American professional sports are at their peak right now during the crisp month of October. The World Series is about to conclude for Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) is about halfway through their season, and the National Hockey League (NHL) has just started their season. While each sport is at very different parts of their season, they all have fans on the edge of their seats. Let’s take a quick look at these three sports as October comes to an end.

MLB
The 2025 MLB regular season left many fans worried about the future of their team. The World Series playoff bracket fostered hope in many die-hard fans. The Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers both making the playoffs was almost unheard of, both teams never winning a national championship.
The teams who advanced to the American and National League championship series couldn’t be more different. In both leagues, there was one team that had never made it to the World Series (the Brewers and the Mariners) and the other team having fairly recent appearances (the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 becoming champions for the eighth time in franchise history and the Toronto Blue Jays winning it all for the second time in 1993). The games kicked off and it was clear instantly that Toronto and Seattle were fighting with everything they had. Sadly, after seven games of some of the toughest baseball, the Blue Jays won the closer and advanced to the World Series championship games. This was almost the opposite of the series of Los Angeles against Milwaukee. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in four straight games, earning their spot in the championship games. The biggest standout performance came from game four of the series. Shohei Ohtani, one of the best three way players of all time, started out on the mound for the Dodgers. Ohtani collected 10 strikeouts and crushed three home runs for the Dodgers.
The first game for the World Series title was held in Toronto on Oct. 24. The World Series is played in a best out of seven style, with the higher seeded team receiving home field advantage for the first two games. After the first two games, the fields will switch and the next two games will be played where the series will either conclude with a four game sweep or continue where the field alternates until the seventh game played at the home field as the (if needed) tie breaker. Airing for this competition will start at 7PM eastern standard time on Fox.
NFL
The NFL is entering week eight of their 18 week regular season, and these eight weeks have been filled with every emotion imaginable. The 2025 season has also come with many changes to the game America knows so well. New rules this season include the ability to end games in a tie if they don’t break the score in the 10 minute overtime, touchbacks have been moved from the 30 yard line to the 35 yard line, a virtual first-down system to assist officials with determining first downs, and many more advanced rules.
This year also comes with the opportunity to expand NFL fanbases overseas. There are seven international games where teams have the opportunity to play a game in another country. Locations featured this year include Sao Paulo, Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and three games in London. These games overseas give international fans a chance to see their favorite American teams in person.
The unforgiving nature of professional football has been crystal clear only eight weeks into the season. Many teams are suffering injuries from star players that could change the trajectory of their entire seasons. While not many people expected the New York Giants to have a successful season, the injury of Malik Nabers (wide receiver) has pained many loyal fans. Nabers is out for the rest of the 2025 season with a torn ACL, torn meniscus and partially torn labrum which occurred during the Giants week four game versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Another notable injury that came early in the season is Joe Burrow, the young Cincinnati Bengals quarterback. Burrow was placed on the injured reserve after week two with apparent turf toe, requiring surgery. Burrow is eligible to return later this season. Finally, an injury that broke many MD hearts, Lamar Jackson with a hamstring injury after week four against the Kansas City Chiefs. Some reporters have noted that they have seen Jackson taking reps at practice. Jackson is rumored to make his return on Oct. 30 against the Miami Dolphins.
NHL
Still in the early stages, the NHL began its season on Oct 7. This sport features the second-most games in a single season with 82 total regular season games. This will change in the 2026 season where the total number of regular season games will increase to 84.
A large point of interest going into this season is Alex Ovechkin, the star left wing for the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin has been in the spotlight his whole career. He plays with heart and integrity, leaving nothing behind. Last season, he broke the record for all time career goals, surpassing Wayne Gretzky. This record was solidified for 31 years, experts from around the world believed it would never be broken. Ovechkin is also one of the oldest players in the NHL at 40 years old. He is joining another star studded group soon, reaching his 1,500th game on October 25, 2025. Only 23 other men can say they’ve played over 1,500 games in the NHL. This season holds a lot of power for Ovechkin. He also has been very public about not planning on retiring any time soon, so we can plan on seeing him shine for years to come.
Hockey is making its return to the Olympics this upcoming year. NHL players are eligible to participate in the winter games. This year, the annual Winter Classic will not happen as last year the Winter Classic game took place on New Years Eve. Fans can look forward to the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami, Florida. The Winter Classic is one game every NHL season that is held in an outdoor arena, typically a baseball field. They convert the field into an ice rink and fans can sit in the baseball stands. This tradition has been going on since 2008 and quickly has become a fan favorite. The Boston Bruins currently hold the most number of Winter Classic games won with three wins.