With summer officially underway as of Monday, all the champions have been crowned.
The New Orleans Saints lifted a city that was in dire need of a feel-good moment five years after the disastrous Hurricane Katrina.
The Chicago Blackhawks brought the Stanley Cup back to the Windy City for the first time in 49 years.
Duke basketball and Alabama football got back to their winning ways, both breaking championship droughts to reclaim the top spots in their respective collegiate sports.
And the Los Angeles Lakers started the decade in the same spot as the previous one — at the top — after defeating the rival Boston Celtics in an epic game seven in the 2010 NBA finals.
Watching Ron Artest match Kevin Garnett’s 2008 postgame interview as the best ever, as he thanked his hood and his psychiatrists, was a moment to enjoy, knowing that the next three months would be miserable as far as sports go.
The summer is the best time of the year, but the choices that sports fanatics are left with are downright awful.
A baseball game in person is a great source of entertainment for one day, but realistically, baseball is too slow and boring to consistently fill the summer void left by NFL and NBA off-seasons.
After the NBA finals coverage came to an end, I began to think of top 10 sports events of the summer that would get me through my summertime sports misery and soon realized that this summer would be one of the best in the history of sports.
Despite not being an Olympic year, this will be a summer to remember.
Ten sport events/moments to look forward to in the summer 2010:
World Cup
With group play just about done, the sounds of vuvuzelas will grow louder, as the weak are eliminated and the round of 16 begins. Thank God there will be no more ties and a winner will have to be declared. Will the U.S. team make the Americans prouder than ever before?
Or will they give Americans another reason to ignore soccer? Each game the United States has played in group play, I always seem to find a way to imagine the USA winning it all. Imagine the riots that would break out across the world.
LeBron James sweepstakes, NBA free agency
The wait is over. In a little more than a week, the most anticipated free agent class in sports history will finally start to make its decisions. Where will LeBron go? New Jersey? New York? Chicago? Will he just stay at home? Whether you’re a LeBron James fan or not, I bet you’re interested in where he ends up.
NBA Draft
It’s always nice to watch young men in their early 20s become millionaires right before your eyes. John Wall is the obvious No. 1 overall pick, but the most intriguing part may be the trades that might occur by teams trying to position themselves to get LeBron. The buzz about the New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul getting traded has already begun.
MLB 2010 All Star weekend in Anaheim, Calif.
The most important All Star game in all of sports will be played in Anaheim this year, as the National League and American League battle for World Series home field advantage. Though baseball can get boring throughout the season, the All Star game festivities are always fun to watch, especially the Home Run Derby.
Brett Favre retires and comes back again
Let the drama begin. Throughout the last two NFL off-seasons, Brett Favre has been a hot topic of discussion. In a matter of weeks, Favre will tell some Pop Warner team in Mississippi that he will play again if they win their first scrimmage. Maybe he’ll retire on the first day of training camp and then make a comeback on the final day of training camp. It’s Brett Favre, so drama should be expected.
UFC 116 and Lesnar’s return
I never thought I’d support the UFC after having countless arguments with roommates as to whether it was a sport or not. But Brock Lesnar’s return to the octagon against Shane Carwin is one bout to look forward to. After Lesnar’s career and life were almost ended by an intestinal illness, it will be interesting to see him return. Being a WWE fan growing up, I can remember Lesnar as a wrestling star, watching the Vince McMahon-led sports entertainment sessions in the ring, instead of the octagon.
Will Mayweather and Pacquaio fight once and for all?
As a boxing fan, I know the Floyd Mayweather–Manny Pacquaio mega fight was bound to happen for the sport to gain some ground on the heels of the rapidly-growing juggernaut that is the UFC. In order for the fight to be held in November as expected, both sides must come to an agreement sometime during the summer. If this fight doesn’t happen, boxing will take a major hit and could possibly lose more fans to UFC.
British Open
The story in this year’s PGA tournament will be whether Tiger Woods will get back to his old self. If Woods fails to have a good showing at the British Open, people will begin to question whether the women are the secret to his dominance. Most people will only watch on the final day if Woods is in the hunt.
Tour de France 2010
Can Lance Armstrong get back to winning the Tour after Floyd Landis accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs? If Lance finshes miserably, does it mean he was on the PEDs after all?
NFL training camp begins
This list is not in any particular order, but if it were, the start of NFL training camp would certainly not be last. Most sports fans wait to start their countdown for the day when the Pro Bowl ends in February. It’s the time of the year that all NFL fans become sure this is the year for their favorite team. This will be the time we will learn if Albert Haynesworth will finally show up, and if Terrell Owens will finally be picked up.
