I’m not a Cavaliers fan, but I was devastated to see Kyrie Irving go down in game one of the NBA finals with a fractured knee cap that will keep him out for three to four months. Likewise, I’m not a Lightning fan, but I was not happy to see them lose game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. Although these two incidences may not seem relatable, they have one common thread that sports fans were holding onto for dear life.

Let me explain: the Golden State Warriors were the favorite to win the NBA Finals going into the series, receiving -220 odds to win the finals, while the Cavs stood at a +190 in Las Vegas. Now, with Irving out, the Warriors are at a -410, and the Cavs are sitting at a +330, giving the Warriors a 78% chance to win the NBA finals. For those of you like me who had no idea what all that meant, I did some research to finally resolve this problem. The -220 odds means that you would have to bet $2.20 to receive $1.00. For the people betting on the Cavs, they would make $1.90 for every $1.00 they bet.

Likewise, the Blackhawks are the series favorite with a -150 and the Lightning at a +130. Although this is a lot closer than the NBA Finals spread, the Lightning were favored to win games one and two, so blowing that late lead in the third period hurts them and their chances of winning the series (especially since those two games were in Tampa, and now they have to play the next two games in Chicago sitting at a 1-1 series tie).

I know this sounds a lot like an article on betting and the different ramifications that come with changing the odds and a series not going the full seven games, but there is actually a deeper meaning here that is important for sports fans: the question of “What’s next?” We have been putting it off for a while now, but we are so close to the NBA and NHL seasons ending that we have to face the unfortunate truth that the universe has put on us: we only have Major League Baseball after this. It is for this reason we need LeBron James to step up and show that he is on par with, or better than, Michael Jordan and why we need the Lightning to show that they can steal one on the road and win the rest at home because if those two things don’t happen we will have to suffer through even more time of just baseball.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love baseball. There’s nothing like going to the ballpark and soaking up that atmosphere with a hot dog and some nachos, followed up by none other than ice cream in a helmet. Baseball is a great sport, but does it deserve to be the only sport that is all alone at one time? It’s hard to get excited for a regular season baseball game when you realize it’s only 1 of 162 games that will be played by that team. Football, basketball, and hockey all have to share a season with each other, as well as with baseball, even though they have seasons with significantly less games. We are lucky to have at least one sport going on at all times of the year, but why does baseball get the sole spotlight in the summer? Why can’t the NBA or the NHL push their seasons back a little bit so that they play their championship series in late July or early August instead of at the same time in early June? Having them at the same time is awesome because it’s an event almost every other day, but I would rather it be spaced out so that we never have to settle for just one sport at any given time.

If there is any good in this situation, it’s that football fans have a reinvigorated love for the game after two straight months of nothing but baseball. I don’t know of any sport that has the excitement and enthusiasm around their training camps and preseason like the NFL, which I think comes in part from losing our minds spending three hours a day watching full count walks, pick-off attempts, and pitching changes.

This season is definitely not ideal for us sports fans, but it’s our job to hang onto things like the NBA and NHL drafts, as well as what I’m sure will be an interesting free agency for both sports.