Welcome one, welcome all to the Sports Equinox, with Thursday representing just the 27th such occurrence of this rare phenomenon, a day on the calendar where all four of America’s major sports leagues—the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL—are scheduled to play at least one game.
The latest “Equinox” features an NBA doubleheader (Sixers-Bucks followed by Lakers-Clippers on TNT), ALCS Game 2 in Houston, the Saints and Cardinals squaring off on Thursday Night Football (an improvement, one would hope, on the previous week’s eyesore between Chicago and Washington) and a full complement of NHL games headlined by Devils-Islanders on Hulu and ESPN+. Thursday also has a PGA event (the CJ Cup is being contested in South Carolina) and two MLS playoff games to look forward to, rounding out one of the busiest sports slates in recent memory.
Remarkably, we’ll be treated to a record four Sports Equinoxes this year including two more Sunday and Monday. MLB’s expanded postseason, now running through early November (a product of the league’s recent labor crisis, which delayed Opening Day by over a week), makes this a more likely scenario than in years past, particularly before the advent of Thursday Night Football in 2006.
Though it doesn’t constitute an “Equinox” per se, Thanksgiving Weekend has the potential to be just as chaotic, with the World Cup, NBA, NHL, college football, college basketball and WWE all competing for our collective attention. Moderation be damned—this, ladies and gentlemen, is called LIVING.
With shorter days and temperatures beginning to dip, at least in the northeast and other parts of the country that experience fall’s full effect (we’re talking hoodie weather, flannel and pumpkin-spice lattes), Thursday is as good a time as any to cuddle up on the couch, maybe with an adult beverage or two, dim the lights and enjoy the miracle that is around-the-clock sports programming.
A Happy Equinox to all who observe and a friendly reminder to occasionally come up for air, remembering to eat, sleep and maintain your bodily hygiene while consuming your sports nutrients.
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