But quidditch, they say, is a sport and one they would like to take to the Olympics.

FORBES: What Can Harry Potter Do For The Olympics?

Alex Benepe founded International Quidditch Association in 2007 as players on broomsticks started to take Quidditch more seriously.

FORBES: What Can Harry Potter Do For The Olympics?

But most of the kids you see playing the Quidditch match don't exist at all - they're created in the computer.

BBC: Hollywood FX queen home to boost

There are a lot more ridiculous sports in the Olympics than quidditch.

FORBES: What Can Harry Potter Do For The Olympics?

The sport of ground quidditch, a mix of rugby and dodge ball, was adapted in 2005 by U.S. students at Middlebury College in Vermont from J.

FORBES: What Can Harry Potter Do For The Olympics?

Singing songs about wizards, Quidditch and the Hogwarts School, the duo has been rocking bookstores and libraries across the U.S. "We'll play pretty much anywhere, " says Paul.

FORBES: Wizard Rock

Then the big boys with global licences arrive: Lego to make construction kits (build your own Hogwarts castle), Mattel to make Harry Potter toys, and Electronic Arts computer games including, finally, a chance to play the obscure game of Quidditch (a bit like an aerial version of polo, but with the contestants flying on broomsticks).

ECONOMIST: Harry Potter and the publishing goldmine