Inside the betting 'holiday' known as the sports equinox, when the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL are all on at once - ESPN

There are certain periods of the sports calendar that stand out more than others. Sometimes, they correspond with the mainstream holiday calendar (such as Thanksgiving for the NFL, Christmas Day for the NBA or Fourth of July for MLB), while other times, championship festivities become quasi-holidays in and of themselves (such as the Super Bowl and March Madness).

But in autumn, a very special type of sports occasion rolls around that celebrates the ubiquity of American sports and gives fans a reason to stay glued to their couches, eyes fixed on the TV screen.

This is, of course, the sports equinox, a day when all four major professional sports leagues in the United States — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — are in action. Since its very first occurrence on Oct. 17, 1971, there have been 31 such occasions, with the 32nd occurring on Oct. 27, 2025. While not every year has had a sports equinox, since 2015 there has been at least one per year, with sometimes up to three.

Sports equinoxes generally fall in October due to the way league calendars line up: MLB is in its postseason and the NFL is in its second month, while the NBA and NHL begin their seasons during the month. Sometimes, sports equinoxes stretch into November — the most recent occurrence being Nov. 3, 2022 — and in 2020, there were actually three equinoxes in September, owing to schedule irregularities from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from being a generally joyous occasion for sports enthusiasts, the «holiday,» as BetMGM chief revenue officer Matt Prevost describes it, provides a boost to sports betting handle when bettors look to join in on the excitement and sportsbooks amplify their special offerings to get in on the fun. «It's an incredible period of time,» Prevost