Marching band should be listed under the sports category

Marching band is not only a physical sport but a mental one as well. Just like other physical activity requires stretches and exercise in the same way marching band requires around 90% of stretches and exercise. You have to memorize around 100-200 specific spots on football  field  and then march towards them within specific time period and in specific number of steps. You also have to memorize the tune as well. This task definitely requires mental stability along with physical stamina. While practising this art you have to make sure that you have to learn to hold your body as you march while keeping your steps towards the dots. You have to thoroughly learn the drills and the rules of marching as well. Also playing those instruments while marching is not an easy task. It has proved to be so hectic that many people have vomitted,passed out, fallen and even suffered the mental breakdown while practising for this. People have even died due to dehydration. In other sports you just need to portray your physical stamina but in this along with physical, mental endurance also plays an important role. Most of the people consider it to be an easy task until you start it yourself. This is totally made up of blood, sweat and tears. People who are involved in this also suffer from a lot of injuries. Swollen ankles, Sprained thumbs etc after suffering from all these they cannot just back out. They have to still keep on practicing. Most of the time the participants have to go through a lot of humiliation as well if not performed properly. Their band managers shout at top of his lungs if a single tune goes of the track. They have to work very hard under the sun. All these pressurized situation causes mental breakdown. Also like other sports these marching bands do not receive any type of trophy. May be this is the biggest reason it is most of the time not considered as a sport. But the people in the band are more hard working than any other sport players.

There are a lot of rules that needs to be followed in order to gain perfection in this field. You have to match your time of marching and tune playing with your other group members. You have to maintain a lot of coordination. Although they are not doing anything athletic but it definitely involves a lot of mental strain. It is not only a sport but more than that. So considering the efforts of those people marching band should be listed under the sports category.