With the end of the school year fast approaching, I’m sure many people are freaking out about one thing in particular.
You might say, “Duh, Matt, finals are next week, of course we’re freaking out.” I’m not talking about finals though, reader; I’m talking about sporting events you should watch to fill the idle days of a free summer, or relax after a hard day’s work at the internship you got.
As many sports fans know, right around this time both the NHL and NBA are in full playoff swing, but these will both only last until mid-June, so what about after these sports are done for the season?
One option is baseball, of course, a staple of the summer in America. There are however, other not as obvious sports to watch this summer as well.
The University of Tulsa has many sports including softball, track, golf, rowing and tennis that continue their seasons throughout the summer months.
It’s hard to keep track of all the sporting action occurring after leaving campus in the summer, but it will be worth it to keep an eye on TU sports because every game they play in the summer will be with potential championships on the line.
The city of Tulsa also has many different sporting events to offer. The Drillers and Roughnecks just started their seasons in the past couple months, but there are other sports that can offer a different kind of experience if you do a little digging into what the city has to offer.
Take wrestling for example; if you read Jesse Keipp’s article this week you can see just how much fun wrestling can be, even for the more casual fans. There are dirt car races, drag racing and more in Tulsa, but in order to find them, you have to be willing to do a little work and find the sports hidden within the city.
Finally there are lots of sporting events happening all over the country and the world. The first big sporting event of the summer, which is suprising given that it’s not an actual game, is the NFL draft in late April/early May. Everybody who has a team to support anxiously wacthes this event hoping that this is the yeat that their team drafts the player that will bring their team a championship.
Another event, a staple of the summer every year, is the College World Series, an event that causes one town in Nebraska to become a baseball pilgrimage each June.
One of the reasons the College World Series is so exciting is because every team is playing for their survival in the tournament. If you lose, you’re out; if you win, you go on. That uncertainty is what makes these kind of games so much fun.
after the NBA and NHL playoffs end in the early part of the summer, that win or go home atmosphere is sorely lacking, because most sports are either in their off season or the middle of the regular season. Playoff sports are the best unscripted reality show on the market.
Perhaps the sporting event that I am most excited for this summer is the women’s world cup. Last year the men’s world cup was one of the most exciting things I had ever watched, and my (second) favorite team won it all.
The women’s world cup looks to be just as exciting in Canada this summer, maybe even better this year. The United States are a favorite to contend for the title this year, instead of serving the role as an underdog.
Watching them play is a lot of fun and after their second place finish in the 2011 World Cup against Japan, many of their players became names that everybody who knows soccer knows.
Towards the end of the summer, football will pick up again with training camps and preseason. And before you know it the summer will be over, and we’ll all be back at school once again. But enjoy the sports of the summer. This sports editor sure will.
