As a sports fanatic, I tend to think of the seasons as sports seasons: Fall into winter is football season, winter into spring is basketball season and spring into summer is baseball season.
We may all have a favorite season for sports, but what about which month is best?
Although this may seem random to rank the months by sports intrigue, you’ll thank me later when you use this as a reference for when to stay busy and when to lay down and watch sports all day.
- August
Coming in last place on the list is August. This month doesn’t have much going for it in terms of sports. The only major league in its regular season is the MLB. But there is the NFL training camp and preseason, which is arguably the highlight of the month because of how mundane the MLB’s regular season can be. Regular-season baseball just isn’t juicy enough to make August anything better than the worst sports month.
- July
This earlier summer month is ranked similarly low because its main fixture is regular season MLB action, and it doesn’t even have preseason NFL action to spice things up. However, I put it slightly above August because it has two main intrigues: MLB All-Star week and NBA free agency. The month starts with a bang with NBA free agency, which typically starts on July 1. The MLB All-Star break, and notably, the Home Run Derby, break up the never-ending MLB season.
- February
February is a huge step from the previous two entries. Of course, it may seem weird to put the Super Bowl month this low, but that’s because February has limited excitement beyond the Super Bowl. February is also highlighted by an NBA All-Star Weekend. Regular season games in the NBA, NHL and college basketball also populate the month. So while it’s not the best, it’s not a bad sports month by any means.
- June
Notice a theme here? Summer is the worst time of year for American sports. But because of the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, June is the best of the summer. Like February, though, June doesn’t have too much to offer outside of the conclusion of the NBA and NHL seasons. There’s the NBA Draft and the beginning of the NBA offseason following, which keeps things interesting until July. And, of course, there are always MLB regular season games to watch during this time.
- May
May is headlined by NBA and NHL playoff action all month long, giving you something to watch almost every night. Consistent MLB games and the college baseball World Series are also worth tuning in for. May doesn’t have a huge event like the Super Bowl or NBA Finals, but it’s still an all-around solid month.
- September
From here on out, all of the months have a lot to offer for sports-watching pleasure. September is the first fall month off the board, and although it’s the worst of the season, it still has things going for it. First of all, this is when both the college football and NFL seasons start. Unlike basketball and baseball, the football regular season is always a must-watch, so this gives September the intrigue that summer lacks. The race to the playoffs in the MLB season also starts to take shape.
- March
March’s main highlight is, obviously, March Madness. The NCAA Tournament sneaks into May, but the majority of the action — like conference tournaments and the always interesting Selection Sunday — happens this month. March Madness may be my single favorite tournament in sports, so this carries the month as very fulfilling sports-wise. This is also the time of year when the NBA season starts to ramp up and the playoff race is underway. However, toward the very end of the month, the NFL starts its offseason with free agency, and the MLB regular season begins.
- November
Next is November. November doesn’t have any notably huge events, but there’s just so much to watch. The World Series champion is usually crowned in November, with the majority of the World Series itself occurring in this month. The NFL and college football seasons start to ramp up, with the NFL games on Thanksgiving being the highlight. Although the seasons start at the end of October, November is also the first full month of NBA and NHL action, with college basketball starting this month, as well. There is just so much range and quantity to enjoy here that November had to earn a somewhat high rank.
- January
Similar to May, January is great because we get to see playoff action all month, in this case with the NFL. The NFL playoffs start mid-January, but the last couple weeks of the NFL season are so intense and entertaining that they feel playoff caliber. This, combined with the fact that January contains the College Football National Championship game, makes this the best month for football in the whole calendar year. Add constant NBA, NHL and college basketball regular seasons to the mix, and January becomes an above-average sports month.
- December
Rounding out the top three is December. Similar to November, the NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball and NHL are on all month. However, December takes it up a step because it’s a month later in their seasons and the stakes are higher in the leagues.
This is especially the case with college football, whose regular season comes to an end in December. This means there is rivalry week, conference championships, bowl games and the semi-final games of the College Football Playoff, giving us plenty of high-stakes football. December is also the main month of the MLB offseason, which adds to the intrigue.
What truly makes December special, though, is the holiday season. Although not directly related to sports, the big holidays give games a special, celebratory appeal to them, especially with both the NFL and NBA scheduling games on Christmas.
- April
The Final Four of March Madness, the NBA Playoffs beginning, the NHL Playoffs beginning, the NFL Draft and the MLB come into full swing in April. Regardless of what you gravitate toward the most, it’s undeniable for an American sports fan that April is a great month for sports. For me, the headliner is the NFL Draft, which is by far the most entertaining draft out of all American sports.
- October
October takes the cake for the best American sports month. When I think of October, I think of the leaves falling, a brisk and overcast afternoon and the MLB playoffs. Although I dismiss the MLB regular season throughout this list for how mundane and long it is, the season reaches its climax in October, a majestic month of baseball where every pitch could mean jubilation or desperation.
If that wasn’t enough, October also has constant NFL and college football action throughout the month and features the start of the NBA and NHL seasons. This creates the only time when a sports equinox can happen — all four major sports leagues play games on the same day. This is a glorious sight for any sports fan, and an equinox happened for just the 30th time in history on Oct. 30 of this year. So, between the special MLB Playoffs, excitement around new NBA and NHL seasons, and football all month, October is unmatched as it’s crowned the month of sports.
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1 Comment
The best month for sports depends on the sport, but usually, spring and summer are great for outdoor activities, with many sports events happening in the summer, like the FIFA World Cup and multi-sport competitions. I think winter is better for indoor sports.