May
Spring is in full-swing and summer is just around the corner. That means it’s also playoff season for the NHL and NBA, plus UEFA tourney action.
To start things off, May gives us two of the triple crown. The 152nd Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd and the 151st Preakness two weeks later on May 16th.
Starting off with the NBA and the NHL. Both leagues kick off their playoffs at the end of April and beginning of May. These games can be great draws, especially on slower weekday evenings when there’s not much else on beyond baseball. Round 1 for both leagues start at the start of the month and runs to the conference semis and finals by the end of May. The NBA Draft Lottery is also on the slate on Sunday May 10th — a great opportunity to create a local watch party and show something different. the NBA Draft Combine happens a week later on May 17th.
May also gives us the UEFA Champions semifinals and finals soccer action. This is a great opportunity to get your locals invested in soccer and prepped to watch the FIFA World Cup over the summer.
For race fans, the Indy 500 is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend on May 24th.
The NCAA Softball College World Series is also in May. The 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series – aka “The Greatest Show on Dirt” – had a higher average viewership compared to men’s college baseball finals (1.3m vs 1.2m). It also was the most-watched softball finals with 2.2 million views; viewership was up 24% from 2024.
And obviously, MLB is in full-swing. With 162 games for each team throughout the spring and summer, there’s plenty of live sports to fill in the gaps between the exciting tourney runs of the other major leagues.
As always, May is packed with some huge events. Good luck and have fun marketing sports to your guests!
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April
As Spring arrives in full force so does plenty of excellent live sports to drive guests to visit all month long. It starts with lots of NCAA Championship action, sustains mid-month with professional league playoffs and is dotted with major events all month long. To say April is packed with special stuff is to understate just how many events can be fit into a 30 day period. Let’s dig in and see what you can expect.
We started this conversation with NCAA championships and April features three big ones. The Men’s & Women’s NCAA Basketball Championships start off the month’s first week. They are followed closely by the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four for those that love college hockey. But the college ranks aren’t the only major events.
The month also features golf’s most prestigious event, The Masters, and even has two golf majors for the Champions Tour. Add to that the 152nd Kentucky Derby Triple Crown horse race and UEFA Champions quarterfinals and there isn’t a day to waste this month.
That isn’t to say we should forget that the NHL and NBA both embark on their annual playoff runs. The NBA starts with their Play-in Tournament and then both leagues are off and running for the rest of the month. MLB is also heavily present in April as it’s opening month gets off to a big start.
You are forgiven for thinking that April is sleeper month, but with three of the four major pro spots in full swing and all the NCAA Championships, it shapes up to be a very big deal in deed. So, don’t miss this last major push to market for your summer promotions and drive guest traffic until football returns in the fall. As always, let us know how you do.
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