As a lifelong fan of all major professional and collegiate sports, there’s something to be entertained by at every time of year – though not all months are created equal.
Approaching my 30th birthday this year as someone who has watched sports their entire life, it makes me think about what the allure and appeal really is after all of these years.
Beyond the genuine excitement and passion sports bring to myself and millions of others, the sheer consistency of it all has made it an indelible part of the fabric of North American culture. While seemingly everything else in the world changes, sports are *usually* something that can be counted.
My passion as a sports fan began at a very early age with baseball, largely owing to my dad’s lifelong fandom of the Chicago Cubs and the easy access of growing up in a metropolitan area with two MLB teams. Living in a suburb that had more White Sox fans than Cubs fans added some extra juice to it all as well.
I got myself into ice hockey not long after undergoing my first true obsession with baseball in 2001, thanks to the U.S. hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics and Brett Hull’s role on both Team USA and that year’s Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
While baseball and video games often competed against each other for my biggest interest over the next few years, I developed a sense of fandom for the remaining major sports in around 2007, when I entered the sixth grade.
After establishing the AM viewing of SportsCenter as part of my daily routine, I got myself into the NFL and NBA, as well as college football and basketball, sports that my dad had showed a fleeting interest at most while I was growing up.
This helped familiarize me with the full flow of the yearly sports calendar – which events are the most anticipated by the most people and what times of year tended to be busier than others.
As the rare American who actually regards the NFL to be their least favorite of the major professional sports leagues, I’m personally a bit biased towards times of year when the winter sports and baseball collide, creating multi-screen action in my living room every night for weeks.
With that being said, I don’t know how any true sports fan can’t enjoy the postseason in every major sport. I may not be the biggest NFL fan, but I’m always dialed in every January for the postseason – with the anticipation and excitement of watching moments that will live on for generations in either fame or infamy live as it happens.
The intensity of the postseason throughout all sports has given me a lifelong sense of FOMO when it comes to major sporting events, even if my team is nowhere near the championship round. As one of the longest-running constants of my life, major sporting events each year are always something to look forward to – and thankfully there’s dates on each month of the calendar to circle.
This led me to think about the months that I look forward to the most as a sports fan, with the end result being a list I’m sure just about every other fan will disagree with – and a pretty difficult one to make at that!
Here’s a look at how I’d rank the 12 months of the year based on how much I personally look forward to the annual events in each month – but I’d expect most American sports fans who prioritize the NFL more than I do to come up with a different ranking.
12. July
Okay, I understand I just went on a big rant on how much I like baseball more than the other sports, but hear me out on this one.
Of course, July has baseball, and plenty of it, highlighted by the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game that take place in the middle of each month, affectionately nicknamed the “Midsummer Classic.”
Unfortunately, it’s baseball and just a whole lot of it in July, with the sport doing some extremely heavy lifting without much else going on. While NFL training camps typically begin near the end of the month, NBA and NHL free agency serve as the other lone highlight outside of the baseball season.
Although the lead-up to the July 31 trade deadline often creates a flurry of unexpected activity and excitement, this is also somewhat offset by the All-Star Break, which leaves fans without any pro or major collegiate sports at all for a few days – the only time of the year where this occurs.
11. February
It certainly does feel weird to place the month that contains the year’s biggest sporting event in second-to-last place, but the reality is that the Super Bowl also carries the brunt of the load when it comes to February.
Though the NFL season ends with the Super Bowl in February, the Big Game is the only NFL game of the month, with the rest of the thrilling postseason occurring in January.
The bulk of the excitement outside of the Super Bowl in February comes from the heating up of the college basketball season, along with the NBA All-Star Game and trade deadline.
February should earn a higher ranking once every four years, including this year, thanks to the occurrence of the Winter Olympics, which can help fill the void of a relatively quiet time of year.
Baseball fans also get their first taste of action this month, with pitchers and catchers typically reporting in mid-February ahead of the initial spring training games that take place near the end of the month.
10. August
Another month with comparitively fewer events than others, there’s a bit more for fans to sink their teeth into when it comes to the final month of summer.
Baseball is the main attraction in August, with trade deadline deals completed and the pennant race in full swing as teams jostle for division crowns and playoff positions, creating for one of the more exciting months of the season.
There unfortunately isn’t too much else going on in August, with NFL preseason and the start of the college football season at the end of the month capturing much of the attention away from the baseball diamond.
9. November
One of the months that feels a bit like a dead zone in the year, fans of all sports are left in a bit of limbo. While the NFL season is in full swing and starting to get really exciting, other sports are all kind of at a weird time of their calendars.
MLB’s World Series often concludes within the first few days of November, while the NBA and NHL seasons enter their second month of play – with some of the start-of-the-season excitement having worn off at this point.
The month gets a boost above February and August thanks to the conclusion of the college football regular season, with many of the sport’s most storied rivalries playing their annual games in November.
As the cherry on top, college basketball also gets underway for the year, albeit with non-conference games and tournaments often played away from teams’ home cities.
8. December
A month marked by several sports all picking up steam at once, December has always been fun due to the wide range of annual events couple with most people being home from work or school to catch all the action.
The NFL takes the brunt of the attention in December, with the bulk of the playoff berths decided as the season winds down, even though the regular season ends in the first week of January.
December is also a massive month for college football, beginning with conference title games and ending with the bulk of bowl season, blessing fans with a ton of random, extremely exciting matchups.
College basketball teams begin to wrap up their non-conference schedules while things start to pick up a bit in the NBA and NHL, with Christmas Day often seen as the “true” start of the NBA season.
Though there may not be a lot for baseball fans to sink their teeth into, free agent signings and trades often occur throughout the month, leaving fans excited for the upcoming season.
7. January
While I’m sure those that are bigger football names than me will have this month higher, I still certainly enjoy all the sports offered in the first month of each year.
It is football that dominates January, with the majority of the NFL playoffs along with the marquee college football bowl games and National Championship Game taking place during the month.
In addition to taking in the biggest moments on the gridiron that fans will see all year, the NBA and NHL seasons pick up a bit of steam as they approach their midseason breaks while college basketball fans get a better idea of what their teams are capable of as conference play begins.
In the past, January has also included the NHL All-Star Game, a practice that has fallen out of favor with last year’s Four Nations faceoff and the 2026 Winter Olympics this season.
6. March
Synonymous with the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments, the college hardwood captures the attention of most sports fans throughout the month as “March Madness” takes place.
With a guarantee of buzzer beaters and wild upsets every year, March Madness routinely draws the attention of fans who haven’t watched a single game of college basketball the entire season. For those that have and want more action, March has plenty more to offer.
In addition to MLB anticipation reaching a fever pitch with spring training wrapping up and the regular season beginning at the end of the month, NBA and NHL teams spend March aggressively jostling for playoff positioning with the postseason just weeks away.
While the month is a relatively dead one for football, that doesn’t particularly bother me all that much.
5. September
A month syonymous with amazing weather and exciting baseball growing up, September is a month that is all about anticipation for sports fans.
Of course as a baseball fan, this anticipation comes in the form of excitement for the following month’s postseason, with September often featuring high-octane divisional matchups with playoff positions on the line.
For football fans, it’s a month of hope and excitement for the weeks ahead, with the NFL and college football seasons getting underway in full swing in September after a long summer of anxiously waiting.
Even for basketball and hockey fans, the wait begins to wind down as both leagues send teams to training camps throughout the month, with preseason games occurring ahead of the October start of the regular season.
4. May
A month I grew up associating with pleasant weather and finally getting out of school, May gives adults plenty to look forward to as well – with the second and third rounds of the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs grabbing the spotlight.
In addition to incredibly riveting games every evening with championship hopes on the line, the baseball season chucks along in its second month, with fans often getting a better idea of exactly what their team is capable of come Memorial Day.
As someone who loves the MLB, NBA and NHL, getting to watch all three of the leagues at once every night for a month is true sports paradise, even if May is a pretty inactive month in the worlds of football and major collegiate sports.
3. June
While it feels a little weird to rank June above May considering May offers more total games, it’s tough to ignore how amazing it is to have two championship series going on simultaneously, with the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals.
Occurring in June each year, these two championship series’ take up the bulk of the sports world’s attention, and deservedly so – with the matchups feeling especially grand as the culmination of a two-month long postseason.
Beyond being guaranteed at least eight championship series games each June, the MLB season continues to pick up momentum during the month, with the separation between contenders and pretenders often emerging.
Although I’m of course tilted towards my favorite sports, getting to watch a handful of baseball games each night on top of championship series action with generational legacies on the line is truly hard to top.
2. October
Though excitement surrounding October is typically associated with orange leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween, it’s always been about postseason baseball in my mind, in a month of action that’s truly hard to top.
It goes without saying that baseball captures my attention throughout the month, with nearly the entire postseason occuring in October, supplying several moments each year that live on as generational memories for millions of fans.
Yet even if you don’t like baseball, October is still a pretty damn good month for sports. The NFL season enters its second month, with fans getting a better idea of just how good their team is while the college football conference schedule is packed with several historic rivalry matchups.
To make matters even better, the NBA and NHL seasons both get underway during the month as well, adding an element of early-season excitement combined with the intensity of fierce college football rivalry games and the MLB postseason.
1. April
I couldn’t possibly pick anything else.
A heavenly combination of the start of the new MLB season and the opening round of the playoffs in both NBA and NHL, every night is a pure pro sports overload as early baseball excitement is mixed with a full slate of high octane playoff games starting in the middle of the month.
Even in the two weeks that the NBA and NHL are wrapping up their regular seasons, there’s still plenty else happening in the sports world. Fans get the chance to start the month with the NCAA Division 1 Final Four, which typically occurs on the first or second weekend of the MLB regular season.
While the month is a true paradise for fans like me, who prefer the MLB, NBA and NHL, other sports fans have more than enough reason to love April as well.
When not focusing on the high-intensity playoff action and a first look at your baseball team, football fans can dive deep into their imaginations with the NFL Draft occurring late in the month, stoking the first real dose of excitement for the upcoming NFL season.
And while I care about golf about as much as I care about the Oxygen Channel, it’s worth noting that April is also the highlight of the year for many golf fans, with The Masters taking place during the month each year in Augusta, Georgia.
Opening round of playoffs, start of the MLB season, Final Four, NFL Draft, The Masters – hard to think of any fans left out during the year’s best month for sports.
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