Funny thing, around many people I know, I am the one person arguing that sports are just as good as music, theater, debate, etc... I'm an orchestra parent as well as a baseball parent (try wondering why your child didn't get into the highest performance group - but I never found a discussion board for that). In fact, I think students should be able to major in their sport, just like musicians can.
If there weren't so many cases where academic requirements were bent for athletes (yes, including at HAs), this wouldn't be a question. I don't know if they bend those academic requirements for musicians.