Wizards, wands and all things Harry Potter conjure up an image of bookworms who worship the ground J.K. Rowling walks on. However, the Quidditch Club at Mississippi State University is defying stereotypes and focuses on far more than just Harry Potter.
The game of Quidditch plays the same role in the wizarding world as football does on any SEC college campus. People love it, live it and breath it.      
Just like football, the intricacies of the sport could not be explained in a few sentences. However, the main point is fairly simple: score against the other team while flying on a broom.
The sport, even without the flying, is very unique. Team members try to score points against the other team by knocking certain balls into three large hoops.
There are designated players called seekers who search for the snitch, which in the “Harry Potter” franchise, is a tiny, gold ball that flies through the air. If a seeker catches the snitch, the game is over and the team who caught it is the winner.
In the real world, where flying on brooms are not an option, the players run around in a field with brooms between their legs and follow many of the same principles as the fictional version of the game.
Gavin Fundburg, club member and MSU junior, said he was previously the president of his high school’s Quidditch Club and enjoys the sport.
“It seems pretty ridiculous, because you are running around with a broom between your legs in front of everyone on the Drill Field,” Fundburg said. “But it is really just about having fun, getting some exercise and hanging out with people who enjoy this same kind of thing as you.”
Practicing on the Drill Field, the club attracts a lot of attention from many spectators.
Kyle McCrary, MSU senior engineering major, said he did not realize MSU had a Quidditch Club on campus before joining, and is very interested in letting others know it exists.
Being a part of the Quidditch Club does not require any prior Harry Potter knowledge.
Hayden Manning, the president of the Quidditch Club, said he wants people of all types to feel welcome in the club and believes quidditch is a great way for people to connect, exercise and enjoy a unique game all at the same time.
“It is really just a fun game in general,” Manning said. ”You really don’t have to be interested in Harry Potter to be a part of it. In fact, it’s best if you try to distance yourself from that idea if it bothers you.”
With the rising popularity of quidditch, people often have trouble disassociating the game from the books. However, the sport is simply one detail of the book which exploded into its own activity.
Since the sport was created in a fictional world, people might overlook the work that goes into playing it. However, Quidditch Club members work hard and have the scars to prove it, the game requires some level of athleticism and dedication.
Club members practice a series of drills including running, throwing, catching and evading, all while keeping a broom carefully tucked between their legs.
Even if you lack natural athleticism, you can make up for it with commitment and hard work, something valued by everyone in the Quidditch Club.
Manning said the group is always looking for people who would be willing to devote their time, even if they are not be athletically inclined.
“If you stick with it, it will teach you huge commitment,” Manning said. ”That’s something we are really looking for in new members. We want people who would keep coming out here.”