The Worst Day in Sports

Last night some friends and I were out at a bar/restaurant. Typically, the bar has it's 90+ TV screens displaying a wide array of sports television. You'll see the Cubs or the White Sox, the NHL playoffs, maybe even some NASCAR.

But last night, before the start of baseball's All-Star game, we were aghast at what we were left with without any of our favorite sports.

The majority of TV's had the All-Star game pre-game show. That was closely followed by a set showing the 2008 NBA All-Star game (because baseball's all-star game would inspire interest?). Some other TV's had an episode of ABC's Superstars show, which puts athletes together to compete in obstacle courses or something. I don't know much about it except that T.O. was on it for a brief period.

And of course, the TV right in front of us had a WNBA game on. Yeesh.

That got us talking about whether this time would be the absolute worst time for a sports fan.

The NHL and NFL and NBA are in their respective off-seasons, and all the drafts and big player transactions have largely finished. Baseball is on it's mid-season break, and since the home run derby/all-star game are terrible bores, it's not particularly good viewing. College football or basketball? Not unless it's on a PlayStation.

Unless you're a big cycling fan...we figured you'd be out of luck.

A writer from the Wall Street Journal apparently came to the same conclusion...


So what are the most exciting days to be a fan and which are the dullest? To answer this, the Count developed an “excitement score” for all 365 days (Sept. 1, 2008-Aug. 31, 2009). Different games were assigned different values—one point for a regular-season Sunday afternoon NFL game, for instance, and 0.3 for a mid-season NHL contest. Playoff and nationally televised games (like the NBA on Christmas Day) were worth more. For college, scores depended on conference profile and whether teams were ranked when they played. We also assigned point scores for major golf and tennis events, Nascar, the NFL and NBA drafts and the Triple Crown.

Three dates received a zero—this Monday and Wednesday and last Oct. 8, an MLB playoff off-night. Oct. 7, another baseball off-night, managed 0.1 points, thanks to an obscure college football game. June 15 (just two MLB games) and last Christmas Eve (only a Notre Dame-Hawaii bowl game) were next with 0.5 each.

How soon until the Eagles open training camp???