So, everyone who watches college football in America can admit to Nebraska having the most reliable fans and just people who love living the good life. Everyone in the world who reads books and or watches movies knows that Harry Potter has one of the biggest, and most loyal fan bases. Within Harry Potter is a game called quidditch which is the muggle - equivalency of American football. I have decided to compare and contrast these two sports.
First of all, the game before the game is half of the fun for Husker fans. Tailgating is the ONLY option of what to do before the game on every Saturday between September and November. While the students of Hogwarts didn't exactly go to keggers in people's backyards or grill hamburgers with their families in parking lots, they did get ready for games much like Husker fans did. If you remember, Luna dressed up like a lion before a quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She didn't go as far as painting her entire body red and white, this did show some amazing school spirit.
The players getting ready for the football games say the same thing before every game, then proceed to hit the lucky horse shoe on the way out and onto the field. Before every quidditch match, the team captain gets up in front of the whole team and gives them words of encouragement. These traditions live in these games in both worlds and stepping onto the quiddetch field and seeing all of your classmates in stands above you sounds much like what the Huskers must go through during the tunnel walk.
A win is always celebrated in both of these sports. Is there really a difference between going to ANOTHER backyard kegger or a bar after the Huskers win a great game and the students of Hogwarts going to the common room and all have some butte-rbeer together? It seems about the same to me.
HAIL MARYS. CATCHING THE GOLDEN SNITCH. Need I say more? Both of these are certified game winning phrases and both of them can make the whole crowd go absolutely insane. There is nothing more exciting than a Hail Mary at a Husker game (happy reminder of the November 2, 2013 game), other than maybe if by a miracle they gave away free Runza and Valentinos. Just like a Hail Mary is to football, catching the golden snitch is equally exciting for quidditch fans alike. Every crowd roars when the snitch is finally caught and the game is won by the seeker.
Nothing is more similar to these two games than the fans. These games could be played and played well, but without fans to support and cheer on the players, no one would even know about them. The loyalty of Husker fans and quidditch fans a like make these games the ones we talk about for weeks and with quidditch, years. 
As a proud Nebraska resident/ Husker fan and Harry Potter enthusiast, these two games are close to my heart, and do nothing short of excite me whenever they are brought up.
