Did you know that a professional dancer is physically fitter than an Olympic athlete? (Scienedaily) If Albert Einstein referred to dancers as “God's athletes,” then why does our society fail to respect dance as a sport? A dance career requires an incredible amount of dedication and mental resolve, just like Olympic sports. Even before reaching professionalism, a ballet student will train up to eight hours a day! (Womack) Since there are very few jobs available in the industry, even pre-professional dancers must be very competitive to succeed. Ballet should be recognized as a sport for the fitness, dedication and competition it entails. An important part of any sport is the physical demand it imposes on its participants and the incredible physical condition required of them. Unquestionably, Olympic sports require top-notch physical condition from the participants. Likewise, the physical demands of ballet require world-class levels of fitness. Evidence of this physical ability can be found in a study conducted by the University of Hertfordshire. This study confirmed that professional dancers are physically fitter than Olympic athletes! If the world had any doubts about the physical difficulties of ballet, they would have been put to rest by the results of this study. (Sciencedaily) Another testimony to the difficulties of ballet comes from Steve McClendon, an NFL player who attends ballet for cross-training, and admitted that “Ballet was the hardest thing he did.” (Katzowitz 1 ) Certainly if a professional footballer respects ballet in this way, football fans should too! Clearly the physical demands of ballet should qualify it as a sport. Another... medium of paper... would be enough to earn the respect of public Another justification is the dedication required for ballet. It is an indisputable fact that all sports require commitment. The many sacrifices made by dancers and the dedication of an immense amount of time are things that they all have in common dedication should be recognized when questioning whether or not ballet is a sport. Competitiveness is another characteristic of ballet. The competition seen in other sports is also evident in ballet. Because competition is such an important factor in sports, its presence in ballet should not be ignored. All these reasons lead to one conclusion: ballet is a sport. The fact that ballet is also an art in no way undermines this conclusion. Therefore, I implore you to give ballet your full respect for the sport that it is.