Ranking the Top 10 Biggest Sporting Events in December 2024

Congratulations! You’ve endured another year—one with a Leap Day, a Summer Olympics and a good old-fashioned U.S. presidential election. 2024 has been a long one.

December rewards us with Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve and a slew of meaningful sporting events to go with it. Without wasting time, let’s get into our ranking of the 10 biggest events of the month. Football—NFL plus college—makes up half this list, but there’s room for basketball and some other novelties.

10. “The Showdown” LIV vs. PGA match, Dec. 17

This can’t go higher than 10th because it’s an exhibition, and because you have to care about golf’s ongoing civil war to see its meaning. I, personally, am here for it. We get to see ex-rivals and current LIV golfers Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau team up against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy representing the PGA Tour. They’ll play an 18-hole match at Shadow Creek, a legitimately tough course. This is nothing like the hit-and-giggle shows in cozy environments that “The Match” series has turned into.

9. Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers, Dec. 16

December is so jam-packed with football that hockey gets the squeeze, and the New Year’s Eve “Winter Classic” between the Blues and Blackhawks just missed the cut for this list. But if you get NHL Network, they’ll be carrying this Stanley Cup Final rematch nationally. The Panthers are very good once again, and the Oilers… well, the Oilers still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

8. Army vs. Navy Game, Dec. 14

This game is an institution. It’s on my personal bucket list. That doesn’t mean it’s always good football. Some years, neither offense can move the ball. This is not one of those years. The quarterback matchup of Navy’s Blake Horvath vs. Army’s Bryson Daily (who have 36 rushing touchdowns between them) is the zenith of a great year for the service academies.

7. Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, Dec. 25

This year’s Christmas Day schedule looked much better on paper in the preseason than it does now. (Philadelphia at Boston? The Sixers will be basted like a holiday turkey.) But the Warriors and Lakers are both playing well entering the month, and you never know—this could be the last Christmas game LeBron James plays.

6. Auburn at Duke basketball, Dec. 4

Not much room for college hoops on this list, but make time for this one on Wednesday. Auburn has a claim as the best team in college basketball—ranked No. 1 on KenPom, with wins over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis, the latter three coming as the Tigers won the Maui Invitational. Next, they go to Cameron Indoor and tangle with Cooper Flagg and the Dukies. Must-see.

5. NBA Cup Championship game, Dec. 17

The point of the NBA Cup is for basketball to try to stand out in a football-heavy December landscape, and last year’s inaugural tourney had the draw of the Lakers making the final. Group play isn’t finished yet, but some teams that could make it to Vegas include the Knicks, Bucks and Warriors. Still, everyone has their own opinion of whether the NBA Cup matters or not, so I can’t put this any higher than fifth.

It just means more in the SEC, except this year, when every interesting team they have owns three league losses. This has been the Big Ten’s year, from Oregon’s dominance to Indiana’s fairytale run. 

3. Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers, Dec. 25

The NFL has invaded the NBA’s holiday—I’ll never fully be on board with football on a Wednesday. But I can’t pretend I won’t be watching this game. Kansas City and Pittsburgh will be jostling for AFC playoff positioning, and might it be a white Christmas in Western Pennsylvania? On top of that, we all have to tune in to see if Netflix can handle a high-traffic livestream after their Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fiasco.

2. Buffalo Bills at Detriot Lions, Dec. 15

Super Bowl preview? Sure feels like it. December appears to have far more interesting NFL matchups in store than November did, and Week 15 alone will also bring us Steelers-Eagles and Packers-Seahawks. They don’t hold a candle to these two red-hot, well-rounded teams. I only wish the game were in freezing Buffalo instead of indoors in the Motor City.

I don’t have enough space here to debate the finer points of the new 12-team playoff format. 

What I know is that a few Fridays from now, history will be made with the first FBS-level playoff game held on a college campus, likely somewhere cold like Columbus, Ohio, or State College, Pa. A tripleheader will follow on Saturday. There’s no promise this particular game will be good, but you’ll be watching, and our brave new world of college football will feel realer than ever.