Week 2: Quidditch

The sport of Quidditch was initially developed by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter books, which is set in England.  It has since become and actual sport (an adaptation or course) that has international leagues and a World Cup Tournament.  Quidditch has the capacity to attract lots of people, beginning locally where the events take place, and eventually from further away.  These fans tended to be willing to purchase goods and services that are offered at the sporting events.

The equipment used in Quidditch is fairly straight forward.  The seven players on each team fly (or run if in the adapted-for-humans game) around on broomsticks, and score points using different balls.  There are three types of balls used, a quaffle for scoring, two bludgers for knocking players from broomsticks, and the all-important golden snitch.  The snitch is very special, and is traced by the seeker of each team.  The game cannot end until it is caught, and the seeker who catches it first scores 150 points for their team.

While the quaffle and bludgers can be reused game after game (unless bewitched of course), the golden snitch must be replaced every game because it has skin memory to avoid confusion on who ACTUALLY catches the furiously fast flying thing first. Speed, cunning, and gall are very important on the Quidditch field if you anticipate winning – and better brooms (read: running shoes for muggles) go faster and are more controlled.  There is no substitute for a proper broom (or shoes), and people pay very high prices for the most exclusive and best available products.

But what happens if a player falls from their broom, or is savagely beaten by a bludger?  There are highly skilled laborers to help, of course!  Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and heavy lifters are always on standby at the field in case an accident occurs.  Typically speaking, although Quidditch is safe enough, they are usually busy after a game patching up the players’ scrapes and bumps.  There are balls in the game, the bludgers, which are specifically designed to hurt the players after all.  The continued employment of laborers can only be anticipated as Quidditch begins to grow in popularity and as technology increases the speed players can fly, and the brutality they can bestow upon their rival teams.

With the continued growth in popularity that Quidditch is providing, there is also a continued rise in the wages players are paid.  That money is then invested back into the English economy by means of larger houses for athletes, better sporting equipment, etc.  Since England started the sport, their equipment is better made, their laborers more trained in what to do – the goods and services can begin to be exported and trading established for other goods and services.

So, whether fictional or real, Quidditch has helped generate new sports related goods and services jobs, and grown the overall English economy.  It is kind of amazing to think several markets have been created from a fictional story.

Word Count: 497

Week 1: The Royal Wedding's Effects on England's Economy

The wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton may be a double edged sword for England’s economy.  The very public event has benefited England’s tourism industry, increased good will, and stimulated domestic spending.  It has also decreased productivity and increased worker absenteeism.

For the royal wedding alone, the tourism industry in England reportedly pulled in almost 4 million travelers, and £2bn.  By comparison, during the second quarter last year London hosted about 3.5 million travelers (Cork, and Milner 1), a significant increase.  Tourism is not the only area that has benefited, however.  Good will towards England is anticipated to increase from the public event (Voigt).

Money is being spent by both tourists and citizens.  The April 29th bank holiday allowed workers time to go and spend their money on luxury items they may not have otherwise.  There were street parties and flat viewings, which spurred consumers to purchase food and other entertainment items.  Royal wedding merchandise also had its own profits (Wood 15).

April 29th’s bank holiday came on the heels of an Easter break.  It is also estimated that workers will be taking additional time off from the already extended holiday (Voigt). This change in the amount of human resources available is likely to decrease the ability for England to produce as many goods.

What does all of this mean for their economy? Can the good will generated and increased spending be enough to replace the decreased production from the time off?  Will one day make a significant impact on England’s economy? Although statistics are already available for analysis, the full effect of the royal wedding on England’s economy is yet to be determined.

Word Count: 268

Works Cited:

Voigt, Kevin. "Royal wedding: Pricey or priceless?."Business 360. CNN, 04292011. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/29/royal-wedding-pricy-or-priceless/>.

Cork, , and Milner. London. Visit London. London: Cork Gully, 2011. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://vlstatic.com/l-and-p/assets/media/london_overseas_visits_q2_2010.pdf>.

Wood, Zoe. "Royal wedding gives £2bn boost to UK tourism." Guardian 04302011, Main Section: 15. Print.