The trouble with Quidditch

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 169189

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > *My* issue with quidditch is the lack of any sort of bench.
> > <snip>

> >>Catlady:
> "Reserve" players *are* allowed. In GoF, Oliver Wood tell Harry that
> "he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United reserve team."
>
> Lots of canon in PS/SS. Lee Jordan's commentary mentions "Alicia
> Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve".
> When advised not to play in the match that Snape will referee, "I
> can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out,
> Gryffindor can't play at all."
> 
> It doesn't make much sense to me that Harry's team doesn't have    
> *any* reserves.
> <snip>
> It appears that substitutes are allowed for non-injured players,   
> just not for injured players.
> <snip>
 
Betsy Hp:
Thanks for the canon, Catlady. <g>  So both substitutions and 
reserves *are* a part of Quidditch. Hmm, this means there are two 
ways of dealing with the fact that Harry doesn't have either during 
his tenor as team captain.

The first is from within the text, as I think Steve Bboyminn tries to 
do:

> >>bboyminn:
> > <snip>
> > All I am saying is that more players complicates
> > practice and dilutes the captains time and attention.
> > Some captains might not mind, and feel having the
> > reserves always at the ready is a bonus. Other captain, 
> > like Harry and Wood, might want to concentrate on the
> > main team, and merely keep in mind who would work for
> > a substitute. 

Betsy Hp:
But, based on team sports in general, this is an odd tack to take.  
For good reason as Ken points out:

> >>Ken:
> That is all true but there are compensating advantages to wasting   
> time on the B team.
> <snip>
> So developing talent on your B team is critical to your long term   
> success and from the Hogwarts staff's point of view it is an       
> important skill for budding young leaders like Quidditch captains   
> to learn. Secondly, as someone who played team sports in his small 
> town Wisconsin high school, I am completely baffled as to how you   
> even hold a practice without a B team to scrimmage against.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
So we're running the risk of painting Harry as a crap quidditch 
captain.  Which I don't think JKR wants us to do; and I don't think 
the story (despite the pesky details <g>) ultimately supports.

Which leaves the meta (I think I'm using that word correctly?) 
route.  JKR dreamed up the fun idea of quidditch but wasn't all that 
into sports nor all that worried about nit-picky details (scoring, 
etc.).  She saw some cool thematic aspects quidditch could be used to 
illustrate, drew some broad-strokes (the mentions of reserves and 
substitutions Catlady pointed out) to attach the sport to real life 
games, and bob's your uncle.

But, by the time HBP came around JKR was fairly bored with quidditch 
(as she's said a time or two I believe) and about ready to let it 
go.  So she kind of faked her way through Harry's term as captain, 
leaving Harry (or JKR) looking a bit foolish to anyone who thinks 
about it too hard.  

I think JKR was more interested in the thematic stuff than the actual 
sport stuff, which isn't necessarily a bad thing and certainly JKR's 
choice.  It bothers me a bit, especially in rereads, because I love 
details.  Plus, I kind of like sports stories.  But while I don't 
think JKR ever takes advantage of it (frankly, her whole take on 
competitive sports and fair play strikes me as odd) the existance of 
quidditch does add a nice flavor to her world.

> >>Leaverish:
> > <snip>
> > However, it occured to me that JKR could have made the game MUCH
> > more interesting IMO if she made the team who catched the snitch
> > LOOSE points instead of gain points.

> >>Sonya:
> I like the suggestion of losing points for the team that catches the
> the Golden Snitch.

Betsy Hp:
It'd certainly figure into the sort of wacky, illogical wizard 
mindset. <g>  And I totally agree that it'd make for a much more 
interesting game.  However, since the game is used thematically I'm 
afraid such a scoring method would heavily foreshadow Harry dying 
when he defeated Voldemort.  So for that reason I'm glad the Seeker 
who grabs the snitch is so all mighty and victorious. <g>

> >>Sonya:
> Perhaps JKR was trying to keep the rules of this wacky game somewhat
> simple as not to confuse/frustrate the readers.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
The thing is though, it's not the broad-strokes of the game, it's the 
details.  So, in general, the rules are fine (catch Snitch, end game) 
but the details doesn't stand up to scrutiny (odd imbalance of 
scoring).  Honestly, I think it comes down to JKR just not being all 
that sporty herself.  (This is when someone informs me JKR was the 
captain of her soccer team or something. <g>) 

Betsy Hp