For sports fans, April, May, and June are the three best months of the year. There are the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Masters, the NFL draft, and Opening Day. Heaven on earth for those that are lovers of the games. As those months progress there is a playoff game on television almost every night. The intensity and drama that occur on a nightly basis is palpable. But once the weather gets hot and the calendar turns to July and August, the opposite can be said. Sports? What sports? Ushered in is a summer filled with boredom and Netflix for a group that is now itching for action.
When you think about things to look forward to in the summer, here’s what’s on the sports calendar. The MLB All-Star game, the Home Run Derby, Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest, the NBA summer league, regular season baseball, and NFL training camp. Forgive me while I yawn. There are only so many times one can talk about how the Patriots offense looks in practice. Or how Joe Judge and Matt Patricia won’t make good coaches. Or which linebackers need to step up this season to make the defense formidable. Checking your twitter feed to see which wide receivers look good on their intermediate routes at camp doesn’t exactly get the blood flowing. Evaluating the weaknesses of the offensive line isn’t at the top of the sports adrenaline level chart. Perhaps it’s because Tom Brady is no longer a member of the Patriots, or maybe it’s that the team has no real superstars and their outlook for the upcoming season isn’t exactly titled “A road to a Championship”.
Many experts and analysts predict the Patriots will finish with a losing record or at best fight for a playoff spot. There just isn’t any buzz or excitement percolating around the team these days which makes the offseason somewhat of a snooze fest. Watching Joey Chestnut win his 115th consecutive 4th of July Nathan’s Hot Dog championship, doesn’t really scream edge of your seat. The NBA and Boston Celtics are essentially on vacation for two months. Crickets can be heard at TD Garden and at the team’s training facility. The Kevin Durant trade rumors were the highlight of the NBA summer, and they lasted a measly 48 hours. The NHL and Boston Bruins are similarly quiet, with only a few signings occasionally findings headlines. The Bruins big fireworks were simply bringing back Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. There is no basketball, no hockey, and the NFL has yet to begin. Yes, there is baseball, but over at Fenway Park this season there has been little to cheer about.
So where does that leave sports addicts? Many find themselves aching for the start of the NFL season on September 8. Some are praying their fantasy football chat rooms pick up in intensity soon, and that the Red Sox somehow find a way to crawl out of last place and make one final push towards the postseason. July and August are a black hole if a big part of your life is living vicariously in the sports world. But patience is to be rewarded as good news is on the horizon. Fall is just around the corner and so is the country’s most popular sport, football. Sports junkies will breathe a sigh of relief and once again have their proverbial plates filled with pigskin and postseason baseball. Only a few more dog days of summer remain until the worst time of the year mercifully comes to an end.