so lately a debate rose at school is marching band a sport i think it is because after 2 years of it it is just as physically demanding as any sport sometimes more what do you guys think
That goes for most things though.I wouldnt considering eating contests a sport even though those are physically taxing.That being said i never did band
Not really, no. I understand why it's considered as such, but it doesn't seem to match up with other things that can be considered "sports" (but, then again, I find the concept of bowling being considered a sport to be rather perplexing).
@sherlock well we have competitions to see whos best in the district, state, country excetera. we work as a team we practice more than a majority of our football teams so by that logic would you consider it a sport
Subjective scoring= Let me break it down. You could train and practice 365 days a year. You could literally kill a pack of wolverines with your elbows while juggling active chainsaws and riding a unicycle, but if you get scored based on your coordination, style, appearence or anything else not directly tied to the act that scores points, its not a sport. Same goes for cheerleading. Its not about how phyically demanding the task is.
@tasir: It depends on what you're band does. If your band only goes to games to perform then it is more so an extracurricular activity, but that doesn't mean it's not demanding. The sport side of it is when you get into the competition side of it. If your band goes to competitions where they are judged and compared to other bands in a similar class then it becomes sport like. In a way it's like gymnastics, and you're judged based on form and precision. Also like most sports, marching band has it's own form of professional league: DCI (Drum Corp International). It's an amazing program where band members from all over the nation volunteer for a band and spend the summer traveling the nation and performing in different stadiums nearly every night.
@knightrise: So gymnastics is not a sport? Same goes with wushu, diving or sync swimming? Please tell me they aren't sports.... I so want them out of the Olympics!
Honestly I consider anything that is done in organized competition to be a sport. I don't think it has to be physical at all. Not to say marching band isn't.
@tasir: In my opinion then I would classify it as a sport because you are ranked, but there are going to always be those who disagree. I personally saw it as a sport, because there were a lot of band members in my Alma mater that were in better shape than some football players. It takes a lot of dedication to carry a horn for hours on end, and to run the same drills over and over until your shoulder dislocates from a sousa that's too heavy for your frame. Oh, and contras wooowee, imagine having to hold an awkward 50 pound piece of metal out in front of you and having to snap it up into playing position on command over and over and over. There's not a lot of people who can do that. So having said that, yeah marching band is a sport. ^_^
@uncanny_doom: you basically read my mind. I'd consider any competition a sport.
Now with that being said I wouldnt consider someone in a marching band an "athlete" per se. But i cant play an instrument so my respect is given to anyone who can
@knightrise: So gymnastics is not a sport? Same goes with wushu, diving or sync swimming? Please tell me they aren't sports.... I so want them out of the Olympics!
Fighting sports, most gymnastics, and diving are scored subjectively, yes, but the things that they're subjectively judged on are directly tied to the act of scoring. A cheerleading team will lose points if their faces aren't aestetically pleasing (facials as they're called. I poked fun at quite a few of my slutty cheerleader friends in high school for that). Tell me that a marching band or a synchronized swim team wouldn't lose points if they wore street clothes and du-rags.
But it really doesn't matter. "Sport" is just a word. I respect anything challenging that I could never do.
I would show you stuff from my years in band, but unfortunately I don't have any of the footage on the computer. I can tell you though that in my freshman year back in 2003 we went to the Outback Bowl and performed in a band competition there. We scored at the top of everything and were above all the other bands except in danceline which was only because we didn't have one. Since we won, we performed out halftime-show during the Outback Bowl pre-game.
I've done marching and football. Footballs on a whole other level of strenuous activity, but marching can be a chore. I had base drum which ways 10-15 pounds and lugging that long beast everywhere is annoying and painful if you don't keep your posture. So in ways it's a sport but all around no.
There's not one definition of Sport, it's a very broad term. And if playing darts is considered a sport just for the scoring aspect, i can sure as hell put Marching band under the definition of sport which is physically demanding.
Subjective scoring= Let me break it down. You could train and practice 365 days a year. You could literally kill a pack of wolverines with your elbows while juggling active chainsaws and riding a unicycle, but if you get scored based on your coordination, style, appearence or anything else not directly tied to the act that scores points, its not a sport. Same goes for cheerleading. Its not about how phyically demanding the task is.
Marching Band is not a sport and i'm sorry to tell you this, but only a person in marching band would say its as physically demanding as one. Maybe it's because I came from two very competitive high schools where I played both Baseball and American Football, but I can't help but feel it's totally different.
@chronus marching band is quite physical look at any advanced marching band and watch how they march that takes years of practice and we compete against other marching bands in district and state competitions all the time it meets the definition perfectly
@chronus marching band is quite physical look at any advanced marching band and watch how they march that takes years of practice and we compete against other marching bands in district and state competitions all the time it meets the definition perfectly
Want to know what else is physically straining and takes practice to master? Yoga.
Just because something requires some physical involvement doesn't mean it's a sport. Seriously. Join your football team for a season and then tell me marching bad is a sport.
@russellmania77 have you ever done laps with a sousaphone on your shoulder
nope but in wrestling they made us do indian runs with weights, in football they had us running gassers on the field with all the equipment on, also do do bear craws to one side of the field and back, they would condition at the end of practice with runing up and down steps (different ways) run up and down hills, flip tires, up downs and mountain climers as condition in football
@russellmania77well we do just as much work as that in our during band camp which is from 7-5 we spend the whole time practicing
oh really, cuz during the summers we did 2-a-days which went from 9 am - 8 pm, we hit the field almost the whole day than we went to the weight room and lifted weights
so lately a debate rose at school is marching band a sport i think it is because after 2 years of it it is just as physically demanding as any sport sometimes more what do you guys think
I did marching band for two years and was a 4 year starter on my highschool's varsity soccer team. Having done both, I can say with absolute and supreme confidence that there is NO WAY marching band is as physically demanding as soccer. I'd assume that is also the case with football and basketball, but may give that statement some credit with regards to golf of baseball...
Having said that, you CAN letter in most highschools in marching band, so if that's your criteria, then Yes it is a sport.
@russellmania77well we do just as much work as that in our during band camp which is from 7-5 we spend the whole time practicing
I can't really take this argument seriously. If marching was just as physically demanding as let's say football, then why are most marching band members in average shape at best and football/soccer/baseball/basketball players is top shape? I mean, not everyone who participates in these sports are fit, but most usually are, especially if they are representing a very competitive school (like mine was). I don't see ripped band members marching down the field.
its not a sport. a sport requires more organization, teams, rules, and an objective to be accomplished. just because something is physically demanding doesn't make it a sport. campaigning for president can be physically demanding but it is not a sport.
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