To the casual college-aged sports fan, summer is the perfect season to kick back, relax and watch some high-quality competition while free of any obligation to do homework or study for exams. Unfortunately for some, those notoriously short summer months can feel entirely too long from a sports fan's point of view because it seems like baseball is the only thing that's ever on TV. Baseball is, of course, a great American past time, but those with minimal or no interest in the game are likely in a constant state of scanning all the different sports channels in search of something else. I'll admit, I've come around to watching some more baseball this year. (Having watched MLB baseball all day on opening day this year, which is something I've never done before.)
Fortunately, there are a few very good summer sport alternatives if you simply can't bring yourself to watch baseball during its peak season of the year.
Disclaimer: some of these events will depend on your personal definition of when the summer season starts and ends, but all of them fall well within the range of baseball season. And no, I promise I'm not ripping baseball by offering up these alternatives.
1. The NFL Draft.
Ah yes, right around the time everyone's pain from it not being football season begins to dissipate for the year, the NFL Draft swoops in toward the end of April and reminds us that we've still got about four months until football returns. At least it brings a lot of excitement, though. Fans of all 32 NFL franchises get to tune in to see their team's front office select the organization's newest members and hopeful future contributors. For your viewing pleasure, the draft is split into Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday afternoon time slots, so it makes for a great weekend sporting event for NFL fans eager to watch their team bolster their roster.
2. NBA Playoffs.
To me, nothing says "summer" quite like 50 cent wings and a night spent in a living room, watching the NBA Playoffs with the guys. While I understand the argument of many that NBA players sometimes don't compete hard during the regular season, the same simply cannot be said about the postseason. A ring is on the line, and if you watch both the regular season and postseason, you should be able to notice a fairly significant increase in effort level because of that. Because each series is a seven game series, games are on quite often and the playoffs as a whole span about two months from April to June. Oh, and pretty much everybody watches the NBA Finals.
3. Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
This summer's athletic lineup will be extra special - largely in part to the occurrence of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It's a special occasion whenever the best athletes in the world all come together to compete against one another. But the fact that the summer Olympic games are only held once every four years makes its happening all the more special. If you can't find anything interesting to watch here, I really don't know what to tell you. I know exactly what I'll be doing for the first three weeks of August this year.
4. NBA Draft.
To piggyback off of my love for the NFL Draft, the NBA Draft is another good way to get your mind off of baseball for a night toward the end of June. Though admittedly my love for the NBA isn't as great as my love for the NFL, I still enjoy watching the NBA Draft to see where all the best college and international players will start their professional careers. I especially like to see who my beloved Knicks pick, although they currently don't have any selection in this year's draft, so that's unfortunate. There's plenty of time left for that to change, though.
5. International Soccer / MLS.
The best leagues in the world don't play during the summer, but for some reason I can never ignore my gut reaction to pair soccer with the summer season. International football is a beautiful game in my eyes, and there's usually some sort of competition to draw in viewers over the summer - whether that be the Gold Cup, the World Cup or any other cup-inspired tournament. The United States' league, Major League Soccer, also plays its season all throughout summer, so there's plenty of soccer to watch either way. Just don't get too bored if nobody scores a goal for a while.
6. NHL Playoffs.
These actually just started a few days ago, and while I don't watch nearly as much hockey as I wish I did, I can certainly thank my buddies from the hockey team for helping to turn me on to the sport more. These games are good to watch for their fast-paced action, as long as you can follow the puck. Like the NBA Playoffs, winners of each round are decided in a seven game series, so they last a while as well. The fights can be pretty entertaining, too.
7. Fantasy football scouting.
Okay, so this isn't really something you can watch on TV, but it's absolutely something you can do to pass time in the sports world. And come on, don't act like you don't put that kind of time into your fantasy team anyway. I have literally no shame in this. Every single draft pick, injury and offseason transaction will be duly noted in my scouting reports for the year's upcoming fantasy football draft, usually some time around the end of August. Hey, if you want to be the best, you have to put the work in. Just like a real sport.
8. NFL preseason.
Speaking of scouting for fantasy football, the NFL preseason is a great time to start. While the games don't really mean anything for the most part, this is nonetheless a rejuvenating time for NFL fans because it signals that the start of the regular season is just around the corner. Plus, no fan can really wait to see his or her team in action for the first time all season. No, it's not the end of the world if your team doesn't perform well in the preseason. But, of course, it is extremely frustrating when one of your team's key contributors goes down with a major injury in a meaningless preseason game. Ah, the aggravations of being a Steelers fan. Hopefully we'll have better luck this year.
9. Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
I'm not entirely sure what America's obsession with horse racing is, or even where it came from, but I'm not going to question it because I've become a big fan myself. There's just something that gets me about the spectacle of watching a bunch of wildly galloping horses and their jockeys pressing them forward in the race while their owners sit back in special box seats with their families to cheer them on. Anyway, it was pretty cool to watch American Pharaoh win the Triple Crown last June. That is, he came in first place in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The first horse since 1978 to do so. Gambling on these races is also a huge business, so that's a big draw for crowds too. I, for one, think the horse never gets enough credit.
10. Little League World Series.
Maybe this one shouldn't technically count because it is indeed baseball - but I mean come on, who doesn't like to watch pre-teenaged kids from all over the world go out and play purely amateur baseball? No money, no steroids - just pride and joy in playing for the love of the game to win a championship. Like I said, I'm attempting to come around more to the MLB this year, but I've always considered Little League to be more of my cup of tea when it comes to baseball. I might have to miss some of the beginning this year, though, as I believe it will align with the conclusion of the Olympics.
11. Go outside and play your favorite sport.
Without a doubt, this is the best option I've mentioned on this list. The weather is certainly permitting, so take a break from watching every once in a while, gather your friends and head outside for a nice day in the sun while enjoying your favorite sport in real-time instead of opting for the virtual experience through the screen of your television set.Your body will thank you, I can guarantee that.
Happy summer, sports fans. Only four months 'til football season!
