COLUMN: We've reached the summer sports sweet spot

At some point later this summer, sports will reach the slow and painful crawl toward football season when we all collectively wish the countdown to the NFL and college football season would hurry up.

It's the period of the year when niche sports like polo, rugby, cricket and strongman competitions rule the air waves. 

The mid-summer sports dead period returns every year and it's no fun for anyone. It’s the period of the year when we all have more time on our hands, but there’s not much to watch on TV other than baseball.  

That's fine by me. 

This time of year might be my favorite. Even as I sit here writing this, I can almost smell the freshly cut grass at a baseball stadium and hear the crack of a wooden bat hitting the stitched leather ball. 

I love baseball and I would venture to claim the game isn't going anywhere anytime soon. There’s nothing more enjoyable to me than sitting in a ballpark with a pack of sunflower seeds on a Saturday afternoon or evening.  

But I understand not everyone agrees with me. Compared to football and basketball, the game is slow and sometimes boring. Even if baseball isn't for you, hear me out: there are still plenty of sports out there worth watching this summer. Don't let the boredom set in before the dead period even hits. 

The NBA season is hitting its peak right now. It’s conference finals time and four teams are left. Even for the casual fan, like me, that should be exciting.

I haven’t been a huge pro basketball fan since Dwight Howard and the Magic were embarrassed in the 2009 Finals by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, but even I find myself drifting back into watching the game. LeBron James, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, what’s not to love?

Hockey is still around too and the Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion team in its first season, provides an interesting storyline to keep an eye on in the conference finals. The MLB Draft is coming up at the start of June too and the recently-drafted NFL rookies are starting to settle into their new teams. 

Even if pro sports can't capture your interest, there's still things going on worth keeping up with. 

In college sports, spring play has reached crunch time. UNC still has six teams still in season battling it out with the other college teams that are left. The men’s and women’s tennis teams are headed to Winston-Salem later this week for the NCAA third round and the women’s lacrosse team is hosting a match in Chapel Hill this weekend, too. 

Track and field, men’s golf and baseball are also still competing. But most of these sports are nearing the end of their seasons. 

This kind of convergence between so many sports only comes around a few times a year. Second to the intersection of basketball, football and baseball in late fall, this is the best sports time of the year, with the most to offer to anyone with an interest in sports. Relish it. 

It's an underrated and under-appreciated time of year that will be fading away in the next several weeks. Later this summer, when you're watching water polo on ESPN instead of basketball, you'll know I'm right. And by then, it'll be too late. 

The summer has a lot to offer, but if you wait too long it’ll be another year before the chance comes around again. Enjoy it while it's still here.

@_JACKF54_

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com