Abandoning the "Suicide Catch"

By Quidditch Post Staff

You will never read about another “suicide catch,” at least not in the Quidditch Post. After conversations with the broader community on Facebook and internally among Quidditch Post staff, we have decided that the benefits of using the term “suicide” in regards to a team choosing to lose a game by catching the snitch are outweighed by the costs of this term, including possibly triggering members of the quidditch community, raising unpleasant thoughts, and potentially turning off prospective members of the quidditch community.

Photo Credit: Sofia de la Vega Photography

Suicide is a serious problem. This is a shockingly obvious statement, yet one that we do not take seriously enough. In recent years, the Center for Disease Control in the United States has reported approximately 42,000 suicides in the United States annually, with an additional half a million hospitalizations resulting from self-harm. It is no secret that some in the quidditch community have attempted suicide or self-harmed. It is further true that many more in the community know someone who has committed or attempted suicide. Using the term “suicide catch” adds very little to the equation, while having the potential to greatly harm many people, including members of the Quidditch Post staff. 

For these reasons, we are making a concerted effort to avoid using the term “suicide” in our media. We recognize that the term is very ingrained in American quidditch culture and its removal may take time. We are certain that there will be a time or two that it slips through the cracks and is used, and we prospectively apologize to anyone who is upset by its usage. We promise to try though.

What will we use instead? That remains an open question, one that we will leave up to our writers. Some members of our staff prefer the term “cold catch,” which has gained popularity in Europe. Others have recently been advocating “concession catch.” It’s too early to tell which term will win the popularity contest. However, a term we will no longer use is “suicide catch.”

Andy Marmer, Quidditch Post CEO, on behalf of the Quidditch Post staff.