Quidditch - For reals (1 Viewer)

[TheIronSheik]

LINK

What... the... ####?

I felt like I was reading an Onion piece. (I mean, if only they hadn't gotten rid of their women's basketball and soccer.) I checked, and this documentary is available on Netflix. I may have to watch this. Not because I want to. But because I need to see if this is all a big joke, like the Juaquin Phoenix thing.

"We have 170 college club teams around the country, and most of them are official club sports who receive funding," Benepe tells CNN.

 

[El Floppo]

I see these nerds playing in Tompkins Square Park.

It's actually, tangibly embarrassing.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I see these nerds playing in Tompkins Square Park.

It's actually, tangibly embarrassing.

That's the thing... Do people watch this and think, "Wow! This is entertaining!" because they enjoy laughing at other people? Or are they actually entertained by the "sport"?

 

[TheAristocrat]

"Nobody can fly, but a broom between the legs remains mandatory."

 

[TheIronSheik]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/7/Harry-Potter-and-the-Methods-of-Rationality

"So let me get this straight," Harry said as it seemed that Ron's explanation (with associated hand gestures) was winding down. "Catching the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points?"

"Yeah -"

"How many ten-point goals does one side usually score not counting the Snitch?"

"Um, maybe fifteen or twenty in professional games -"

"That's just wrong. That violates every possible rule of game design. Look, the rest of this game sounds like it might make sense, sort of, for a sport I mean, but you're basically saying that catching the Snitch overwhelms almost any ordinary point spread. The two Seekers are up there flying around looking for the Snitch and usually not interacting with anyone else, spotting the Snitch first is going to be mostly luck -"

"It's not luck!" protested Ron. "You've got to keep your eyes moving in the right pattern -"

"That's not interactive, there's no back-and-forth with the other player and how much fun is it to watch someone incredibly good at moving their eyes? And then whichever Seeker gets lucky swoops in and grabs the Snitch and makes everyone else's work moot. It's like someone took a real game and grafted on this pointless extra position so that you could be the Most Important Player without needing to really get involved or learn the rest of it. Who was the first Seeker, the King's idiot son who wanted to play Quidditch but couldn't understand the rules?" Actually, now that Harry thought about it, that seemed like a surprisingly good hypothesis. Put him on a broomstick and tell him to catch the shiny thing...

Ron's face pulled into a scowl. "If you don't like Quidditch, you don't have to make fun of it!"

"If you can't criticise, you can't optimise. I'm suggesting how to improve the game. And it's very simple. Get rid of the Snitch."

"They won't change the game just 'cause you say so!"

"I am[SIZE=medium] the Boy-Who-Lived, you know. People will listen to me. And maybe if I can persuade them to change the game at Hogwarts, the innovation will spread."[/SIZE]

A look of absolute horror was spreading over Ron's face. "But, but if you get rid of the Snitch, how will anyone know when the game ends?"

"Buy... a... clock.[SIZE=medium] It would be a lot fairer than having the game sometimes end after ten minutes and sometimes not end for hours, and the schedule would be a lot more predictable for the spectators, too." Harry sighed. "Oh, stop giving me that look of absolute horror, I probably won't actually take the time to destroy this pathetic excuse for a national sport and remake it stronger and smarter in my own image. I've got way, way, way more important stuff to worry about." Harry looked thoughtful. "Then again, it wouldn't take [/SIZE]much time to write up the Ninety-Five Theses of the Snitchless Reformation and nail it to a church door..."

 

[heckmanm]

"Nobody can fly, but a broom between the legs remains mandatory."

Abner Louima?

 

[Guest]

Honda

He's never actually played it, but has gone to a couple of matches.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Anyone know of any cheap deal websites in China where I can get an authentic looking Quidditch jersey? I want a stitched quidditch one, but I don't want to pay $300 for it.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

I get that. But there it's only one of 7 people. How long would it take for one guy to run to each guy? It's not like the field is a mile long.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

I get that. But there it's only one of 7 people. How long would it take for one guy to run to each guy? It's not like the field is a mile long.

You ever play flag football? Just because you know who has the tail, doesnt mean you can easily catch them and take it off.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

I get that. But there it's only one of 7 people. How long would it take for one guy to run to each guy? It's not like the field is a mile long.

You ever play flag football? Just because you know who has the tail, doesnt mean you can easily catch them and take it off.

Only because they only have to run a certain amount of yards before you stop chasing them. This dude is evading people for 50 minutes?!? I'd put Usain Bolt out there and we'd be undefeated for life.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Yeah, there are some really goofy people out there.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

I get that. But there it's only one of 7 people. How long would it take for one guy to run to each guy? It's not like the field is a mile long.

You ever play flag football? Just because you know who has the tail, doesnt mean you can easily catch them and take it off.

Only because they only have to run a certain amount of yards before you stop chasing them. This dude is evading people for 50 minutes?!? I'd put Usain Bolt out there and we'd be undefeated for life.

Ive never heard of the "sport" until this, but it seems only one person is the one chasing the tail. (I think there's a joke in there somewhere?)

 

[TheIronSheik]

I also don't understand the whole tennis ball in a sock thing. They say games can last 20 to 50 minutes. How does it take that long for a person to figure out which guy, out of 7, has it attached to him, then grab it? Seems like games should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Your link has a video. In the video, it shows that identifyinfg the snitch is only half of it (doesnt appear to be a secret) One person has to grab the sock to end the game. It has to be a specific person, not just anyone.

I get that. But there it's only one of 7 people. How long would it take for one guy to run to each guy? It's not like the field is a mile long.

You ever play flag football? Just because you know who has the tail, doesnt mean you can easily catch them and take it off.

Only because they only have to run a certain amount of yards before you stop chasing them. This dude is evading people for 50 minutes?!? I'd put Usain Bolt out there and we'd be undefeated for life.

Ive never heard of the "sport" until this, but it seems only one person is the one chasing the tail. (I think there's a joke in there somewhere?)

I know that. But that one person, once he identifies the other person, I can't imagine it would take 50 minutes to catch him on a small playing field.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Yeah, there are some really goofy people out there.

"Goofy" is too nice on this one.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Yeah, there are some really goofy people out there.

"Goofy" is too nice on this one.

True.

My 31 year old niece posted on facebook last night that she was in line to see the latest "Hunger Games" movie. There must have been 24 exclamation points in her post. She's 31.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Yeah, there are some really goofy people out there.

"Goofy" is too nice on this one.

True.

My 31 year old niece posted on facebook last night that she was in line to see the latest "Hunger Games" movie. There must have been 24 exclamation points in her post. She's 31.

 

[El Floppo]

now that I think of it, one of our NYU babysitters is an HP fan and IIRC, plays quidditch.

she is a complete nerd (no pics) and is fantastic with both our 3 and 7 yos.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

now that I think of it, one of our NYU babysitters is an HP fan and IIRC, plays quidditch.

she is a complete nerd (no pics) and is fantastic with both our 3 and 7 yos.

Buy her one of these

 

[loser]

Athletes

 

[TheIronSheik]

Honda

He's never actually played it, but has gone to a couple of matches.

How did I miss this?

 

[El Floppo]

now that I think of it, one of our NYU babysitters is an HP fan and IIRC, plays quidditch.

she is a complete nerd (no pics) and is fantastic with both our 3 and 7 yos.

Buy her one of these

dammit- I opened that without thinking about the source first... I'm in an open pod office

 

[TheIronSheik]

now that I think of it, one of our NYU babysitters is an HP fan and IIRC, plays quidditch.

she is a complete nerd (no pics) and is fantastic with both our 3 and 7 yos.

Buy her one of these

dammit- I opened that without thinking about the source first... I'm in an open pod office

No offense to Tanner, but I never open any links he posts just for that same reason.

 

[JaxBill]

I've been taking my son on college visits and teh topic of quidditch has come up on every one.

 

[El Floppo]

I've been taking my son on college visits and teh topic of quidditch has come up on every one.

we're ####ed. "we"' being humanity.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

now that I think of it, one of our NYU babysitters is an HP fan and IIRC, plays quidditch.

she is a complete nerd (no pics) and is fantastic with both our 3 and 7 yos.

Buy her one of these

dammit- I opened that without thinking about the source first... I'm in an open pod office

It's a picture of a broom from Time magazine.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I've been taking my son on college visits and teh topic of quidditch has come up on every one.

we're ####ed. "we"' being humanity.

Yup. Or even just the US. Europe landed on a comet. Meanwhile, we're trying to get quidditch in as an Olympic sport.

 

[gump]

We do the tees for the Oklahoma quidditch team...the graphic is a basic but intimidating 'OU Q!'.

 

[TheIronSheik]

We do the tees for the Oklahoma quidditch team...the graphic is a basic but intimidating 'OU Q!'.

Can I get a stitched one with the star players name on the back?

 

[Bogart]

How soon before the first D1 scholarship goes out?

 

[gump]

We do the tees for the Oklahoma quidditch team...the graphic is a basic but intimidating 'OU Q!'.

Can I get a stitched one with the star players name on the back?

They only use nicknames...llike He Hate Me.

 

[TheIronSheik]

We do the tees for the Oklahoma quidditch team...the graphic is a basic but intimidating 'OU Q!'.

Can I get a stitched one with the star players name on the back?

They only use nicknames...llike He Hate Me.

Even better.

 

[loser]

I'll take a Slytherin

 

[TheIronSheik]

I'll take a Slytherin

Same thing Bill Cosby's women took.

 

[loser]

I'll take a Slytherin

Same thing Bill Cosby's women took.

Make it two.

 

[GoFishTN]

I like it when I hear about bigger than me.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/7/Harry-Potter-and-the-Methods-of-Rationality

"So let me get this straight," Harry said as it seemed that Ron's explanation (with associated hand gestures) was winding down. "Catching the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points?"

"Yeah -"

"How many ten-point goals does one side usually score not counting the Snitch?"

"Um, maybe fifteen or twenty in professional games -"

"That's just wrong. That violates every possible rule of game design. Look, the rest of this game sounds like it might make sense, sort of, for a sport I mean, but you're basically saying that catching the Snitch overwhelms almost any ordinary point spread. The two Seekers are up there flying around looking for the Snitch and usually not interacting with anyone else, spotting the Snitch first is going to be mostly luck -"

"It's not luck!" protested Ron. "You've got to keep your eyes moving in the right pattern -"

"That's not interactive, there's no back-and-forth with the other player and how much fun is it to watch someone incredibly good at moving their eyes? And then whichever Seeker gets lucky swoops in and grabs the Snitch and makes everyone else's work moot. It's like someone took a real game and grafted on this pointless extra position so that you could be the Most Important Player without needing to really get involved or learn the rest of it. Who was the first Seeker, the King's idiot son who wanted to play Quidditch but couldn't understand the rules?" Actually, now that Harry thought about it, that seemed like a surprisingly good hypothesis. Put him on a broomstick and tell him to catch the shiny thing...

Ron's face pulled into a scowl. "If you don't like Quidditch, you don't have to make fun of it!"

"If you can't criticise, you can't optimise. I'm suggesting how to improve the game. And it's very simple. Get rid of the Snitch."

"They won't change the game just 'cause you say so!"

"I am[SIZE=medium] the Boy-Who-Lived, you know. People will listen to me. And maybe if I can persuade them to change the game at Hogwarts, the innovation will spread."[/SIZE]

A look of absolute horror was spreading over Ron's face. "But, but if you get rid of the Snitch, how will anyone know when the game ends?"

"Buy... a... clock.[SIZE=medium] It would be a lot fairer than having the game sometimes end after ten minutes and sometimes not end for hours, and the schedule would be a lot more predictable for the spectators, too." Harry sighed. "Oh, stop giving me that look of absolute horror, I probably won't actually take the time to destroy this pathetic excuse for a national sport and remake it stronger and smarter in my own image. I've got way, way, way more important stuff to worry about." Harry looked thoughtful. "Then again, it wouldn't take [/SIZE]much time to write up the Ninety-Five Theses of the Snitchless Reformation and nail it to a church door..."

I was reading the books to my son over the past couple years and this topic came up - the ridiculous quidditch scoring system. This take seems correct -- it is yet another lazy JK Rowling literary mechanism. I think there was one game though, perhaps in the Q world cup, where one team had a 150+ point lead such that if the losing team would catch the snitch, it would end the game and lose. I can't remember how that one ended.