Sophomore summer's halfway through, but the international and domestic sports arenas are just heating up. Here are five sporting events to follow over the next five weeks as midterm stress rises faster than Hanover's humidity.
- Open Championships, July 18 to 21
The British open, golf's annual summer classic, will play out at the Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland. Muirfield last hosted in 2002, when Ernie Els captured the championship. While Els also won in 2012, this year's tournament boasts no clear favorite. Las Vegas has Tiger Woods at 13/2 odds, while former major winner Rory McIlroy and lefty Phil Mickelson are at 20/1.
Woods most recently won the Open Championship in 2006, his third time lifting the trophy, and the last time an American won the tournament was in 2009, when Stewart Cink beat out the field at Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
This year's golfers will have to deal with constantly shifting wind directions due to the course's layout.
- Tour De France, June 29 to July 21
After finishing a distant second place last year to teammate Bradley Wiggins, British rider Chris Froome has positioned himself to win the Tour de France. With three stage wins and expert riding, Froome has built a five-minute, 11 second lead over the past 18 stages.
Froome captured his first yellow shirt in the eighth stage and has held onto first place since then. His closest competition is Alberto Contador, a Spaniard who last won in 2010, but later lost his medal due to doping offenses. Since 1999, only three Tour de France champions have passed their doping tests. To combat the sport's tarnished reputation, many riders must now undergo doping testing after each stage.
Three of 21 stages remain, including the famous 133.5 kilometer sprint from Versailles to Paris.
- NFL training camps begin, July 17 to July 27
For football fans, nothing indicates the start of fall like NFL training camps. Veterans and rookies ship off to college campuses to study playbooks, install schemes and bond as a team. Over the years, training camp has evolved into a media-scrutinized event, with many teams holding open practices for fans.
This year's big stories include the Philadelphia Eagles, who will install a unique fast-paced offense under new head coach Chip Kelly. The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens face new challenges, as key defensive stalwarts Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are no longer part of the team.
Training camp is also when many big stars settle long-standing contract disputes. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will most likely sign a long-term contract extension, while the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs will look to agree on terms with their respective first round picks.
- MLB Trade deadline, July 31
The annual Major League Baseball trade deadline always ushers in last-minute trades, player exchanges and shifts in organizational philosophy. With a flutter of contradictory reports and frantic television announcements as a backdrop, every baseball team must decide whether to attract high-talent players for a potential postseason run or dump expensive old veterans and rebuild for next year.
The public display of an organization's long-term goals affects fans' attitudes toward their team, ticket prices and postseason expectations.
This year, look for upstart teams such as the Pittsburgh Pirates to attract an offensive outfielder to bolster their offense for many, Alex Rios comes to mind. On the flip side, the disappointing Philadelphia Phillies may trade the talented but aging Chase Utley, their power-hitting second baseman.
- Summer X Games, Los Angeles, August 1 to 4
For extreme sports fans, it doesn't get better than the Summer X Games in Los Angeles, which features everything from popular BMX street to skateboard vert elimination.
These games are part of X Games' larger effort to introduce the sport to a global audience. This year, the tournament has made stops in Colorado, France, Brazil, Spain and Germany.
Los Angeles, the traditional location of the event, is its last stop. Next year, the games will move to Austin meaning that for most die-hard fans, this year's competition will be a tearful farewell.
