NFL Kickoff Festival, Major League Baseball and MLS All-Star Game Among Late-Summer TV Offerings
Football fans are rejoicing at the start of the NFL season—even if the games don’t count!
Preseason Kickoff
The NFL made some changes to the preseason kickoff festivities. In past years, the Hall of Fame Game was held on a Sunday, the day after the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony. Moving the game to before the ceremony should help avoid embarrassments like last year, when logos painted on the field for the ceremony made for unsafe conditions, and the game was canceled just prior to kickoff. The Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, takes place on a Thursday night, as Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys face the Arizona Cardinals (Aug. 3, 8/7c, NBC). The move also shines a bigger spotlight on the induction ceremony (Aug. 5, 7/6c, ESPN and NFL Network), as Morten Andersen, Terrell Davis, Kenny Easley, Jason Taylor, LaDainian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones enter the pantheon of football greats.
Soccer: CONCACAF Gold Cup Final (July 26, 9:30/8:30c, Fox Sports 1)
The Gold Cup championship is at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Women’s Soccer: Tournament of Nations
The U.S. Women’s National Team hosts this four-team, round-robin tournament. They take on Australia at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field (July 27, 10/9c, ESPN) and Brazil at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium (July 30, 8/7c, ESPN2). The USWNT wraps up the tourney with a clash against rival Japan in Carson, California (Aug. 3, 10/9c, ESPN2).
Swimming: FINA World Championships (July 29, 2/1c, and July 30, 3/2c, NBC)
FINA, the governing body for international aquatic sports, holds its championships in Budapest.
Major League Baseball
Catch a Saturday MLB doubleheader on Fox Sports 1 July 29 with the San Francisco Giants at the red-hot L.A. Dodgers (4/3c), and the Cincinnati Reds visit the Miami Marlins (7/6c).
Boxing: Broner vs. Garcia (July 29, 9/8c, Showtime)
Adrien Broner faces Mikey Garcia in a super-lightweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix (July 30, 7:30am/6:30c, NBCSN)
Lewis Hamilton defends his title at the Hungaroring, outside of Budapest.
IndyCar Honda Indy 200 (July 30, 3/2c, CNBC)
Drivers take on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series
NASCAR makes stops at Pocono Raceway (July 30, 3/2c, NBCSN) and the road course at Watkins Glen International (Aug. 6, 3/2c, NBCSN).
MLS All-Star Game (Aug. 2, 9/8c, Fox Sports 1)
Major League Soccer’s All-Stars face European powerhouse Real Madrid in this exhibition at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
