With the Miami Heat's NBA Finals championship only lasting five games, folks are wondering, “What the hell do we do now?” while waiting for the NFL season to begin. But there’s no need to be discouraged, because there are other things to watch to keep yourself occupied while you await the season to start (if you need a tracker, it’s 71 days from today).
I’ve decided to give you a few ideas on what to watch while you patiently wait for football to get here and rock your world like it usually does.
Baseball is still on, and it’s been fun to watch
I’ll admit: the Orioles have a lot to do with my feelings on baseball being fun to watch. For the first time in 15 years, they’re a decent, competitive team, while currently sitting in second place of the AL East (not bad at all). Baseball was my first sports love, so I’ve been waiting for the day for them to become watchable again. However, baseball, as a whole, has been very fun to watch.
We’ve seen some amazing pitching performances, including a controversial no-hitter by the Mets Johan Santana. Let's not forget that the All Star Game is approaching as well (I love the HR Derby contest). Baseball is a very good filler for this time of year while transitioning from NBA to the NFL. If you think it’s boring to watch on TV, go to a game (if you have a team nearby). It’s a great experience and a good time. It can also possibly help you watch it on TV a little easier. But if you’re a fan of the Cubs, Royals or Twins, you may as well find something else to do. There’s no real hope for you or your enthusiasm for baseball.
2012 Olympics are coming
So many story lines make the Olympics a good watch. Will Michael Phelps still dominate in swimming as he’s done the past few years? Will Team USA run through the competition in basketball (of course, they should!)? Will we talk more about Lolo Jones the athlete or Lolo Jones the virgin? Then there’s track and field, which has always been a good and interesting watch since the days of FloJo and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Can anyone beat Usain Bolt’s records? Will any steroids controversy surface?
So many things to keep an eye on, and it’s a three-week show, which ends around the second week of preseason. What better way to watch people compete for just about any sport you can possibly think of? And it’s only once every four years, which makes them a must-watch. If you can, please check them out; they begin July 27th on NBC.
Euro 2012 (soccer)
To be fair, this series is almost over. However, there are about three games remaining (starting Wednesday on ESPN), so you can catch those games within the week.
I’ll admit to you: I’m not a soccer fan at all ... I’ve been trying to get into it, but it’s been a slow process. But social networking sites like Twitter make you want to see why everyone seems so excited about it and tune in. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve watched a couple of games just because my online friends made a big hoopla about them.
If there was ever a time you decided you wanted to get into soccer, now’s the perfect time. You have no other sports distractions (unless you’re a die-hard baseball fan), so you can take the time to get a good look at why the rest of the world is in love with futbol, but us Americans haven’t caught up yet.
Watch Martin (TVOne, MTV2 on Sundays)
If you miss miss football as much as I do, you feel like your Sundays are lost. But I truly believe there is a TV god. TVOne and MTV2 play Martin marathons every Sunday starting at 11am. I don’t care if you’ve seen every episode 5 million times; every time you watch it, you feel like you’ve watched it for the first time and laugh just as hard.
The best part about watching Martin is being able to see and laugh at the very minor details that maybe you missed the other 499 million times you’ve tuned in. For instance, how Tommy Davidson and Martin can’t stop giggling during their Varnell Hill radio interview scene. Or how you can tell every ad lib that wasn’t written in the script, but Martin found a way to throw it in for that extra-deep belly laugh. Martin will never get old and unfunny. If you disagree, I’m convinced you are a terrorist.
Honorable Mentions
NFL Network - NFL Replay and the Top 100 list are always good TV (even if you hate the list). It’s still good enough for a debate.
Golf - The Open Championship and PGA Championship happen this summer. If you’re a golf fan, I’m sure you know this already.
WWE Raw and Smackdown - For those that look past the fact that wrestling is about as real as turkey bacon, this is still good entertainment for many.
Love and Hip Hop ATL/Single Ladies - As much as men claim they don’t watch these shows, Twitter tells a whole different story (I see your tweets). If you’re not ashamed to admit it, go on and get your ratchet on and flourish in them.
