By: Maxwell Brucks
As the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments come up, plus The Masters and Opening Day, I wanted to go over my top ten sports days of the year. For a general basis of how I came to this conclusion, I want to say that single event days will be lower than days with multiple events. I also don’t like days that aren’t centered around the sport itself, like holidays. So, let’s get started with number ten
10. Christmas Day
Christmas Day, even though being a holiday, sneaks in due to the amount of basketball and now football on this day. In 2024, there were five NBA games and 3 NFL games total, with college basketball mixed in as well. Overall, just too much volume to ignore even though the day isn’t centered around sports, so it slides in at number ten.
9. Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race of them all, and with this popularity gains the spot at number nine. When you randomly see people dressed up on a Sunday afternoon in the spring, they just might be dressed up to watch the Kentucky Derby. This event held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky is popular enough to enter in at number nine.
8. Final Weekend at Wimbledon
The most prestigious major tournament in Tennis and the final on the weekend is electric. As a non-hard-core tennis fan, the Saturday Women’s Final and then Sunday Men’s final are always a great watch in the morning. Alcaraz and Djokovic the last two years to Djokovic and Federer in 2019. The women have had seven straight first time winners as the last repeat champion was in 2016 with Serena Williams.
7. Super Bowl Sunday
This is going to be a hot take, but because there is only one game that day, it brings Super Bowl Sunday down for me. If the game is a blowout like the Chiefs versus Eagles game was, the day overall isn’t that interesting. The hype and anticipation for this day are super high, but depending on the on-field results, this day can end up being a dud.
6. Champions League Final
Another massive event landing outside the top five again, only because it’s a singular game event. The global impact of the UCL final gets it above the Super Bowl, and the fact that it’s the biggest club trophy in football makes sure it lands on this list.
5. Opening Day
Finally, multiple games in one day and the hype and anticipation of Opening Day are elite. Almost every team plays on Opening Day, and every team is starting its best pitcher. Baseball all day is tough to match, but due to there being a total of 2,415 games between all teams left in the season, I can’t put it higher than 5.
4. Masters Sunday
The final round of The Masters has a uniqueness to it that most other sports can’t capture. The tradition and pageantry of The Masters makes it one of the most unique sports events of the year. Casual fans will tune in to watch on a Sunday afternoon, especially if a name like Tiger Woods is in the mix for the green jacket.
3. First Saturday of College Football
Grilling, tailgating, and moving from summer to fall is what this day stands for. The opening Saturday of college football breathes what feels like new life into the air as everyone gets ready to cheer on their favorite team. Football is finally back, with multiple games to sit and watch from the couch.
2. Conference Championship Sunday
Unlike Super Bowl Sunday, there are two games on this day, and since both of them aren’t played in front of corporate sponsors, the atmospheres at these games can be felt through the television. The NFL championship Sunday provides a nervousness and anxiety that only a couple of days can muster. Football all day and the four best teams in the NFL it doesn’t get much better than that.
1. Round of 64 of March Madness It shuts down classrooms, it shuts down work, and it almost shuts down America, but the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament can’t be matched. Almost everyone has a bracket challenge going, and with 32 games lined up all day through the two days, the day can’t be topped. Every game has a chance to be good, and the upsets and drama get these two days to the top spot.
