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It seems to me like Quidditch doesn't actually require any magical ability (unless that's what makes the brooms fly, but since different brooms have different speeds I assume they're closer to cars than bicycles). Thus, it'd be a great way for a squib to overcome their magical disability, find a well-paying wizard job, and earn the respect of their peers.

Is there any indication in canon of a squib who was able to play Quidditch professionally?

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  • Related: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/10289/…
    – calccrypto
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:09
  • @calccrypto Interesting, so it sounds like you might actually need magical ability to use a broom. That almost seems like enough for an answer. Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:17
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    Also of note: even if the broom required some magic, squibs might be able to use them anyway, just as they can see Hogwarts and magical beasts despite the glamour spells that keep Muggles unaware.
    – user40790
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:18
  • Related question I just found: Can Muggles ride broomsticks? It doesn't seem to have very satisfactory answers though. Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:29
  • No, but they have played Rugby.
    – ibid
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:53

1 Answer 1

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No. All signs point to squibs being incapable of using broomsticks, largely based on the Pottermore article describing the life and times of Angus Buchanan, bestselling author of My Life As A Squib.

Angus assisted his brothers in their playing of Quidditch, but his involvement was apparently limited to catching snitches from the ground

Angus’s early childhood had been spent dodging curses on an almost daily basis, which meant that he was surprisingly fast for a man of his size. He found his greatest pleasure and pride in athleticism, and soon became adept at the relatively new Muggle sport of rugby. Years of helping his siblings catch Golden Snitches in the back garden also made him a natural at cricket.

Scottish Rugby By J.K. Rowling - Pottermore

He was incapable of flying a broomstick to Hogwarts, relying on his brother to get him there

On the appointed day, his big brother Hamish took him to Hogwarts on the back of his broomstick, hoping against desperate hope that Angus would be allowed to stay once they got there, or that the school might be able to tease some magic out of him.

Scottish Rugby By J.K. Rowling - Pottermore

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  • He could've gained catching practice by catching Snitches on a broom, could he not? There doesn't seem to be anything in the text that implies he was on the ground. Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 23:53
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    @TheDarkLord He wouldn't have been very good at cricket if he didn't have practice catching balls standing on the ground, right? Commented Feb 14, 2017 at 0:26
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    @TheDarkLord - One plays cricket stood at the crease, not flitting around like Tinkerbell on a flying broom
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 14, 2017 at 0:33
  • @Azor-Ahai. I think he could've. To catch a cricket-ball you need good hand-eye coordination and great reflexes. These are skills you pick up when catching a fast-moving Snitch. I'm not even sure that it would be possible to catch a Snitch from ground level. It'd just flutter off above head-height, would it not? Commented Feb 14, 2017 at 11:36
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    well, he wouldn't gain much physical athleticism from flitting around on a broom, would he? Commented Feb 14, 2017 at 11:52

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