January is always an action-packed month. With college football crowning a champion, the NFL playoffs happening weekly and the NHL and NBA at the midpoint of their seasons, there’s a lot for a sports fan to like.
But how does January compare to other months? As the first month of the year falls away, it’s a good time to look at every month on the sports calendar and see which month truly reigns supreme for sports fans.
Here’s a ranking of all 12 months on the calendar in terms of what they offer to a sports fan.
12. July
July isn’t a totally barren wasteland, as the WNBA and NWSL have risen and the World Cup is available once every four years. Wimbledon also provides plenty of action on July mornings, and there’s lots of baseball. The problem is that many American sports aren’t in action at all. The two days after baseball’s All-Star Game are often a dead period on the sports calendar with no games at all.
The WNBA could fix that by using that Wednesday after the MLB All-Star Game as a league showcase. But even if they did that, there’s just not enough happening in July most years.
11. August
The only thing keeping August above July is the return of football. The college football season gets underway in late August, as does preseason football. But otherwise, August is a really forgettable time on the sports calendar. Every four years, the Summer Olympics show up, but that’s about it besides baseball.
There’s a reason baseball calls this period the dog days of summer. Every team is just trying to survive, and that’s how it feels to many fans as well.
10. June
The NBA and NHL playoffs conclude in this month, but the best action in these sports usually takes place in April. More often than not, the Finals tend to be a letdown. The College World Series does improve June’s ranking, though, as it offers some of the best baseball action of the year.
Throw in MLB action every day, and there’s typically enough to keep fans interested, but too many months offer more.
9. February
The Super Bowl does much of the lifting for February’s ranking. It offers the biggest spectacle of the year and dominates headlines for the first week. Beyond that, the month is dedicated to the daily grind in college basketball, the NHL and the NBA.
The Winter Olympics does come up every four years, but that doesn’t occur often enough to really affect the rankings here. February has plenty of action, but outside of the Super Bowl, most of it doesn’t impact the end of the season.
8. December
December really seems like it should be higher, given how many bowl games there are. But those have lost their luster, and the rest of the sports calendar isn’t strong enough to make up for it.
The NFL has its playoff races, but college basketball isn’t offering much in this month. The NHL and NBA don’t start to get good until the calendar turns, which hurts December’s ranking. Like in February, a lot of the games are fun, but don’t have a lot of meaning.
7. September
September has a lot going for it. The MLB pennant races really get going, the NFL season kicks off and college football brings out some fun non-conference matchups. But outside of those sports, there isn’t a lot available.
That’s not to say that baseball and football need much help to carry the day. Put a lineup of those two sports in front of most fans, and they’d be very happy. But there are other months that offer a deeper lineup.
6. January
Football playoffs, both college and the NFL, take center stage in January. The NHL includes a fun gimmick in the Winter Classic, and college basketball starts its conference season. There’s plenty available for sports fans in January across the board.
But like with December, January suffers from a lack of meaning outside of football games. Most hockey and basketball games in January aren’t going to carry a lot of weight when those seasons wrap up, which hurts its rank.
5. May
Pretty much every game means something in May except for baseball, and that’s what makes it such a fun month. Basketball and hockey are deep in the playoffs, soccer comes to the end of the regular season and the weather is warm enough to really enjoy baseball. The NCAA baseball tournament also starts this month, and that’s a massive hardball feast at the end of the month.
May’s only drawback is that there are no championships awarded this month. But that’s a very small negative.
4. October
Baseball dominates the landscape of October with its playoffs, which offers some of the most entertaining action of the year. There’s also college football and NFL action, and the NHL and NBA get started in October as well. If the World Series isn’t a long one, baseball even crowns its champion in October. So does the WNBA.
But there’s one drawback here: no college basketball. As great as October is, it can’t top the list when there’s another month that offers everything it does plus another sport.
3. March
Nothing brings fans together like March Madness and the thrill of selecting a bracket. The Super Bowl is the only other sporting event that gets even non-fans to care, but that only consists of one game. March Madness takes up three weeks and 67 games, and many fans take off work so they can stay home and watch.
MLB starts its season in March, and basketball and hockey are nearing the end of their regular seasons. It’s simply a great time to be a sports fan.
2. April
Everything March has, April does better. Even though college basketball’s tournament is called March Madness, the Final Four happens in April. Baseball really starts to get cranked up, and the playoffs begin in the NBA and the NHL. There’s nothing like the early rounds of the NHL and NBA playoffs. Those are often when you see the best series, as teams with nothing to lose that have a favorable matchup push a favorite and force them to find another level if they want to survive.
And just for good measure, football gets in on the party by adding the NFL Draft. There’s so much to like.
1. November
November is a true sports feast. College basketball starts on the first Monday of November, college football is playing its biggest rivalry games, the NFL offers Thanksgiving action, baseball concludes the World Series and the NHL and NBA are operating at full capacity. There’s just no downside to the sports calendar in November.
When one sport takes a break, another is always there to fill the void. You’re never lacking for action in November, which makes it the best sports month on the calendar.
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