Do you like soccer, but have always thought “Where are the brooms?” Or maybe when you were playing dodgeball you felt the sudden urge to chase a passerby? If this sounds familiar, then you’re probably a little weird, but you’re also not alone. Colleges and high schools across the country are taking up the sport of Muggle Quidditch.

When Quidditch was originally thought up by author J.K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series, it was a game played between wizards using flying brooms and magical balls that darted back and forth away from the players. Quidditch gained worldwide fandom with the release of the first Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” as people were dazzled by the magical sport. However for some people, the movie/book experience wasn’t enough. They began to translate the game into the muggle (or “human” for those non-Potter fans) world.

Muggle Quidditch is a variant of the traditional Quidditch in the Harry Potter series, played on oval fields lined with large, circle-shaped goals. Teams are composed of seven players, three chasers, two beaters, a goalie and a seeker. In addition, there is a “snitch” who does not belong to any team.

The chasers run around with the “quaffles” (the offensive ball) and try to score by throwing it through the goal. The beaters are given “bludgers” (the defensive ball) and are the main defense against the chasers. They try to prevent the chasers from scoring by hitting them with the bludger. If a chaser is hit by a bludger, he must return to his goal before he can continue trying to score. The goalie stands in front of the goal and tries to use his body to block quaffle shots.

The seekers are special, as they are separate from the game. When the game starts, the snitch runs away. It is the job of both team’s seekers to chase him or her around. Both seekers aim to grab a small flag that is hanging from the snitch’s waist. The game ends when the snitch is caught. Catching the snitch is worth 30 points and each goal is worth 10.

Today over 200 colleges have a club Quidditch team and there has been a movement among the more prominent Quidditch teams to gain NCAA sponsorship. There are now several worldwide Quidditch organizations, including the most popular, The International Quidditch Association. The association does everything from printing a universal rulebook to running tournaments. The most important of these, the Quidditch World Cup, is the final championship tournament which takes place Nov. 13 right here in New York City.

While Fordham has yet to show any signs of setting up a club team, the Harry Potter fans have not been completely silent. Last semester, the Campus Activity Board (CAB) at Fordham sponsored its own game of Quidditch.

Participating in last semester’s CAB event, Louie Sullivan, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’13, was ecstatic when he found out there was going to be a Quidditch match on campus. “I was really excited when I heard there was going to be a Quidditch game,” Sullivan said. “I was a huge Harry Potter fan, and I’d read all the books!”

And just like at all the other schools, people seemed to love the game. The game was so well received by the Fordham community that there are plans to play again this year.

“I was really worried that it was going to be an awkward game, but actually, it was really enjoyable,” Sullivan said. “It really captured the essence of the game from the book. We’re trying to set up another game later this year.”

Now all Fordham has left to do is create an official team to join in the craze. The Fordham Muggle Mob anyone?