Comparing Drum corps to other sports

[HockeyDad]

Drum corps is not a sport.

This. Additionally, drum corps is for those who can afford to not work a summer job....in addition to paying to participate. So it tends toward being for those with financial means.

[coachsig]

I am glad I started something with this topic. I think some of the comments are right and some of them are just way off the topic. I think my point is that even in any team or individual event/sport there are always those who dominate and win in consecutive season ie. UCLA Bruins in the late 60's and 70's and the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) in the mid 80's with 4 Stanley Cups, Thus creating dynasties. Since then, there has not been a true dynasty in winning championships at all levels of sports as I clearly stated in an earlier post. Those dyanasty days are probably long gone, just becuase of parity and those working hard to knock of the champions previous. I think with college athletics especially with basketball, there are those strong programs that always make it to the tournament, but dont we all find ourselves rooting for the Gonzaga's, Northern Iowa's, Princeton's and so on. Its not always a given that Duke, North Carolina and other Basketball dynasties make the tournament, sometimes they don't make the tournament. Even they miss the Big Dance once in a while and/or not always win it or not make it to the Final Four or the Elite 8. As for College Football and the BCS, even that is a mess and somehow a good comparison with drum corps. Dont get me going on the BCS.

If we were to correlate all of that and what has been said on this topic with lets say the Blue Devils. Its seems they have been on such a LONG run since 1975. Yes there are certain factors that are different in sports and drum corps that just cannot be compared or asscociated the same way, but there are some organization comparisons.

Fact. Since the inception of DCI in 1972, every other organization has moved up and down the ladder of placement. Even have been displaced out of the Top 12 and had to somehow prove thier worth to DCI or the Judges that they are a viable product. The Blue Devils since 1974 placed 24th, 1975:9th, 1976:3rd and since 1976 have never finished less than 5th, but then miraculously somehow finds a way to always finish in the Top 3 that next year or wait Wins again. Coincidence, experience, hard work, execution, what is it exactly? It just seems very slighted to me and I am not surprised anyone else has thought of this aspect.

I guess the only way to find out if the judges are true with thier scoring ability, evaluative assessments and knowledge, we would have to do a BLIND STUDY on the first show of the year. That means, no uniforms, no annoucnement of who the corps are, no announcement of drum major names, no corps logos anywhere(even on equipment trucks and busses), no receognizable corps warm ups on the field, no corps souviners, invite all 23 World class corps to a show site, random selection of whom performs, and random selction of order of appearance. The only way for this BLIND STUDY to be successful is for ALL factors and variables to be controlled. This way judging will support a better assessment and closer to at least fair. I truly believe that judges do have the ability to score in a significant way based upon order of appearance, recognition of uniform and recognition of name of corps, thus leading to a pre-conceived assessment of thier abilities based upon history, tradition and somehow direct relationship to that corps association. Judges have the ability to use the wonderful world of the web to review re-cap sheets from prior contest to see how another judge scored those corps in those captions. Thus, leading the judge to a pre-conceived score or starting point and not really scoring based upon what they see at that exact instant on that exact night and time. Every show is not played the same or viewed the same, changes are made, mistakes are made, but the scores seem to go up from 1 to 2 points a night, even each captions seems to increase but never decrease. Maybe there should be a study on scoring over the course of the year for drum corps, who the judges are and track the scoring from judge to judge. What a great idea?

I guess with sports on any given day, any given time, any given place, anyone can beat anyone. But is seems to me drum corps is different and cannot be compared to that statement, thus drum corps is not a sport but an activity.

[dmfootworks]

I agree with all that have stated or agreed that drum corps is not a sport. And I disagree with DCI marketing itself as one., going all the way back to "Summer Music Games." Blech!

[BRASSO]

Drum corps is not a sport.

Perhaps DCI realizes that now as well after trying unsuccessfully to market and promote themselves as such.

For better or worse, we'll never see the DCI Championships on ESPN ever again.

Edited August 3, 2010 by BRASSO

[SFZFAN]

Perhaps DCI realizes that now as well after trying unsuccessfully to market and promote themselves as such.

For better or worse, we'll never see the DCI Championships on ESPN ever again.

Good! I'd rather see DCI back on PBS!!!!

[BRASSO]

Good! I'd rather see DCI back on PBS!!!!

I'd even settle for it on the Food Network channel.

That happens, who knows, INT might even be motivated to win it all.

[gbell211]

Drum corps is not a sport.

I totally agree.