What is a sports equinox? Here’s when MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL will come together
Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash
The next “sports equinox” will fall on Monday, October 26, 2024, the 33rd time the country has seen Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League all on the same day. The term refers to the rare overlap when the World Series, Monday Night Football, NBA regular‑season games and NHL matchups all run concurrently.
The World Series will be in its third game, with the Milwaukee Brewers facing the Tampa Bay Rays at 8 p.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, the NFL will kick off Monday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 8:15 p.m. Eastern. The NBA will schedule nine games, beginning with the Washington Wizards versus the Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m. Eastern, and ending with the Golden State Warriors against the Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. Eastern on NBCSN. The NHL will line up three games, starting with the Los Angeles Kings versus the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. Eastern, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Calgary Flames at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and the Detroit Red Wings versus the Edmonton Oilers at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
Historically, the equinox has occurred almost exclusively between October 12 and November 4, a window created by the alignment of the MLB postseason and the start of the NBA and NHL seasons. The 2024 equinox will be the only one that year, as the World Series schedule is locked by the Brewers’ retractable roof and the Rays’ dome, leaving no chance for a rainout to shift a game to another day.
Fans across the nation will have a full slate of action from baseball’s final series to football’s marquee matchup, all the way through the NBA and NHL battles, making October 26 a truly all‑sports day.
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