March Madness: What's the Best Month for Sports?

March is upon us and I couldn't be happier. Granted my birthday is also in March, but I always look forward to those first few days of March Madness when you can watch college basketball from noon to midnight.

Which got me to thinking about which month is the best for overall sports enjoyment. For each month I'll list all the big sports events and try to include a wild-card event that some years makes the month more enjoyable. While you may think I've already given away the best month, I assure you that as much as I love March it doesn't top my list. So lets do a rundown of the months and there sporting events, starting with my least favorite...

12. July

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ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 13: (L) National League All-Star pitcher Evan Meek stands with his teammates prior to the 81st MLB All-Star Game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 13, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

While it's great for a 4th of July weekend bash, this month has no NFL, NBA, or NHL games. MLB is in full-swing and has it's All-Star festivities, but with two more months of games to play it's not yet must see T.V.

The big events of July include the Wimbeldon Finals, Tour de France, The Open Championship. All big events but I'm not a tennis fan, those bicycle races are long and boring, and while the prospect of a Sunday showdown between Tiger and Phil would interest me, it rarely happens. It's summer I'd rather go out and play my own sports.

The wildcard for this month is MMA/Boxing action. In 2009, A record 1.6 million watched UFC 100 with Brock Lesnar and GSP both in action.

11. August

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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA - AUGUST 23: Members of the Northwest team from Oregon dance with the Little League mascot 'Dugout' before they play the Great Lakes team from Illinois during the United States Semifinal game in the Little League World Series on Au

Following right along in the countdown, In baseball the division and wild-card races really start to take shape in August but as I said with July the season is still far from over.

As with July, no NBA or NHL games going, and the football season for college and the pros is mostly preseason stuff.

As far as the big events in August, not much came to mind. Two years ago we had the Summer Olympics but that's only once every four years. The PGA Championship might interest some but I'm more of a Masters man.

The wild-card for this month is the Little League World Series. As a kid, I hated the end of summer because it meant that school was right around the corner. But it also brought with it the LLWS, so it was kind of a wash.

10. February

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ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Howard Green #95 of the Green Bay Packers holds the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Packers won 31-25 against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo b

This one might surprise you, but seeing as the month just ended I can assure you that I wasn't that impressed. Basketball and Hockey are both mired in mid-season lulls and while they hold their All-Star events this month, neither one is anything to write home about.

February's big events include the Super Bowl, which may be the biggest sports event of the year but for some reason it feels like a January event to me. Besides, for all but two cities the NFL season is over before February. Also, the Daytona 500 takes place, and while this years race was very entertaining, its not enough to move the month up on my list.

No real wild-card sporting events to change this months level of sports enjoyment.

9. June

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 17: Derek Fisher #2 and Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. NOT

June may lack an abundance of big events, but it makes up for it by having the NBA Finals and most of the Stanley Cup Finals. Which makes this a front-loaded month.

For golf fans we have the U.S. Open and for tennis fans the French Open and the start of Wimbledon.

For a wild-card event, I'd go with Football (soccer). Now I'm not a big soccer fan, but last year the FIFA cup took place mostly in June and I enjoyed that.

8. May

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INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 30: Dario Franchitti of Scotland, driver of the #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda, celebrates with team owner Chip Ganassi (L) in victory lane after winning the IZOD IndyCar Series 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the

May is the month of forgotten pastimes of sports events.

It's the one month out of the year that people actually care about horse racing. That's right it's Kentucky Derby time. Bonus points if the horse that wins the Derby also wins the Preakness, which would carry over into June for the Belmont, and give both months a little bump in sports enjoyment.

The other forgotten pastime is the Indy 500. While it was before my time, I know that the Indianapolis 500 use to be a big deal for race fans. While not as popular as it once was, you've got to give it credit for the possibility that the winner will make an Anchorman reference. (Read the caption)

The wild-card event for May is that the majority of the NBA and NHL playoffs take place in it. So memorable playoff runs for your teams can change how you feel about the month.

7. March

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DETROIT - MARCH 30: Fans of the Davidson Wildcats support their team against the Kansas Jayhawks during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Ford Field on March 30, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan (Photo by Gre

Well as much as I love March, its not even in the top half of great sports months. Honestly you could argue that it should be lower because beyond college basketball not much else is going on.

But as I said at the start of this countdown, March holds a special place in my heart. I can honestly say that I've been finding reasons to miss school or work for those first two days of March Madness since I was 13. The cinderella story is what all great sport stories are about and for me that idea started with the NCAA tournament.

Aside from that though there isn't much to talk about. The NBA and NHL regular seasons are winding down so there can be some entertaining races to get into the playoffs, but more often than not those races for the last spot only result in those teams receiving an early post-season exit.

6. December

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 4: Lineman Bryon Isom #57 (left) and Bart Eddins #53 of the Auburn Tigers celebrate with the SEC Championship trophy after the 2010 SEC Championship against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Dome on December 4, 2010 in Atlanta, G

Are you ready for some football? Because the first week of December brings with it conference championship college football, which is pretty..pretty good. I'm a Big Ten guy so that has been a bit of a letdown in past years, but I'm ecstatic that starting this year we'll have our own championship game.

The rest of the month is filled with even more football, the NFL playoff races really heat-up, and the last week of December has a hand-full of early college bowl games.

This month certainly lacks diversity, but Christmas day also brings a full slate of NBA games for your enjoyment. It's a little early in the season but they tend to be marquee matchups.

5. November

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ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 01: Players form the San Francisco Giants celebrate with the World Series Championship trophy in the locker room after they won 3-1 against the Texas Rangers in Game Five of the 2010 MLB World Series at Rangers Ballpark in Arling

Turkey and Football, that's what November does. It's a Thanksgiving tradition for most men to stuff your face full of food, watch football, fall asleep, wake-up and eat again, then watch more football and fall back asleep. That one day alone is what puts this month so high on my list.

The wild-card event for this month is the fact that the World Series often stretches into the first few days of November. So if your lucky enough to have your team win it all, November's a month to remember.

4. September

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NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: The NFL opening weekend Kickoff logo on the field at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The start of College Football and the NFL season is September's big event. It has the longest off-season for any of the four major sports and by the time September rolls around I can't wait for some meaningful football games to be played.

Aside from that, September is the last month of the MLB regular season and can often have a number of excellent races for the pennant.

Other events include the U.S. Open in tennis and the PGA has its new FedEx Cup Playoffs for golf lovers, and the Chase for the Sprint Cup also starts in September.

The wild-card for September is the looming lockout of the NFL. If that happens I can assure you this month would take a bit of a tumble down the list.

3. April

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AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Angel Cabrera of Argentina presents Phil Mickelson with the green jacket during the green jacket presentation after the final round of the 2010 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2010 in Augusta, G

This one was a bit of a surprise when I started to realize all of the different sports events that take place in April.

The big events in April start off with the fact that March Madness carries over into April. Last year the Final Four and the Championship game took place in April. Then of course April is the month for MLB Opening Days, The Masters, The NHL and NBA playoffs start up, and the NFL Draft takes place.

This month is packed to the brim with sports events and the argument could be made that it should be number one.

2. January

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Cameron Newton #2 of the Auburn Tigers runs down field against John Boyett #20 of the Oregon Ducks during the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (

January is the best month of the year when it comes to football action. Starting out obviously with college football and the New Years Day bowl games, then continuing on throughout the week up until the Championship Game. Then the NFL playoffs start and as I mentioned earlier the Super Bowl is technically in February but most of the post-season action takes place in January.

Other big events in January include the NHL Winter Classic on New Years Day which is quickly becoming one of my favorite events of the year. Tennis fans have the Australian Open to look forward too and extreme sports fans have the Winter X-games to entertain them.

The wild-card for this month would be if college football would get its act together and have a real playoff system. That just might boost both December and January up the list.

1. October

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NEW YORK - OCTOBER 28: Former NY Yankee and Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (R) talks with Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies during batting practice against the New York Yankees in Game One of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadiu

There is no better time for sports action than October. It tops my list of the best months for sports enjoyment because it truly has it all. MLB playoffs, NFL and college football, NBA and NHL season openers, and NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup.

It's almost too much sports to handle, but in my book that's not a bad thing.

So that's my list, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think the best sports months are.