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Staff Picks: Favorite sport to watch over the summer

Cornhole

by Matthew Lucas

Contributor

 

Cornhole, a game popularly attributed to tailgates, parties and backyards, may not receive as much attention as other popular summer sports like baseball or golf, but there is something about its simplicity that gets me to tune in every time.

This growing backyard sport, which requires little-to-no athletic ability, offers quick action, quick scoring and simple rules so anyone can follow along. It’s no wonder why channels like ESPN and CBS see increased viewership of the sport each year.

Even though country folks like myself cringe every time someone calls it “bags,” the great sport of cornhole is one that everyone can enjoy both playing and watching.

 

Golf

by Jonathan Michel

Co-Sports Editor

 

I know you may be rolling your eyes already, but golf is one of my favorite sports to watch (and play) over the summer. 

The current state of the PGA Tour is exciting, Phil Mickelson recently won the PGA Championship at 50 years old, young players are starting to emerge and a beef for the ages has just begun. 

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are two of the game’s biggest stars and while most golfers on the Tour get along well, these two are locking horns over who can drive the ball farther and who can dispel their haters better. A video clip of Koepka rolling his eyes and stopping his interview as DeChambeau walked by went viral and thousands of memes have already been made about it. 

Golf is becoming less ‘stuffy’ as a sport with DeChambeau and Koepka going at it in real life and on Twitter. A heated rivalry is good for the game. Other younger players such as Max Homa and Harry Higgs have hilarious personalities which I believe can erase the stereotype that golf is boring. I will admit that watching golf isn’t as fun as playing it, but with the way things are going, that could very well change in the near future. 

 

Baseball

By Larry Larson

Managing Editor

 

Picture this: it’s the Fourth of July, 85 degrees and sunny. You’re at a cookout with some friends, a few hours before fireworks. Maybe there’s some music playing. Perhaps even a game of bags (not cornhole, Matt) is underway. 

What’s the sport that’s most likely to be discussed at this sort of gathering? The only appropriate answer would be America’s pastime — Baseball. 

Baseball is the only mainstream sport that packs stadiums on a daily basis throughout the dog days of summer. In towns across the country, people gather around diamonds large and small to watch games — whether it be their sons or daughters participating at the Little League level, or their favorite MLB team. 

Throughout my childhood, summer meant one thing: baseball season. Even now as a young adult, I can’t help but associate June, July and August with days at the ballpark. I’m sure the rest of the country would tend to agree. 

 

Motorsports

By Joey Wright

Co-Sports Editor

 

As basketball and hockey start to wind down their seasons, Memorial Day weekend serves as the perfect time to relaunch the North American motorsports calendar. 

The Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 are two crown jewel events that serve to amp up motorsports fans for high-octane summer. I recall many June and July afternoons spent with racing on television and even more days yet spent at the track. 

I’ve been to enough races that you’d expect from a serious fan, yet few enough to where each visit created a memory. I was on hand at Kentucky Speedway for Stephen Leight’s lone NASCAR win in 2007, saw Jeff Gordon win at Indianapolis in 2014 and was a witness to the iconic “slide job” finish at Chicagoland in 2018. 

Motorsports serve as the perfect piece of Americana during the months of the calendar when it’s best to be outdoors. Whether enjoying a race from home on the patio with the grill fired up or at the track with several thousand of your closest friends, fast speeds and intense action create the perfect backdrop for a memorable summer. 

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