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Samantha Barringer
Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
Apr. 28, 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.
A separate study done in 2009 by exercise physiologists, Gary Granata and Dan
Benardot, 172 members of Avon High School Marching Band were surveyed in Avon, Indiana.
The goal of this particular study was to document the physical demands and difficulties that are
commonly involved in marching band. In the survey, the marching band participants were asked

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questions regarding the frequency and severity of injuries they had experienced due to their
participation in marching band activities. The results of this anonymous questionnaire exposed
such interesting findings as the fact that 43.6% of the respondents claimed to be frequently tired,
24.4% had dealt with dizziness or nausea, 51.7% had experienced at least one heat-related
illness, and 38.9% had suffered one or more injuries as a direct result of marching band activities
(Granata and Benardot). In addition, almost all of the respondents reported stiff and/or sore
muscles as a result of marching band rehearsal or performance. From the information gathered
from this very simple initial survey, the scientists were able to conclude that marching band
participants face an activity-related injury rate that is comparable to competitive sports.
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 is 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.

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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
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 Granata and Benardots survey of Avon High School Marching
Band again as a rebuttal. As stated previously, 164 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

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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).
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!
Although the debate between marching band fans and skeptics has been ongoing for an
incredibly long and indiscernible amount of time, it is not the kind of debate that typically draws
a lot of attention from the public. Generally speaking, it is not an issue of huge importance to our
society. However, marching band advocates everywhere were shocked when popular CBS Sports
Radio host, Jim Rome broadcasted his view of marching band on Twitter for all of the world to
see. Romes tweet read, Is there anyone not in a marching band who thinks those dorks running
around with their instruments are cool? (Larimer). These words may seem like nothing but a
joke to some, but to many people both in and out of the marching band community, his words
were nothing more or less than bullying. Within the first hour that Romes tweet was visible,
over one thousand people retweeted it, and countless others spread it through other means of
social media.
The vast majority of the marching band community took offense to Romes insult, and
they responded to the verbal attack in several different ways. Many sent out their own tweets

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declaring the pride they take in being a part of marching band, several others wrote articles about
the situation such as the ones available on the Washington Post and Buzzfeed, and others even
wrote letters and emails to Rome explaining their thoughts on what he had said (Larimer). One
response stood out over all the others, however, and it came from The U.S. Army Field Bands
Twitter account. Around one oclock on January 2nd, 2015, they posted a photograph of the
Armys marching band in full uniform with the simple caption: Just running around with our
instruments, and serving our country. #ProudtobeinBand #romeisburning #MarchOnRome.
(Morgan).
After all of this negative publicity, Jim Rome removed his initial tweet, and posted the
following, Band Nation - I hear you. I was out of line. I apologize. I do not condone bullying of
any kind and that was not my intent. (Morgan). To many, this forced apology was not quite
enough because his original comment still stands as a commonly held opinion of marching band.
Despite all of the hard work and dedication that is required of marching band members,
comments like Romes go to show just how little some people care about the activity.
Even though marching band does not typically receive much recognition from the sport
community, a good deal of research has been done on the positive effects participating in
marching band can have on high school students. According to Mari Dagaz of Indiana
University, marching band members tend to form strong connections with their peers. Within
marching band, students tend to create an environment of trust, acceptance, and support that
often allows these students to have lower stress levels, and stronger friendships than their
counterparts who do not participate in marching band (Dagaz).
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

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apparent that this is something that matters. The marching band community has a wide reach and
it is 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
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.
Dagaz, Mari C. "Learning from the Band." Learning from the Band. Sage Journals, 4 July 2013. Web. 20
Apr. 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.
Larimer, Sarah. "Jim Rome Tweets His Take on Marching Bands, Then Tweets Apology for His Take on
Marching Bands." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Measuring Physical Activity. The Nutrition Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Morgan, Blake. Community Post: This Is What Happens When You Refer To Marching Bands As
Dorks On The Internet. Buzzfeed Community. Buzzfeed. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 2 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.