to us."

The change in name has already been adopted by USQ and MLQ will officially adopt the new name after the 2022 MLQ Championship on Aug. 20 to 22 in Howard County, Md.

The International Quidditch Association also plans to adopt the sports news name following the conclusion of the IQA European Games this weekend.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 inhibited   

a.拘谨的，拘束的

参考例句：

• Boys are often more inhibited than girls about discussing their problems. 男孩子往往不如女孩子敢于谈论自己的问题。
• Having been laughed at for his lameness,the boy became shy and inhibited. 那男孩因跛脚被人讥笑，变得羞怯而压抑。

4 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

5 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

6 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 athleticism   

n.运动竞赛，崇尚运动，竞技热

参考例句：

• He brings defense. He brings talent. He brings athleticism. That's a lot. “他带来的防御，他带来了人才，他带来了身体，这是很多”。 来自互联网
• Each of these sports isn't won through sheer athleticism alone. 每个体育项目无法凭借纯粹的运动能力而获胜。 来自互联网

9 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

10 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

11 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

12 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。