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Samantha Barringer
Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
Apr. 2, 2015
Marching Band Kids: Musical Sissies or Star Athletes?
When you hear someone refer to a stranger as a band kid, what initial thoughts come to
mind? In my personal experience, I have found that most people immediately picture band kids
as uncoordinated, weak, and awkward. This exaggerated image is nothing short of complete
fiction, yet I have found that many people believe it to be true. In reality, band kids, particularly
those in marching band, should be considered athletes in the same way that football and soccer
players are. This also means that by definition, marching band must be considered a sport,
whether it is widely known as one or not.
The first step in debating this topic is to identify the characteristics of a sport. There are
many varied definitions of the term, so I have combined the key points. Essentially, an activity
can be considered a sport if these criteria are present: a physical aspect that requires some degree
of skill, standardized rules and regulations, and a method of scoring or competition. Without any
of these, it becomes unclear whether an activity is truly a sport or if it could more accurately be
described as a hobby or a pastime. Additionally, some definitions state that the activity must be
done out of enjoyment rather than other incentives like money or survival. I dont think it could
be said that this holds true for all athletes, so I decided not to include it.

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Many Americans would agree that one of the most impressive parts of competitive
popular sports is the high level of athletic ability required by each player. One way to measure
this athleticism objectively is to look at the amount of energy expended by those participating in
various sports. Typically, the rate of energy expenditure is expressed as metabolic equivalents, or
METs. Using this method of measurement, Loran Erdmann, Ralph Graham, Steven Radlo, and
Patricia Knepler, researchers from Western Illinois University, conducted a study of high school
marching band members in a laboratory setting. The study focused on parade marching, and at
the highest peak of difficulty, the participants were asked to march forward at a fast pace while
playing their instruments. Ultimately, the team established that high school marching band
members experience between approximately 4.5 and 6.0 METs while marching parades
(Erdmann et al). In order to give these numbers context, it is important to know that widely
regarded sports such as baseball, volleyball, and wrestling demand 5.0 METs, 5.5 METs, and 6.0
METs, respectively (Measuring Physical Activity). In other words, this suggests that simply
marching and playing cadences in a parade requires the same amount of energy as playing
baseball, volleyball, or wrestling. If you ask me, the most interesting part of this study is the fact
that it only measured parade marching instead of the style of marching required to perform
halftime shows. It is likely that the researchers would have observed higher overall energy
expenditures from the marching band students if they had taken halftime marching into
consideration.
(Here I plan to discuss the effects of the sun and dehydration on marching band students,
as well as summarizing the results of the survey done on Avon High School Marching Band. This
will further demonstrate the difficult nature of marching band in comparison to other sports

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which have rules governing practicing in the heat (i.e. Football teams cant practice if the heat
index is over a certain number, but no such rules exist for marching bands))
(Here I plan to discuss the competitive aspect of marching band, as well as how scoring
takes place. This will highlight another similarity between marching band and sports such as
basketball and soccer, and it will disprove the idea that marching bands perform only at football
games.)
In marching band, as in all sports, there are several specific rules that must be followed in
order to keep competition safe and fair. Many of these rules also affect the scores the marching
band will ultimately receive. For example, in many competitions, each band has exactly fifteen
minutes to walk onto the field, set up everything they need, perform the show, and get everything
off the field. In order to make sure this rule is followed, one of the judges times each show, and if
he or she notices that a band has gone over their time, the group automatically lose a portion of
their overall score. This penalty in marching band can be thought of in the same way as the
penalties and fouls in most other sports. In American football, there are also a few time-related
rules that each team must follow. One such rule has to do with the play clock that is used to keep
track of the amount of time the offense as to start the next play before they are given a penalty
for delaying the game (NFL Rulebook). These kinds of rules are necessary in all sports,
marching band and football alike, because they ensure that things will be more or less the same
from game to game or competition to competition.
There are quite a few different reasons why people argue against marching band being a
sport. One of the most common is simply that marching band is not physically active enough to
be considered a sport (Should Marching Band). My immediate question to this argument is
simple: How can we define what amount of physical activity is enough to count? There are

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numerous examples of how it is impossible to define something like this, especially when one
considered such sports as bowling and golf which involve far less physical activity than
marching band. In all honesty, this argument never seems to come with any evidence to support
it, so I would like to reference exercise physiologist, Gary Granatas survey of Avon High School
Marching Band as a rebuttal. In this survey, over 95% of the 172 marching band members
questioned experienced muscle soreness after rehearsals, over half experienced heat-related
illness, and over a third experienced an injury as the direct result of marching band participation
(Granata and Benardot). These statistics suggest that marching band is just as physically
demanding as many other widely accepted sports, and that in some cases, high school marching
band directors and staff need to be more careful when it comes to injury prevention, especially
when it comes to rehearsing in extreme heat (Greenwald-Gonella).
Upon interviewing Andrew Barsody, a freshman at the University of North Carolina at
Wilmington, it was clear that he held many of the same views as our other critics. When
prompted for his opinion, he said, While I understand that there is a certain level of strength
needed in order to participate in marching band, the difficulty level is not nearly as high as a
person playing soccer running 7-9 miles a game (Barsody). This would be a valid counterpoint,
if I were arguing that marching band was more challenging than soccer. However, I am not
concerned with how marching band and other sports compare. I am simply arguing that marching
band deserves to be recognized as a sport, regardless of the other activities that fall under that
title.
Several other naysayers attempt to pacify marching band members by stating that
marching band is physically challenging, but they always follow up that thought with the idea
that marching band should be considered more of an art than a sport (Should Marching Band).

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This isnt necessarily untrue. As it turns out, the marching band community doesnt need critics
to tell us that. Anyone familiar with marching band has long known that it is the mix of musical
and visual arts with athleticism that makes for the truly incredible experience. I do not believe
that there is a dichotomy between sports and artistic activities. In fact, I celebrate anything that
can bring those two together!
(Here I plan to introduce and explain the recent event regarding sportscaster, Jim Rome.
This will serve as an example of widely held attitudes towards marching band, and it will also
demonstrate the solidarity found amongst the marching band community.)
(Here I plan to introduce and discuss the topic of Drum Corps International, and how it
serves as the professional level of marching band for post-high school musicians. I plan to
interview a current drum corps member in order to include information on the intense rehearsals
these individuals experience.)
(Here I plan to discuss some of the benefits of being involved in marching band in
general. This will serve as a transition to my conclusion, and it will highlight some of the
positive effects people experience as a byproduct of joining marching band.)
This topic may not seem important to some, but when you consider the number of people
in the United States who have invested huge portions of their lives to marching band, it becomes
apparent that this is something that matters. The marching band community has a wide reach and
it something that connects thousands upon thousands of people across the nation. Members of
this community often find solidarity in our numbers, however, it is difficult to remain positive
when the majority of the world around us do not fully understand the work that goes into what
we do. When you get down to it, this debate is not solely about the title of a sport. It is about

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the validity that comes along with that title. Without being considered a sport, marching band can
only gain so much respect in our society. The thousands of young men and women who derive
purpose and hope from being a part of marching band simply want to be recognized and
respected as the athletes we are.

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Works Cited
Barsody, Andrew. Telephone interview. 30 Mar. 2015.
Erdmann, Loran D., Ralph E. Graham, Steven J. Radlo, and Patricia L. Knepler. Adolescents
Energy Cost In Marching Band. Perceptual and Motor Skills 97.2 (2003): 639-46. Ammons
Scientific. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Granata, Gary, and Dan Benardot. The Physical Demands And Challenges Of Participating in
Marching Band. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 41. Supplement 1 (2009): n. pag.
ResearchGate. Web. 31 Mar. 2015
Greenwald-Gonella, Haley. Musicians as Athletes. Halftime Magazine 1 Sept. 2010. Web.
Measuring Physical Activity. The Nutrition Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
NFL Rulebook. NFL.com Rulebook. N.p., 2013. Web 1 Apr. 2015.
Should Marching Band Be Considered a Sport? Debate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.