October: When Sports Are At Their Best
By Aaron Rench
Oct 20, 2013; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali (91) celebrates after sacking Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum (7) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 17-16. (John Rieger,USA TODAY Sports)
A quick look at the best moments in the sports calendar:
New Year’s Day: Great college football bowl games are everywhere allowing fans a reason to tolerate the crazy BCS standings.
The First Sunday of February: The Superbowl.
The Month of March: Spring Training and oh so many college basketball tournaments.
The Month of April: Opening Day of baseball, the apex of the college basketball tournament, the playoffs for the NBA and NHL, and the NFL Draft (at least that’s how it used to be, the draft has moved to June).
June and July every four years: The World Cup. It’s amazing.
That one weekend when the NFL starts and college football has already started: I personally get extremely excited as six months of anticipation is finally fulfilled, it’s the true return of football!
All of the above events are great—they are gifts to sports-watchers, sent from above—but they do not compare to the absolute majesty and prodigiousness of the last two weeks in October.
These two weeks are loaded with prime sporting events, each a spectacle to behold on their own. It’s a breathtaking, hectic experience of sports utopia, where every major sport is growing with intensity, at its zenith, or just around the corner.
The NFL season develops enough to give us context for the rest of the season. There are signs of elite teams emerging (the Chiefs!!), pathetic teams already waving goodbye to another season, and hopeful teams that will be fighting for the last playoff spots.
Quarterback Maty Mauk (7) warms up before the game against the Florida Gators (Denny Medley,USA TODAY Sports)
The college football world moves to inter-conference play, where rivalries and upsets abound. The Mizzou Tigers portrayed this by upsetting both Georgia and Florida in consecutive weeks, making SEC East enemies for years to come. The BCS Rankings make their first appearance, giving undeniable evidence that computers show discontent with the silly human rankings.
Adding to the spectacle is the World Series, a series so great, they expanded it to seven games. It is the oldest championship of the major sports, and creates mystique and respect like few others games. Does it matter that your team is not involved? It shouldn’t. If you love baseball then now is the time to enjoy the best of baseball provide late October drama, before the cold settles in.
The NHL is starting, and players are shaking off rust on their way to a long, rough season. The NBA wraps up the preseason. College basketball hypes new freshmen and gets ready for non-conference play. Even the MLS adds to the commotion, starting the playoffs of another season in their relatively short history.
There is only one time during the year when every sport can be in action. More rare than February 29th, it can only happen when a World Series stretches into six or seven games (and there is no NHL/NBA lockout). These are days that should be remembered for their glory, when sports are at their best.
October knows no end to spoiling the sports fan. It’s a multi-day holiday, packed with enough circumstances to make a person go blind with channel-flipping joy. Do not value it lightly; it only comes once a year.
May the World Series be long.