THIS WEEK IN SPORTS: JULY 18TH – 24TH

FOOTBALL and Futbol IS BACK….sorta. We have multiple conferences hosting their annual media days and season kickoff celebrations throughout this week. Multiple NFL Teams open Training Camp this week as they begin quest for a Lombardi Trophy. In addition to the commencement of football season, the Mid-Summer Classic holds court from Dodger Stadium in Hollywood. Another cool event this week is happening at Lambeau Field. As European Club teams prepare for the season, many are playing matches in the USA. These are highlighted by Bayern Munich and Manchester City facing off in Green Bay. The match is on ESPN and kicks off at 7pm on Saturday from the Cathedral of the NFL.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

• SEC MEDIA DAYS: Monday thru Thursday from Atlanta (SECN )

• WAC MEDIA DAY: Tuesday (ESPN+)

• ACC MEDIA DAYS: Wednesday and Thursday (ACC Network)

• SWAC MEDIA DAYS: Thursday (ESPN3)

Who doesn’t love ”talking season” and who knows what questions will trigger fantastic answers. I fully expect a lot of these to be focused on NIL and the impacts after 1 year. Oh, and let’s not forget the dust up between Jimbo and Nick. It’s not gameday, but the energy of college football is here.

The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod on Twitter) just released their Preseason Top 25 Countdown episode 20 thru 16. You can find this episode and many others by subscribing on any podcast platform as well as the Spinnable Sports YouTube page.

NFL:

• Arizona Cardinals: Rookies report July 21st / Veterans July 26th
• Atlanta Falcons: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• Baltimore Ravens: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• Buffalo Bills: Rookies report July 18th / Veterans July 23rd
• Carolina Panthers: Team reports July 26th
• Chicago Bears: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Cincinnati Bengals: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Cleveland Browns: Rookies report July 22nd / Veterans July 26th
• Dallas Cowboys: Team reports July 26th
• Denver Broncos: Team reports July 26th
• Detroit Lions: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Green Bay Packers: Rookies report July 22nd / Veterans July 26th
• Houston Texans: Rookies report July 24th / Veterans July 26th
• Indianapolis Colts: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Jacksonville Jaguars: Rookies report July 24th / Veterans July 26th
• Kansas City Chiefs: Rookies report July 22nd / Veterans July 26th
• Las Vegas Raiders: Rookies report July 18th / Veterans July 20th
• LA Chargers: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• LA Rams: Team reports July 23rd
• Miami Dolphins: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• Minnesota Vikings: Rookies report July 24th / Veterans July 26th
• New England Patriots: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• New Orleans Saints: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• New York Giants: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• New York Jets: Rookies report July 19th / Veterans July 26th
• Philadelphia Eagles: Team reports July 26th
• Pittsburgh Steelers: Team reports July 26th
• San Francisco 49ers: Team reports July 26th
• Seattle Seahawks: Team reports July 26th
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Tennessee Titans: Rookies report July 23rd / Veterans July 26th
• Washington Commanders: Team reports July 26th

FIRST PRESEASON GAME: Less than 3 weeks away

• HALL OF FAME GAME: Thursday, August 4th — Jaguars vs Raiders 8pm NBC
• HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY: Saturday, August 6th

MLB:

We have arrived at the All-Star Break and honorary midseason checkpoint. This is always a special event with the Home Run Derby and All Star Game showcase. The MLB Draft being added to the festivities has made this a larger star studded event. What better place for stars to gather than Hollywood? Dodger Stadium and LA are the focus of the baseball world and like normal, celebrities will be attending in droves.

The Home Run Derby participants are as follows:

• Kyle Schwarber — Phillies
• Albert Pujols — Cardinals
• Juan Soto — Nationals
• Jose Ramirez — Guardians
• Pete Alonso — Mets
• Ronald Acuna Jr — Braves
• Corey Seager — Rangers
• Julio Rodriguez — Mariners

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

• Home Run Derby: Monday 8pm EST ESPN
• MLB All Star Game: Tuesday 8pm EST FOX
• New York Yankees at Houston Astros (DH on Thursday)
• San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers (Thursday thru Sunday)
• San Diego Padres at New York Mets (Friday thru Sunday)
• Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox (Friday thru Sunday)
• Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox (Friday thru Sunday)

MLS:

• Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union on Saturday
• NYCFC vs Inter Miami on Saturday
• Sporting Kansas City vs LAFC on Saturday
• Austin vs NY Red Bulls on Sunday
• LA Galaxy vs Atlanta United on Sunday FS1 9:30pm

EUROPEAN CLUB SUMMER FRIENDLIES:

• Borussia Dortmund vs Valencia on Monday
• Inter Miami vs Barcelona on Tuesday at 8pm
• AS Roma vs Sporting CP on Tuesday
• Man United vs Crystal Palace on Tuesday from Melbourne, Australia
• Orlando City vs Arsenal on Wednesday
• Charlotte FC vs Chelsea on Wednesday
• Man City vs America on Wednesday from NRG Stadium at 8pm ESPN2
• RB Leipzig vs Liverpool on Thursday
• Juventus vs Guadalajara on Friday from Allegiant Stadium at 11pm
• Bayern Munich vs Man City on Saturday from Lambeau Field 7pm ESPN
• Real Madrid vs Barcelona on Saturday from Allegiant Stadium 11pm

We are getting very close to European club soccer starting their 2022-23 campaigns. This week in essence is the final summer tuneup before the clubs return to their home training grounds. A lot of famous and historic clubs are touring the USA over the next 10 days, so I hope you have a chance to catch a match. The English Premier League, German Bundesliga, and French Ligue 1 all kick off on August 5th, with the Italian Serie A and Spanish LaLiga starting the following weekend.