Your Summer Sports Viewing Guide

Soon school will be out. The NBA and NHL playoffs will be over. Your favorite baseball team will have the day off, and you’ll be watching your fifth wave of SportsCenter repeats. What are you going to watch? These events put an end to that question, immediately turning your random couch nap time into a chips n’ salsa sports fiesta. Here is my summer guide to sports…

Tour De France
The most anticipated bike race of the season. Twenty-one stages and 3,471 miles. Only two rest days! My favorite part of the tour has to be the finishing stretch of any stage. It’s almost always a close finish and a good race. The Tour De France will go from July 2-24. Anyone that enjoys bike riding will be easily sucked into this great event.

MLB All-Star Game
Nicknamed the mid-summer classic, the All-Star game will be held at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 12. My favorite part is the Homerun derby the day before. I love hearing the pop of the bat and watching kids like you and me scamper for fly balls in the outfield. Also, it will be very interesting to see the lineup and coaches this year.

X-Games
The 17th annual Summer X-Games are bound to be extremely awesome. The X-Games will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California from July 28-31. This is a must watch for any kid who has ever tried to skateboard, ride a dirt bike, or even operate a remote control car. PGA Championship- The season-ending PGA major that seems to never disappoint. My pick for this year has to be Rory McIlroy to come back from his last round Masters flub. This year the Championship will be held at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. The tournament will be held August 11th-14th.

The events below are my personal favorites and the ones that I look forward to the most.

College World Series
The NCAA Baseball World Series will be held from June 18-29. You know I am a fan because I wrote about the Cinderella Bulldogs in my first SI Kids blog post. This tournament continues to excite me year in and year out. This year, hopefully for many years to come, the Series will be held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, replacing historic Rosenblatt Stadium, also in Omaha. Look forward to some riveting baseball action as South Carolina will look to repeat this year.

U.S. Open
A second golf tournament? While watching golf may not be something all kids enjoy, the second major of the year is a must-watch and offers plenty of intensity (as far as golf goes). The Open will be held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Maryland from June 16-19. Graeme McDowell will be attempting to defend his championship. However, I think that Martin Kaymer, second in World Rankings, has a good chance of taking this major home.

Little League World Series
Lastly, my favorite sporting event of the summer is the Little League World Series, August 18-28. Since 1947, 16 of the best little league teams in the world have gathered to play for a world championship. During the World Series people from all corners of the world pack onto the famous hill at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the Little League capitol of the world. Many pro baseball players and athletes have gone through Williamsport. For example, Chris Drury of the New York Rangers, in 1989. Without a doubt, this tournament is the highlight of my summer and provides entertainment for all ages.

Watching these events has been a key part of my summer and probably will be for a while. Hopefully they can instantly turn your summer sports watching experience into something you look forward to. Maybe only two repeats of SportsCenter.