Best Sports Days

Sports and television go together like chips and salsa.  High definition images on a flat screen, with surround sound, picture-in-picture, and super slow-motion replay make your sofa the best place to be to watch the biggest sporting events.

With our apologies to soccer, NASCAR and cricket – none of which made the cut —  here are the twelve best days of the year for watching sports.

Even with the advent of the College Football Playoff, bowl games still matter.  And none match the excitement and tradition of those played on New Year’s Day – especially the Rose Bowl.  Throw in the NHL Winter Classic, some cold beer and chili and you have the makings for the best sports viewing day of the year.

The single greatest sporting event in America is the Masters.  It is a tradition unlike any other, featuring caddies in white coveralls, Magnolia Lane, Butler Cabin, Amen Corner and the Green Jacket.  Nothing beats the beauty, drama, and magic of Masters Sunday at Augusta National.

Sporting contests are the most compelling when the loser is going home.  While the NFL regular season is a snooze fest, the postseason is gripping.  For NFL fans, no day is better than Divisional Playoff Weekend, when four of the league’s top teams duke it out for the right to advance.

Memorial Day Weekend is a sports fan’s dream.  Sunday brings the Indianapolis 500.  The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the 500-mile classic is perhaps the most patriotic event in America.  In 2018, basketball geeks got two Game Sevens: the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night, followed by the Western Conference Finals on Monday.  Mix in plenty of big league baseball and you’ve hit the trifecta!

Thanksgiving Day is about family, food, football – and traditions.  We have much to be thankful for, including the Turkey Day legacy of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys hosting NFL games while we enjoy our feast.

Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season is when hope springs eternal for 30 big league teams, each with its sights set on winning a pennant.  The Presidential first pitch, red-white-and-blue bunting, and military flyovers make the first day of the season spine-tingling.

College football is the most exciting sport on the planet, and no day is better than Rivalry Saturday.  Ohio State – Michigan, Apple Cup, Duel in the Desert, Civil War, Sunshine Showdown and Palmetto Bowl are just a few of the matchups that make this a spectacular Saturday.

The NCAA basketball tournament – March Madness – is one of the best events in all of sports.  The first two days of the tournament –  the slate of games on Thursday and Friday – are filled with wall-to-wall action.  Where else can we get No. 16 UMBC knocking out No. 1 Virginia in the first round?

Better than a new tie and more enjoyable than another pair of socks, the best Father’s Day present is the gift of sports, and unquestioned authority over the remote control.  The final round of the U.S. Open24 Hours of Le Mans, and a full slate of MLB games are all that Dad needs to enjoy his big day.

As good as the title game of the College Football Playoffs is, the semifinals are even better.  The four best teams in college football play in back-to-back games on the same day, with the winners advancing to the championship game.  With college hoops also in full swing, it’s a good day for a sports fan, and nothing is better.  Nothing.

Sure, we love to celebrate Independence Day with parades, flying the American flag, and firing up the grill.  But you cannot top the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest from Coney Island, where competitors vie for the coveted Mustard Belt by seeing how many franks they can wolf down in ten minutes.  If you’re still hungry, there is plenty of MLB on the schedule.

Overhyped and overblown, Super Bowl Sunday is America at its worst.  The corporate spending is reckless, the commercials endless and the half-time show is silly.  But it is the grand finale of the season for the country’s biggest sport.  Skip the pregame show, grab some bean dip, and flip on the Phoenix Open golf tournament.