# Is Marching Band A "REAL" Sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 10, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484 "2003-11-10T21:56:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![\_1tbone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/f08c70/32.png) [@\_1tbone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_1tbone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/1 "2003-11-10T21:56:37Z")
I Say OF Course It Is!! No One Else Seems To Share This Opinion With Me. What Is A “REAL” Sport Anyway? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/2 "2003-11-10T22:34:38Z")
This doesn’t provide much of a handle to get a discussion started. You’d do better to provide your own definition of “sport” in this context, and explain how marching band meets it. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/3 "2003-11-10T22:37:38Z")
Marching Band is _not_ a sport by my definition. This did not prevent me from taking it an alternative to PE for the year that I lasted in High School, however. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/4 "2003-11-10T23:24:34Z")
Does professional marching band involve a ball, a score, have offsides, penalties, an offense or a defense? Or … does it have geeks who crack bad oboe jokes to each other, while Typing With A Capital Letter At The Beginning Of Every Word While They’re Online?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jonmarzie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jonmarzie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonmarzie)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/5 "2003-11-11T02:29:36Z")
I don’t think it’s a sport. Why? Well, for one thing, most sports have specific venues for them. Marching band plays on, what, a “football” field? Just an addition. I’m trying to think of a sport that doesn’t have it’s own special place. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/6 "2003-11-11T02:34:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonmarzie \* > \*\*Just an addition. I’m trying to think of a sport that doesn’t have it’s own special place. \*\* That’s not too hard. Running? Rowing? Sailing (if you consider it a sport)? Cycling? ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/7 "2003-11-11T05:03:16Z")
Nah, it’s not a sport. Nor is it an art. It’s … umm … one of those things that falls through the cracks. Done properly it’s dang hard work, a ton of fun and incredibly rewarding. And I hear it’s also a great way to get drunk… ---
**Author:** ![Jonmarzie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jonmarzie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonmarzie)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/8 "2003-11-11T05:52:49Z")
**Metacom** , I have been corrected. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that stuff. _run away and hide_ ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/9 "2003-11-11T06:09:00Z")
Well, one time, at band camp . . . ---
**Author:** ![mrsam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@mrsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/10 "2003-11-11T12:41:16Z")
For those who say it’s not a sport, could you provide a definition which excludes band and includes all the things we generally accept as sport? I think for something to be a reasonable definition, it would have to allow for, say, all the sports in the Olympics, and I think that it would be hard to come up with such a definition. But I’ll accept it there is one. Here’s the first point from the definition in the Collins dictionary: 1. an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often taking a competitive form. Under that definition, band is in. ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/11 "2003-11-11T13:06:52Z")
Yes, mrsam, I can - Any activity that employs music as an integral aspect is not a sport - figure skating, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, etc. These activities wouldn’t be possible without music. Just because they are in the Olympics doesn’t mean anything - the Olympics just include them as entertainment. These events are competitive performances, nothing more, and certainly not sport. Any athlete or former athlete who has played real sports would not consider the above to be a sport. That’s reasonable. Now, what would marching band be without the music? People walking around in formation wearing tall, dorky hats. Right? Sport? No. Back in the early 80’s, when they starting giving varsity “letters” to the band, I knew someone would try this someday and claim marching band is a sport. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/12 "2003-11-11T13:08:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrsam \* > \*\*Here’s the first point from the definition in the Collins dictionary: > > 1. an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often taking a competitive form. > > Under that definition, band is in. \*\* Under that definition, the following could also be construed as sports: NASCAR, showing dogs, bowling, quilting, growing orchids, and even masturbation. I don’t consider any of the above a sport, although they may very well be enjoyable pastimes. For what it’s worth, my personal, somewhat biased definition (which excludes some Olympic activities), would be something like “an individual or group activity pursued for excercise and pleasure, often taking a competetive form, and which raises the individuals heart rate above %70 of their maximum heart rate for periods of time longer then 15 minutes” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/13 "2003-11-11T13:25:52Z")
Done right, it is a sport, and a very competitive one at that. [Drum and Bugle Corps Competition.](http://www.dci.org) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/14 "2003-11-11T14:56:29Z")
Is it on ESPN? That’s my litmus test. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/15 "2003-11-11T15:03:38Z")
I saw a Magic: The Gathering tournament on ESPN 2 once. Definitely one of the lowlights of the network, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/16 "2003-11-11T15:09:46Z")
My take is that nothing with a subjective scoring system can qualify as a sport. ---
**Author:** ![mrsam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@mrsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/17 "2003-11-11T16:58:53Z")
So diving is out, then? ---
**Author:** ![mrsam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@mrsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/18 "2003-11-11T17:05:17Z")
So diving is out, then? ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/19 "2003-11-11T17:21:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrsam \* > \*\*So diving is out, then? \*\* Yup. ---
**Author:** ![tramp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tramp)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484/20 "2003-11-11T18:50:02Z")
OH COME ON! When I was in band, we spent 3 hours after school marching up and down the parking lot four days a week. We were out there LONG after the football players had gone home. I was in the best shape of my life then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marching-band-a-real-sport/212484.md?page=2)