The Worst Sports Month of the Year

Welcome to July, the worst sports month of the year. It doesn’t get much better either until the end of August, which just happens to be the second-worst sports month of the year. 

Ugh. Suck it up. Pretty soon, you won’t have to flip through Formula1 racing or golf just to find a garbage MLS match. Soon, paradise will return. College football. The NFL. Mmmm.

For now, though, you have to suffer.

The Worst Sports Day of the Year

Each year, the first half of the MLB season ends on the Sunday before the annual All-Star game. The All-Star game is always played on a Tuesday with the Home Run Derby scheduled for the Monday night before.

Those two events at least give bettors something to wager on. Then, Wednesday comes. The only thing worse than the Wednesday after the MLB All-Star game is the day after – Thursday. It has to be the worst day of the year for the sports bettor.

No baseball. No WNBA as they go into their All-Star break. Of course, there’s no NFL, NBA, NHL or college football or basketball. Luckily, there were a few Wimbledon matches this year, but who really likes tennis. 

Golf? Nothing last Wednesday and then something called the Genesis Scottish Open and the Barbasol Championship both started on Thursday. If you have ever watched golf on TV, I have some paint you can watch dry. More on that later.

Last Thursday, July 13, was absolutely the worst day of the year on the 2023 sports calendar. You couldn’t even bet on any quality soccer (if there is such a thing). No racing. No UFC. There did happen to be a CFL game, but it was Hamilton and Edmonton. They’re the two worst teams in the Great White North league. 

The Dog Days of Summer

Once July ends, sports bettors still have to suffer through the dog days of August. The only caveat is that NFL teams are in training camp and college football teams begin their preparation for a season that kicks off with a handful of games at the end of the month.

But, the first part of August is like the old saying “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” For bettors, there’s baseball and then the rest of the betting board full of activities to keep you from slitting your own throat. It’s like a kid’s birthday party. The clown and bouncy house is there to distract you from the main event – presents and cake!

For those that like to point out all the tennis, soccer, golf, etc. on the calendar, keep this in mind. In the U.S., 60 percent of Americans surveyed called golf boring and placed it among the worst sports to watch on TV. Take a look at the numbers for MLS, tennis, NASCAR, etc. They’re simply not as popular as the major sports.

When It’s Over

NFL teams report to training camp near the end of July. The annual Hall of Fame preseason game typically occurs the first weekend in August. Then, the league’s preseason follows. Sure, you can bet on those games, but it’s not like the real season. Teams sit starters and there aren’t any player props. It’s more clown shoe and pony rides until the real season kicks off.

While we have to wait until September for the NFL season to start, bettors can breathe a sigh of relief on August 26 when Week 0 of the college football season begins. It’s not a full slate of games – there are only seven on the schedule this year – but it’s enough to get bettors off the ledge and back to reality.

It’s exactly what they need after enduring what amounts to two months of pure torture.