Where Does the Month of March Rank Among Best Sports Months?
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March is here and in full swing, and that fact alone has many sports fans around the country excited. It’s no secret that March is a great month for sports. For some people, it’s the best time of the year. There’s basketball, hockey, and baseball all involved, with the most exciting aspect being the event that is so grand it’s named after the month itself: March Madness. I love the month of March, so I got to thinking about where I would rank it among all 12 months when it comes to the best months for sports. My answer: 2nd.
I’ll start with the best sports month, which is October. October will always reign supreme when it comes to sports months and it’s not even close. The NFL and college football both are in full swing, which means that Saturdays and Sundays are tied up every week for a few months. It also means going and watching football games live, which most likely involves the great event of tailgating. The NBA and NHL both kick off their seasons in October, which is always a great time for fans with hope of success. Even though college basketball doesn’t officially begin until November, October is the month it starts to be talked about a lot with team reports of practices and scrimmages. The playoff race in NASCAR is right in the thick of things in October, which sets up the very important last few races in November.
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All of that makes October great, but now it’s time to talk about what makes it legendary. The reason that October is will always be king of sports months is the MLB playoffs. There is nothing like watching playoff baseball with the packed stadiums, wild crowds, chilly weather, legendary moments in the making, and the win-at-all-cost strategies. The playoffs are so great that I’m glued to the television even when my team isn’t in it. And when my team is a part of the playoffs, it takes the excitement to a level that is just hard to explain.
Now let’s discuss our current month of March and what makes it great. Now that I’ve reviewed why October is so great, I don’t want that to take away from how awesome March is. The NBA and NHL are both winding down, setting up their postseasons which begin in April. For fans of teams who are on the edge of playoffs/no playoffs, games during this month are so very important and exciting it’s like the playoffs starting a little early. NASCAR is in its early weeks of the season, which is very exciting for race fans. MLB is in Spring Training and that is such a special time of year, as fans of all teams have hope for the upcoming season. It’s a time when you pay close attention to how new additions to your team are doing, as well as how your team’s prospects are faring in big league action.
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Finally, we have March Madness. This doesn’t even need an explanation because it’s so special everyone already knows what it is, no matter if you watch sports or not. For three weeks, we are bombarded with college basketball games that are win-or-go-home. People take off work to stay home and watch these games. People bet money on these games, even if they’re not gamblers or know anything about college basketball. The Thursday and Friday of the first round are the best back-to-back days in all of sports because there are games on constantly all day long. You watch an exciting ending to one game and flip it over to watch the exciting ending to another. And repeat. Most everyone fills out brackets, whether they bet money on them or not, so you can keep up with how well you do throughout the entire tournament. And college basketball fandom runs so deep it creates an intensity and passion like no other.
So that is my take on what are the best sports months of the year. I would love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree, in the comments. If you disagree, what month(s) do you think are the best? Leave a comment below, or on Twitter. If you aren’t already, give us a follow @thesportschief.
Garett