For the summer of 2017, the word exciting is not powerful enough to explain what has happened over the past few months in the sports world. Blockbuster trades, feuds, broken records, new deals and of course championships have taken place.
This year’s Wimbledon champions were Garbiñe Muguruza and Roger Federer. Muguruza beat Venus Williams in the finals for the women’s championship. Roger Federer added another title to his collection for a total of eight Wimbledon titles—the most of any man in history.
The biggest and most anticipated event this year in the fighting world is Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor, who have agreed to fight on Aug 26. Although McGregor is a mixed martial arts fighter, he will be boxing in the bout with Mayweather. The trash talk between players and fans has been heated all summer.
For the National Hockey League playoffs, this year’s playoffs was a roller coaster. Each series after the first round lasted at least six games. The season ended with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the series 4-2 over the Nashville Predators. Captain Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the second consecutive season—becoming the first player to do so since 1992.
For the NBA, the season ended with the Warriors dominating all the way through the playoffs and only losing one game to the Cavaliers in the finals. Though highly scrutinized for jumping to the Warriors, Kevin Durant was able to make a smooth transition into the team and lead them to a championship. He also won his first NBA Finals MVP award.
The NBA Summer League ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the summer championship, led by Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and the highly anticipated rookie Lonzo Ball, who also won the Summer League MVP.
NBA Stars have been moving around this offseason, and the new season will showcase new faces. The most noticeable moves in the free agency were Paul George getting traded to Oklahoma City, Chris Paul getting traded to the Rockets, Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves, Brook Lopez to the Lakers and the 76ers trading with the Celtics to get the number one draft pick—Washington prospect Markelle Fultz. This summer, the NBA probably had the most rumors spreading around and kept the fans on the edge of their seat. The newest rumor is that Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland, and he has requested a trade. The other rumor is that LeBron James will be leaving the Cavaliers by the end of the 2017- 18 season.
Good news for football fans, NFL training camps are in the works and preseason play has begun. Football is back! Players are getting a chance to prove themselves, and teams are making moves to bring their teams down to a 53-man roster. College football players are finishing up camp soon and college ball will be back Aug 26. Players as well as sports fans from all over will be glad to have football back every week until February.
The University of Oklahoma’s women’s softball team won their second straight World Series— the third in the past five years. The University of Florida men’s baseball team won their school’s first college World Series in school history.
The Major League Baseball season is in full swing with the playoffs slowly approaching. The Washington Nationals currently have the best records (71-47) as teams are separating themselves and trying to seal playoff spots for October.
The summer has been a great build up for the fall. With all the breaking news and rumors that have been going on, fans are excited to see what is in store for sports, their favorite teams and potential competitions.
