4 Sporting Events to Look Forward to for the Remainder of 2021

Posted: 12:59 am, September 10, 2021 by Access Publishing

It may be hard to believe, but 2021 has less than four full months remaining in it. It’s been a big year for the world of sports, between the Olympics and the Euros and everything beyond. However, because many of these events have already passed, sports fans are left wondering what is next to look forward to in the fall and winter. Although there may not be another high-profile type of event like the Olympics coming for another four years, there are various other sports championships that supporters might like to know about. From football to golf, baseball and more, here are five events in sports set to take place soon.

For major league baseball fans, the World Series is the most important sporting event of the year

World Series

The autumn season for baseball fans can only mean one thing – the World Series is right around the corner. This championship series, which is played over the course of seven games, has been in continual circulation since October of 1903, making it one of the most historic, long-lasting sports tournaments in the U.S. Right now, the regular season is winding down and fans are starting to see who the top contenders will be for a shiny Commissioner’s Trophy in 2021.

Last year’s victors, the Los Angeles Dodgers, already have a good standing in the NL West, but they’ll have to look out for another successful franchise in their home state, the San Francisco Dodgers, who are currently leading their conference. Particularly because the Dodgers franchise currently retain some of the best baseball talent in the league in players like Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Bets, and Cody Bellinger, it’s clear that they are in a great position to dominate for the remainder of the season. This highly anticipated baseball event is set to kick off on October 26^th, with Game 7 having the potential to run all the way until November 3^rd depending on which team wins four out of seven first.

Big 10 Football Championship Game

Speaking of U.S.-based championships, American football is undoubtedly the most followed sport in the nation, with a tumultuous number of fans supporting a variety of divisions and leagues in different states. These packed stadiums are visible when it comes to both college and professional leagues, but many people say that college fans are especially spirited as they are normally students at the same University where the franchises play. In college ball, one of the most important conferences in addition to the SEC is the Big 10. The oldest Division I collegiate conference of its type formed in 1896, the Big 10 has 14 total teams and 2 affiliate institutions, despite what its name suggests. This is because the conference consisted of 10 Universities for many decades before adding the other teams. Some examples of these institutions include the Ohio State Buckeyes, Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Indiana Hoosiers, and Wisconsin Badgers, with each of these teams being in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S.

With students back in school as of late August, stadiums are filling up fast and these organizations are already hard at work fighting for the top spot in the conference. Week 0 kicked off with Illinois beating Nebraska 30-22, followed by last year’s championship team Ohio State taking down Minnesota 45-31. Although the season is just getting started, Ohio State are listed as top contenders for yet another championship title in 2021 according to Big 10 conference winner betting odds by expert pundits. Games will run each week until December 4^th when Indianapolis hosts the 11^th annual Big 10 championship matchup at the Colts’ home field, Lucas Oil Stadium. Only time will tell if the Buckeyes can manage to secure a back-to-back victory, or if another University will take home the Stagg Trophy. One thing’s for certain – for college football fans, Big 10 game day rivals Christmas Day in terms of excitement and anticipation.

College football is back, and stadiums are filling up fast

Rugby Union Autumn Internationals

Rugby fans will be pleased to know that the annual Rugby Union Autumn International fixtures are back in action, with matches set to start on October 30^th and running all the way until November 27^th. Week one will kick off with Scotland vs. Tonga at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, followed by Wales vs. New Zealand in Cardiff, and finally USA vs. Ireland in Las Vegas. A series of different games will take place over the course of five weeks, with everything cumulating in London with the Killick Cup Double that sees the Barbarians take on Samoa. Tickets for all these matches are already available for dedicated rugby fans that are motivated to see their favorite players compete in real-time. Additionally, Amazon Prime Video has announced that they will be the proud broadcaster of 17 rugby autumn international fixtures in the northern hemisphere in 2021.

Ryder Cup

Golf fans also have a very important event to look forward to soon. The 43^rd biannual Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place the weekend of September 24^th at the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. This tournament, which is one of the most prestigious in the sport of golf, sees the best 24 players from both Europe and the U.S. (divided into two teams of 12) go head-to-head in various match play competitions. A total of 28 matches are played over 18 holes, with each match featuring one player from each team. The winner of the Ryder Cup is determined when the first team reaches a total score of 14 ½ points.

The current defenders of the Cup are the European team, who won at the Le Golf National in Paris in 2018 under the leadership of Danish golfer Thomas Bjørn. Widely regarded as the most successful Danish player of all time, Bjørn has won a whopping fifteen tournaments on the European tour since the start of his career. However, the U.S. also has its fair share of Ryder Cup talent, with players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas coming together to form a highly competitive team. Fans can tune into this event via live stream or with one of the participating local channels: NBC, Sky Sports, and TSN Network. And for golf fans that enjoy playing the game as much as they do watching it, investing in one-on-one golf instruction by a PGA teaching pro is never a bad idea.