We mark the seasons, in many ways, by holidays. Memorial Day and Labor Day mark the unofficial beginning and end of summer. Halloween is distinctly fall. Thanksgiving bridges the gap to winter. And so on. Follow sports long enough, though, and you'll also realize that those seasons, too, are defined by holidays. On this holiday weekend, let's take a quick spin through the calendar for examples:
July 4th: This one is here and obvious. Baseball is the "national pastime," July 4 is our most patriotic holiday and the two have a strong common bond. Add to the mix that July 4th falls in the heart of summer, when baseball has a pretty strong share of the sports spotlight, and you get a holiday distinctly associated with a sport.
Labor Day: The turn of the calendar page to September brings with it a strong inclination to think about football. This year's college football schedule ostensibly begins for most teams on Labor Day weekend, while the first NFL game is three days after the holiday. Even though the weather is still usually mild, it's a clear sign that the sports season has changed.
Halloween: Most years, I think of two sports seasons around Halloween — the heart of high school football and the start of the NBA. With the former, when the holiday falls on the right day (not so much this year since it's on a Monday), there are distinct memories of crisp fall nights under the lights of a local game. With the latter, the NBA typically starts right around the time everyone is in costume.
Thanksgiving: It's fitting that the best eating holiday we have (this is just an opinion) is also closely associated with the NFL — the best of the sports leagues to watch on TV. Who among us hasn't planned a holiday meal (or holiday nap) around the Thanksgiving NFL games?
Christmas: Admittedly this bond is a little more tenuous, but the NBA has done a nice job attempting to become for Christmas what the NFL is for Thanksgiving. Again this year, there will be five NBA games on TV on Dec. 25 — providing a sports bond for those who want it.
New Year's Day: This is shifting a little with the new structure of college football, but Jan. 1 still has a strong lure for college football fans. In the upcoming season, both semifinals will be on New Year's Eve, with several other major bowls on Jan. 2.
St. Patrick's Day: Is there anything better than when the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournaments coincide with St. Patrick's Day? That will be the case this upcoming season. In addition, I'm sure a good number of college hockey fans have grand memories of the WCHA Final Five falling on St. Patrick's Day weekend — leading to a crazy time in St. Paul.
