A staple of American football culture and Roosevelt High School football home games — the marching band brings music, energy, and spirit to the stands.
This year, the band performed its first halftime show since 2019, giving students in the stands what Hannah Mowry, Roosevelt director of bands, called “a mini version of what [she] would like to see in the future.”
Field shows require physical exercise, but is it enough for the marching band to count as a sport?
Roosevelt Activities Coordinator Ryan Sherlock defines a sport as “something that takes physical activity, preparation, teamwork, practice … [and] a competition.”
So what about the marching band? Sherlock and Mowry seemed to agree that it is a sport. Mowry “would put it in the same category as cheer, tumbling, and dance.”
Roosevelt senior and marching band member Moises Perez had a different opinion. Perez believes that marching band is “more like a performance, [you] play your instrument and make a good show.”
Roosevelt senior and drum major, Sam Keith, argues that “physical work [is a] part of marching band,” and “marching while playing can be really difficult.” Teamwork plays a key role as well, claimed Keith, “We all got to look super uniform [and] professional, … [we’ll] be moving as one unit.”
When considering other marching bands, the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band comes to mind. According to Husky Marching Band member and university junior Olivia Sayrs, the marching band is indeed a part of the athletic department and is recognized by the university as a sport.
Unlike UW’s band, Sherlock confirmed that the Roosevelt marching band “does not get [sports] credit.” However, he went on to say, “Why not? They work their butts off.”
Perez said that since “it’s not really competitive,” the marching band shouldn’t count as a sport.
However, Mowry believes “there are marching band competitions as well,” and plans on taking the Roosevelt marching band to compete “maybe next year or in the future.”
Mowry also hopes “to expand and have [different field shows] and more pieces on the field. … Our show was maybe three minutes, … we could do seven minutes … and have a full field show.” On top of that, Mowry plans on starting a color guard this spring, just in time for next fall’s competition season.
Color guard is what Mowry calls “the visual representation of what’s happening in the music on the field.” They spin flags and other various props while marching alongside the rest of the band.
While the argument of whether marching band is a sport may never be settled, one thing is clear: The band has a lot in store for future years.
