2020 has been a difficult year for sports fans, as many of their favorite events have been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Euro 2020 soccer competition and the Olympics were both postponed to 2021, so we will have to wait another year for those.
Thankfully, there are some great events for the rest of the year that you and the family can watch on TV. Take a look at our favorite picks.
NFL Games
The situation with the football league is still a bit uncertain right now. However, what we do know is that the NFL season is due to begin on September 10. The game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs is penciled in for a starting time of 8.20pm ET on that date, and will be shown on TV.
It has been decided between the NFL and the NFLPA that the teams won’t be playing any of the usual preseason games. This means that the first game of this season will be the first competitive action in the NFL since the Kansa City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl back in February.
2020 is the 101st season of the NFL and it is due to end on February 7, 2021 with the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. However, the authorities have also taken the decision to put alternative plans in place, in case the season needs to be shortened due to Covid-19. It isn’t yet clear if games will be behind closed doors, with fear that teams could lose up to $5.5 billion if this is the case.
The NBA Play-Offs
The basketball season was called to a dramatic halt in March, by which time a number of the top teams had already qualified. 22 teams are now ready to start playing once the action starts up again on July 30.
The games that are left to be played will all take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. After they have completed the eight regular season games that each team has left, the post-season tournament begins. If you like to bet on NBA games you can do it here: https://extra.betamerica.com/nba/
The NBA Finals are scheduled to take place between September 30 and October 31 with several of the biggest TV networks set to show the games. Since the action will take place behind closed doors, fans will need to tune in to see who wins the biggest prize in basketball.
The Kentucky Derby
America’s biggest horse race is another major sporting event that was delayed earlier in the year. This means that it has been moved from its usual date in May to September 5. It is the 146th time that this famous race has been held, and the first time in almost a century that it isn’t the first leg of the Triple Crown.
At the time of writing, the idea is that spectators will be allowed into Churchill Downs to watch the race, as well as the Kentucky Oaks the day before. However, this may change before the day itself. Viewers at home can see the Kentucky Derby at 3pm ET.
This is now the second part of the Triple Crown, with the Belmont Stakes being won by Tiz the Law on June 20. The final part of this series of races is the Preakness Stakes, which is due to be run at the start of October this year.
Summary
The second half of 2020 could be the perfect time to stay at home and watch some sports with your family. The way that different sports have been re-organized means that a lot of top-class action will be crammed into a few months.