Three major organizations that manage and promote the game of Quidditch are rebranding it as quadball in an effort to distance themselves from the game's creator, J.K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" series, The Hill reports.
The International Quidditch Association (IQA) and U.S. Quidditch (USQ) joined Major League Quidditch (MLQ), a semi-professional league with 16 teams, in announcing the name change, which is now official.
USQ Executive Director Mary Kimball said that the newly dubbed game of quadball has grown significantly, and the organizations were "committed to continuing to push quadball forward."
"In less than 20 years, our sport has grown from a few dozen college students in rural Vermont to a global phenomenon with thousands of players, semi-pro leagues, and international championships," Kimball said.
Chris Lau, chair of the IQA board of trustees, shared his enthusiasm regarding the name change, expressing how he has been "thrilled" to be part of the movement.
"We are confident in this step, and we look forward to all the new opportunities quadball will bring," Lau said. "This is an important moment in our sport's history."
The IQA expects, in the near future, to enter into a license agreement for the use of "quadball" and will adopt the term in its name going forward. Part of the decision to rebrand came because Warner Bros. owns the term "Quidditch" as a trademark and to distance itself from Rowling, who has made comments that some have deemed transphobic.
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