Skip to content

MuggleNet

  • Site
    • Contact Us & FAQ
    • History
    • Meet the Team
    • MuggleNet Live!
    • Press
    • Publications
    • Special Projects
    • Volunteer with Us!
    • Year in Review
  • Podcasts
    • Alohomora!
    • Full Circle
    • LITHAPPENS
    • Potterversity
    • Promptly Potter
    • SpeakBeasty
  • Harry Potter
    • Book Quotes
    • Book Series
    • Coloring Books
    • Film Companions
    • Film Series
    • Hogwarts Library
    • Little Things
    • Music
    • Video Games
  • Fantastic Beasts
    • Book
    • Coloring Books
    • Film Companions
    • Fantastic Beasts Film Quotes
    • Film Series
    • Little Things
    • Music
    • Video Games
  • The Quibbler
    • Owl Post
    • Bathilda’s Notebook
    • The Department of MYTHteries
    • The Dirigible Plum
    • Into the Floo
    • Muggle Studies
    • The Pensieve Papers
    • The Three Broomsticks
    • April Fools’
    • The Quibbler Vault
  • The Daily Prophet
    • Book Trolley
    • Editorials
    • Event Reports
    • Exclusive Interviews
    • Features
    • Giveaways
    • Listicles
    • Merchandise Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • Television Reviews
    • Theater Reviews
    • Wizolympics
  • Muggle World
    • Charity
    • Exhibitions
    • J.K. Rowling
    • MinaLima
    • Quadball
    • Studio Tours
    • Theatrical Play
    • Theme Parks
    • Wizarding World Digital
  • Fans & Fun
    • Crazy Caption Contest
    • Fan Focus
    • Fandom
    • Fandom Sortings
    • Fandom Timeline
    • Fun Lists
    • Games and Trivia
    • GNOMEs
    • Potter DIY
    • Potter Weddings
    • #PotterItForward
    • Rosmerta’s Recipes
    • Song Parodies
    • Wizard Rock
    • Wizarding Wordle
  • Site
    • Contact Us & FAQ
    • History
    • Meet the Team
    • MuggleNet Live!
    • Press
    • Publications
    • Special Projects
    • Volunteer with Us!
    • Year in Review
  • Podcasts
    • Alohomora!
    • Full Circle
    • LITHAPPENS
    • Potterversity
    • Promptly Potter
    • SpeakBeasty
  • Harry Potter
    • Book Quotes
    • Book Series
    • Coloring Books
    • Film Companions
    • Film Series
    • Hogwarts Library
    • Little Things
    • Music
    • Video Games
  • Fantastic Beasts
    • Book
    • Coloring Books
    • Film Companions
    • Fantastic Beasts Film Quotes
    • Film Series
    • Little Things
    • Music
    • Video Games
  • The Quibbler
    • Owl Post
    • Bathilda’s Notebook
    • The Department of MYTHteries
    • The Dirigible Plum
    • Into the Floo
    • Muggle Studies
    • The Pensieve Papers
    • The Three Broomsticks
    • April Fools’
    • The Quibbler Vault
  • The Daily Prophet
    • Book Trolley
    • Editorials
    • Event Reports
    • Exclusive Interviews
    • Features
    • Giveaways
    • Listicles
    • Merchandise Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • Television Reviews
    • Theater Reviews
    • Wizolympics
  • Muggle World
    • Charity
    • Exhibitions
    • J.K. Rowling
    • MinaLima
    • Quadball
    • Studio Tours
    • Theatrical Play
    • Theme Parks
    • Wizarding World Digital
  • Fans & Fun
    • Crazy Caption Contest
    • Fan Focus
    • Fandom
    • Fandom Sortings
    • Fandom Timeline
    • Fun Lists
    • Games and Trivia
    • GNOMEs
    • Potter DIY
    • Potter Weddings
    • #PotterItForward
    • Rosmerta’s Recipes
    • Song Parodies
    • Wizard Rock
    • Wizarding Wordle
  • Listicles / The Daily Prophet

Six Times Women Faced Sexism on the Quidditch Pitch

by Sophia Jenkins · February 5, 2020

In many ways, female athletes in the wizarding world face less discrimination than those in the Muggle world. Quidditch teams are coed, and if Harry’s team is any indication, the teams tend to be evenly split between male and female players. That being said, there are still several instances in the books where female athletes face discrimination that I, as a woman who grew up playing sports, recognize from my own experiences.

 

1. Being Underestimated

When Harry learns that Ginny Weasley replaced him as Seeker, he literally gapes at Angelina. Fred and George first see Ginny play and describe her as “not bad,” and when Harry watches the game he is impressed by Ginny, but still thinks he could have done a better job (OotP 573). Little do they know that Ginny is the only one of them who will later go on to become a professional Quidditch player, as well as the editor of the Daily Prophet Quidditch column. They are so busy being shocked and skeptical that a girl could be as good as them at Quidditch that they fail to see her incredible potential and talent.

 

Source

 

 

2. Being Considered Bossy

Oliver Wood is an intense Quidditch Captain who literally tells Harry on multiple occasions that he doesn’t care if Harry dies as long as he catches the Snitch first. Harry accepts this behavior with remarkably little complaint, but as soon as Angelina takes over as Captain, he gripes about her understandable frustration at him not prioritizing the team. Unfortunately, this is common for women holding leadership positions in sports, who have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously just to be called bossy or intense.

 

Source

 

 

3. Comments on Your Appearance

As much as I love Lee Jordan’s commentary, he is the main perpetrator of this type of microaggression. He says about Angelina: “What an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too-” and, a few years later, “What a player that girl is, I’ve been saying it for years but she still won’t go out with me-” (SS 186, OotP 406). Women who play sports often have to deal with men making public remarks like this about their bodies or appearances. Angelina is an incredible player who should, while she’s on the Quidditch pitch, be given attention solely based on her merit rather than her looks.

Angelina has to deal with not just positive comments about her appearance, but also negative ones. Pansy Parkinson yells at Angelina during Quidditch practice, “Why would anyone want to look like they have worms coming out of their head?” (OotP 291). As a black female athlete, Angelina is a double target for criticism about her looks. In the Muggle world, there is a long history of black female athletes receiving racist comments about their appearance, and the wizarding world seems to be no different.

 

4. Having Boys “Take It Easy on You”

Cho Chang is an incredibly talented Quidditch player with a unique strategy of blocking Harry. When Harry tries to avoid colliding with her, Wood yells, “HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN! […] KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!”  (PoA 261). Women who play sports with men often have to deal with men “taking it easy on them,” which can be incredibly frustrating for female athletes who want to be taken seriously. What’s equally frustrating is other men, like Wood, assuming that a man is taking it easy on a woman rather than just acknowledging that the woman might have bested him.

 

Source

 

 

5. People Assuming You Don’t Know About Sports

Harry says to Hermione, “You’re good on feelings and stuff, but you just don’t understand about Quidditch” (OotP 575). Doesn’t she, though? Hermione might not be good at flying, and she might not consider Quidditch all-important, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t understand it. She is a loyal and excited supporter at every Quidditch match Harry ever plays, attends the Quidditch World Cup, and reads Quidditch Through the Ages. She is the one who Confunds Cormac McLaggan so that Ron can win the Keeper tryouts, and she sets Snape’s robe on fire so that Harry doesn’t get thrown off his broom. If Hermione were a boy, no one would accuse her of not “understanding” Quidditch.

 

Source

 

 

6. Boys Refusing to Play With You

Even though Quidditch teams are coed, that doesn’t mean that witches are safe from the old-fashioned sexism of being left out. George says, “I don’t know how [Ginny] got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us….” (OotP 574). Ginny is only a year younger than Ron, who used to act as Keeper for his older brothers, so this is clearly not age discrimination. Ginny, as the only girl in a family of Quidditch players, is not allowed to play with them and must resort to sneaking out and stealing her brothers’ brooms.

 

For National Girls and Women in Sports day, I want to honor all women, Muggles or witches, who have to constantly fight discrimination to play the games that they love. For more information about historical women in Quidditch who paved the way for our modern athletes, watch the video below! Hopefully, in the future, all women in sports will be respected for their incredible strength and athleticism.

 

Social:

  • Next story Treat Yourself to a Fishy Drink at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Previous story MuggleNet and Me

MuggleNet Archive

Important Dates

July 2025

Mon, Jul 7

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 movie (London premiere)
Recurs yearly

2011

Tue, Jul 8

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book
Recurs yearly

2000

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book (UK)
Recurs yearly

1999

WWoHP Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando's anniversary
Recurs yearly

2014

Wed, Jul 9

David O'Hara's birthday
Recurs yearly

Albert Runcorn

Thu, Jul 10

Fiona Shaw's birthday
Recurs yearly

Petunia Dursley

Fri, Jul 11

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie (US)
Recurs yearly

2007

Sat, Jul 12

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie (UK)
Recurs yearly

2007

Harry and Dumbledore travel to get Slughorn
Recurs yearly

1996

Harry officially learns he inherited Grimmauld Place and Kreacher
Recurs yearly

1996

MuggleNet podcasts are sponsored in part by Secretlab.

Thanks to its research-backed ergonomic design, including a proprietary 4-way adaptive lumbar support system, the Secretlab TITAN Evo Harry Potter Edition will comfortably support you even when you’re up to no good.

Did You Know

The Sorting Hat took 5 and a half minutes to figure out whether to put Minerva McGonagall in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Potter History

November 23, 2004 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban DVD is released in the United States.

Potter Quote

“Grindelwald doesn’t seem to understand the nature of things he considers simple.”

MuggleNet is an unofficial Harry Potter fansite.
Please email us if you have any questions or concerns.
© 1999–2025 MuggleNet.com. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy | COPPA Policy | Terms of Use | Feedback


MuggleNet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and Bookshop.org's affiliate program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and bookshop.org.