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Marching Band Should Be Considered a Sport
When the average person thinks of sports they think of football, soccer, baseball, hockey, or basketball. Yeah those are all great sports, but what about those sports that aren't sports, but should be? Marching band should be considered a sport for many reasons. Marching band fits all the definitions for a sport (and it follows them to perfection). There are many statistics to reveal marching band is a sport and how hard the members work. As a member of the FMHS Wildcat Marching Band, I know we put forth an asonishing amount of time and practice to become he great athletes we are today.
One of the most commonly accepted definitions of a sport activity is: "a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or over coming the resistance of a mass." In marching band, the color guard (the girls with the flags, etc.) toss flags, rifles, sabers, etc. into the air. And those instruments! Some can weigh fifty pounds or more! The one I had was at least twenty pounds. That's definitely more than football gear!
Another definition is, "a contest or competition against or with an opponent." There are many competitive marching bands out there that compete against countless opponents at each show. One of the best competitive marching band shows is the World Championship Finals, publicized each year on ESPN (a sports channel), just like other sports. There are more than 400,000 fans at each live event.
There are many studies evaluating how much marching band members perform. One study shows one marching band member, during a parade, works harder than a football player does during a game. When conmpared to a parade, a marching band member works about twice as hard in a field show.
Another study shows that marching band members actually NEED skills! One member needs to work every part and muscle of their body. A member needs to know how to properly march, have their music completely memorized, count, move, play, and remember what to do before and after the show, all at the same time. How many football players can count and catch a ball at the same time? Sure they have to remember the play, but that's just one thing. Football players need skills too, but they don't need as many. Marching band members have to remember at least six things all at once. One member can multi-task better than any other athlete in another sport.
As a member of a marching band, I know how hard we all work. In one season, I drank four times a much water then when we weren't practicing. I also lost ten pounds in one season. We practiced daily for hours upon end. I can lift heavier things now then I could before,
In summary, is marching band a physical activity? Yes. Is marching band undertaken competitivley? Yes. It fits all the definitions of a sport, right? Yes! There are more definitions and statistics but I don't want to bore you. So, the next time you are walking down the hallway and you see someone with a lettermans jacket that says "Band" don't think "What a band geek," think, "What a great athlete!"
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This article has 171 comments.
alright...soo...im in 8th grade and we can be in marching band and i have to say MARCHING BAND IS A SPORT because lets see we go to band camp for one week in the summer and do nothing but drill..and we do box drills...and we stand at attention for like a couple mintues..do football players go for 8 hours during the summer for one week and get up at like 5 am...no...do they have to memorize music plus drill plus how to stay in step? or where to stop...what points u make ur next drill point...uhh no....ppl think tht marching band is just something u do for fun..and tht u do nothing...but no..my band director yells and screams at us...and we hve a mudded up field....so football is hard i know...but let me tell u one thing...everyone says band takes skill..yes it does..but soo does football and basketball and base ball...soo..yeah...MARCHING BANDS A SPORT!!!!
I can honestly say that this is a good article...but you're proof is very biased and very opinionated. There are no statistics to prove your point.
Before anyone goes to rag on me, I will tell you I am involved in my band, I am a field hockey player. Unfortunatley because of my schedule, I had to drop marching band(at my school it is an eca, not a class...i don't know about other schools). I did not drop band for my sport, I am involved in alot of different things, but I will say this, marching band CAN NOT be compared to other athletic activities.
Yes, I consider marching band a sport, but you can't compare it to football, soccer, or other contact sports. It's like trying to compare a german sheperd to a yorkie. Are they both dogs? Yes, but they are not the same breed.
Marching band requires a whole different set of skills than field hockey, or football. I'm going to use field hockey as my sports example because that is the sport I play.
Field hockey, like marching band requires alot of knowledge and thinking skills. On the field, a player must always be in tune with the seed of ball, speed of thought, speed of feet, speed of hands. On the field you're always thinking, you're always moving, you're one part of a whole.
In marching band, it is the same thing, one part of a whole, but you're not passing instruements to one another, the only ones physically passing/throwing/engaging in anything close to contact is the color guard.
Marching band you need to be aware of everyone and everything, you have to know your steps, your beat, your music, your rythm.
See how different the two are? Yes, marching is a sport, trust me, I was once in band, i have friends who do march. It's not easy, but you can't compare it to other contact sports.
ps-If anyone has statistics relevent to the studies mentioned in the article, can you share the link? I'm writing an article similar to this in my school news paper...but I want to have stats to back me up.
I forgot one more argument. The simple fact that you march competitively doesn't mean it is a sport. I entered a coloring competition when I was 6. I am not going to argue that coloring is a sport.
Once art becomes more important than physicality, the definition of sport is moot. Physicality has to be the most important aspect to convince me that it is not a sport.
My opinion is that marching band is not a sport.
I am an upcoming high school freshman. I play baseball and I played the trombone and drumset in middle school. Sadly, I had to choose my first love, baseball, over band because of the demanding schedule.
First, let me credit all of those who have worked so hard in band. Marching band sounds extremely tough and must take a lot of hard work. It's hard enough making beautiful music while sitting down or standing still. It's also difficult to be able to memorize and obey marching commands. Put the two together, and you have a lot of hard work in front of you.
However, I don't think marching band should be considered a sport. The simple fact that you train in over 100 degree Fahrenheit weather or below 50 doesn't mean that anything is nessecarily a sport. Many people work hard for the SATs, or sculpting. Everything is this world takes a lot of hard work if it's worth it. This is why DCI isn't a sport.
Also, the simple fact that it takes a physical toll on your body doesn't mean it should be considered a sport. Coal mining takes a physical toll on a person. This does not mean it is a sport.
So, what makes a certain activity a sport? It's is the physical struggle. Coal mining is physical, but the goal being accomplished is not to test one's physical ability against another person, it is to load coal quickly and effeciently. Marching band is not a sport because the musical accomplishment is more important than the physical accomplishment.
I am a percussionist at my highschool and i am also an athlete. i feel that i have a very unbiased opinion on this topic. I love marching band with all my heart and music is my passion. I can tell you right now from a musical athlete perspective that being in sports is harding than being in marching band. Is marching band hard? holy cow yes it is. But running miles and miles and miles upon end is so much harder than walking 4 miles with 50lbs on you. Does marching band require skills? yes of course it does. And I can agree that playing an instrument probably takes more skill than playing a sport like football. Bottom line, are sports hard? yes. Is marching band hard? yes. They are two completely different things that should both be respected but kept seperated
also i feel that this article is extremely one sided and not well researched... sorry if you dont agree
really good, i just have a hard time thinking it's a sport. i keep hearing everyone say it is, but i cant seem to follow.
and dont think im just "hating" on band geeks, because im part of the gladstone gladiator alliance.
i consider marching band and colorguard, even indoor drumline, an art. a performing art.
yes, i know for a fact we practice more, longer, and harder than more than half of the sports teams at my scool, but we're still producing art. i love that so many people have such strong feelings for such an unappreciated organization, and who knows, maybe those four years of hell weeks and heaven performances will earn us a better title(:
