Summer is right around the corner -- I am excited to think about beaches, dunkaroos, bocce, and the other trappings of summer. I am not, however, too excited about upcoming sporting events. Summer is my favorite season, but it is by far the worst season in the world of sports.
As much as I like basketball, the NBA is only interesting when superstars play each other in the Finals. I have casually watched this year's playoffs, but I will really get into them if Kobe and LeBron match up in the Finals. With Yao and KG out with injuries, the NBA is not rooting for Boston or Houston to advance (although I do not buy into conspiracy theories).
Likewise, I am a casual fan of baseball, but unless it's the MLB playoffs I would rather watch a game live (even if it's minor league) than on TV. Having a beer at a baseball game is one of my favorites things to do in the summer, but that has nothing to do with my love of the game.
Several tennis and golf majors take place in the summer, but those events don't excite me as much as football season and college hoops. The Kentucky Derby is the "Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," but the other two legs of the Triple Crown lack the prestige of the Kentucky Derby. Unless a horse wins the first two legs of the Triple Crown, viewership is way down for the Belmont Stakes. Moreover, the Kentucky Derby is in May -- which technically isn't the summer.
The following is my list of the top 10 sporting events of the summer (I consider the summer to be June through August rather than the official calendar dates and I am not including the World Cup or Summer Olympics):
10) Little League World Series - 11-12 years olds (except in the Dominican) just having fun.
9) Belmont Stakes - Only if the same horse wins Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
8) Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest - The summer is slow so this counts as a sport, Kobayasi vs. Joey Chesnut is one of the best rivalries in any competition.
7) UEFA Champions League Final - Best futbol outside of the World Cup (technically takes place in late May).
6) College World Series - Only time most people care about college baseball.
5) French Open - Nadal has dominated on the red clay recently.
4) MLB - Back in the day, nothing was worse than watching Sportscenter four times in a row with nothing but regular season MLB highlights, but it still makes the top 5. The All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are great mid-summer traditions.
3) NBA Finals - Will move to #1 if it's LeBron vs. Kobe.
2) U.S. Open - Golf's toughest tournament, Tiger always plays well.
1) Wimbledon - Tennis anyone? Borg, Sampras, Federer, all whites, strawberries & cream, rain delays. It's all about tradition and etiquette at the All England Club. I look forward to another Federer-Nadal final.
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Pop culture observations sans journalistic integrity
3 comments:
No mention of the NHL playoffs? The fake Canadian in me died a little reading soccer and competitive eating ahead of hockey
BDF, you're right. I forgot that the NHL playoffs continue into June. I'd still rather watch competitive eating, but overtime in a playoff hockey game (especially a game 7) is very exciting. I just can't sit down and watch the whole game. Thus, NHL Finals should come in at #8 on my list.
You're right about the drinking of draft (I assume you mean draft) beers at baseball games...they're the best--I typically walk out w/ 7-10 stadium cups, one which I leave behind b/c it's filled w/ dip spit/peanut shells.
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