Quidditch associations to change name of sport to distance themselves from J.K. Rowling

Associations devoted to quidditch, the fictional game popularized by the Harry Potter franchise, are mounting their broomsticks and whizzing away from J.K. Rowling.

U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch have begun the process of selecting a new name for the real-life version of the sport in an effort to distance themselves from Rowling, whose comments about the trans community have courted scrutiny over the last year.

Mary Kimball, executive director of U.S. Quidditch, cites a commitment to inclusivity for the change in a statement issued to EW.

"Since the sports' founding in 2005, quidditch has undergone so many transformations — the rules have changed; team names and jerseys are incredibly creative, fun and professional; and our events look more like a soccer tournament than anything else," Kimball said. "I'm proud to stand with our community as we go through another big change, one that allows us to truly live our values as an inclusive, safe sport for athletes of all races and genders."

Rowling's comments, coupled with Warner Bros.' constrictive trademark of the word "quidditch," informed the decision. The organizations will conduct a series of surveys in the following months to determine a new name for the sport.

A spokesperson from The Blair Partnership, which represents Rowling, said in a statement to EW: "The Quidditch Premier League, U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch have never been endorsed or licensed by J.K. Rowling."

The author first came under fire last year when she shared a series of tweets insinuating that transgender women are not women and transgender men are not men. Rowling, who has aligned herself with trans-exclusionary radical feminists, also shared a tweet earlier this month about police recording sexual assault by offenders with male genitalia as women if they identify as female.

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, as well as Fantastic Beasts' Eddie Redmayne, have all condemned Rowling's comments.

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