America’s pastime still offers its best opening day.
Every sport offers an opening day. When teams start a new season, their first day is one of the most anticipated because each team has a new beginning and everyone wonders if this will finally be their team’s year.
For UVU sports, one of the best opening days happened this basketball season. The men’s basketball team started their season with a trip just five miles away. The Wolverines played BYU in Provo in front of friends and family; what a way to start off a season. They lost the game, but the excitement of their opening day, and playing in front of 18,000 fans, is something they will always remember.
The best way to start a season is obviously to win your first game. Opening Day for the UVU baseball team was different from normal this year as the Wolverines began their season at a tournament in Arizona. The Wolverines opened the season with a win over Ball State. As part of going 2-2 in the opening weekend, the Wolverines also defeated then 5th-ranked Oregon State.
All opening days are something that fans and athletes look forward to, as each sport has their own way of starting a new season. There is a certain excitement that comes with opening day pairings. The leagues want to keep fans anxious so they start the season off with games people will be interested in. for instance, the NFL will have their first game of the season as a matchup with the defending champions versus the champions from the year before. The NBA often has conference rivals play each other and college football will have a mid week opening game.
Personally, my favorite Opening Day belongs to Major League Baseball. Every year there is great anticipation for that first pitch. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that baseball season lasts so long. It is a celebration of winter ending and spring beginning. Fans look forward to the smell of fresh cut grass and enjoying a hot dog while sitting under the lights at the ballpark. Even people who find baseball boring enjoy going to a live game and sipping on a cold drink while eating peanuts and Cracker Jacks. There are 162 regular season games and the grind officially starts when players arrive for camp in February. I also believe The MLB makes a bigger deal out of opening day than any of the other sports. The excitement that comes with the start of baseball season cannot be matched. This Sunday, the MLB will have another opening day; there will be three primetime games to watch. I, for one, cannot wait.
