With COVID-19 making a resurgence in Tokyo, the Olympics are currently coming apart at the seams, including an announcement on Thursday from Japan’s Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa that the Games would proceed without fans. If watching the world’s most prestigious athletic competition take place in deserted venues sounds too depressing though, take note: There are plenty of sporting events taking place across the world in July that won’t be as disheartening as a lifeless Olympics.
Part of your summer plans involved sitting in an air-conditioned room and watching sports, and you can still make it happen without tuning in to an Olympics that nobody really wanted in the first place.
What sports are there besides the Olympics this summer?
Even with grim prospects casting a pall over the Olympics, there is much happening across the sporting universe to draw in your attention. For starters, there’s rugby, soccer, racing, golf, and good, old-fashioned summertime baseball.
How to watch rugby this summer
If you’re into the other, other, kind of football (or at least a sport that’s somewhat similar to what we call football), you can check out Rugby Union this summer.
The British & Irish Lions 2021 Rugby tour of South Africa will be streamed on Peacock Premium all July.
How to watch soccer this summer
Football makes for athletic drama that some might argue smashes that of the Olympics. Luckily, you still have time to watch two major international tournament finals play out. As for other events, keep in mind that you might have to keep odd hours, as they’re happening all over the world.
The European Soccer Championship Final: The matchup between England and Italy will take place on Sunday, July 11 and be televised live on ESPN. You can also stream via the ESPN app and ESPN Plus.
The Copa America Final: Brazil and Argentina compete for South American glory on Saturday, July 10, and you can watch on FOX, FS1, FS2. You can also stream on FuboTV.
Florida Cup 2021: Pre-season friendlies between European clubs on foreign soil. See Inter-Milan, Everton, and Arsenal duke it out on ESPN2 on July 25-28. You can also stream on FuboTV.
How to watch racing this summer
The World Rally Championship: The WRC will be taking place in Estonia from July 15-18, and you can stream it on WRC.com or on RedBull TV.
Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix: You can stream this motocross event on MotorTrend on Demand with a subscription.
F1 British Grand Prix: You can watch this on July 18 on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship: Watch this rally car race from Barcelona on July 23-24, via livestream on the WRC website (with subscription).
How to watch golf this summer
The Open Championship (British Open): This major tournament will be broadcast on NBC and the Golf Channel on July 16-20. Live stream available on Peacock and NBC Sports.
Major League Baseball
There’s also the tried and true spectacle of Major League Baseball, which is on all summer. Check your local cable listings if you’re watching without cutting the cord, or stream it on MLB.com, ESPN, FuboTV, YouTube TV, and others.