October is a fun and exciting month. Sure, the temperatures are cooling down and school is ramping up, but Halloween is just around the corner, and American professional sports is at its peak. All 4 major American professional sports leagues: the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, will be playing regular or postseason games this month, and fans of all teams and leagues are excited for what’s ahead this month (unless you’re a Pirates fan). 

October is the month in the NFL where teams start to sort themselves out and we as fans start to get a sense of who are contenders and who are pretenders. It is also the time when fans of teams who haven’t fared so well begin to look to see who the top players are for the upcoming NFL Draft. While there is more parity in football than probably any sport, fans can tell that the Bills, Dolphins, Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, and Buccaneers are pretty good, while the Steelers, Commanders, Lions, Bears, Panthers, and basically the entire AFC South is pretty bad. Despite this, each fanbase is still excited for what is to come. 

In terms of MLB, October is the month that truly matters. It is when the postseason begins and when we determine who is truly baseball’s best team. Currently, eight teams remain: the Dodgers, Braves, Padres, Phillies, Astros, Yankees, Guardians, and Mariners. We have already seen a completely unpredictable postseason, with the Blue Jays and Mets being upset by the upstart Mariners and Padres, respectively. It will be very exciting to see who comes out on top and wins the World Series in a few weeks. 

The NHL officially began its regular season on October 7, but opening night was actually on Tuesday. The Eastern Conference is loaded, with teams like the Hurricanes, Rangers, Islanders, Capitals, Penguins, Bruins, Lightning, Maple Leafs, and Panthers all feeling like they can win the Stanley Cup. The Western Conference isn’t as deep, but the defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche look to fend off teams like the Flames, Oilers, Blues, Predators, and Golden Knights for Western Conference supremacy. It will be interesting to see if anyone can dethrone the Avalanche, as they return a team that looks like the favorite once again. 

The NBA season will also start in October, in fact on this coming Tuesday. This season will be interesting because instead of the Western Conference being the more dominant of the two, the Eastern Conference features many teams vying for playoff spots. The Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, Heat, Nets, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, Hornets, and Knicks will all be battling for the 8 playoff spots and 2 play-in spots. In the Western Conference, the Warriors will begin their title-defense against the likes of the Nuggets, Clippers, Suns, Grizzlies, T-Wolves, Mavericks, Lakers, and Blazers. There are also interesting storylines, like how the Nets and Lakers will fare with all of their offseason drama, and who will win the race to the bottom to select Victor Wembanyama, who scouts believe is one of the best draft prospects of all time!

With all of these sports ramping up this month, it is a sports’ fans paradise. There are continually going to be games to watch, plus college football will help occupy your time every Saturday. While we are inching closer to the cold of winter (here in the North at least), and the barbecues and pool parties are coming to a close, the fall foliage is tremendous, Halloween is right around the corner, and American sports has reached its pinnacle.