Six Ways to Make it to Football Season

Fall is arguably the best time of the year. It is a time of good weather, the season premiere of Walking Dead, and most importantly football season! Now summer isn't bad by any means. It is a season to enjoy the outdoors (if you can beat the Texas heat), maybe go swimming, have some BBQ's, shoot fireworks, and eat watermelon. The problem is that after the NBA Finals are over the sport world goes dormant. So I have compiled a list of things that will help make football season come quicker.

1. Rio 2016 Olympics:

This summer is unlike 75 percent of all summers because we get the privilege of watching the summer Olympic Games. This year the games are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There will be several stars making their last appearance this year, such as, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Bob Costas, and Coach K. The United States women's soccer team will try to become the first reigning World Cup champs to win Olympic gold. For the first time in 112 years, Golf will return to the Olympics. Steph Curry will make his Olympic debut with Team USA. If you watch, keep an eye on Trayvon Bromell (USA) from Baylor, who finished 3rd at the world championships last year in the 100 meter dash. This guy is crazy fast and he's expected to battle with Usain Bolt for the gold medal. Even if you are not into sports, Rio 2016 offers plenty of political excitement considering there will likely be a swarm of protests after there were about 8,000 families relocated to make room for the venues. Also Rio is in the central time zone so watching the games should be convenient. The only problem is that the games do not begin until August 5th, but it will be a great warm-up to football season.

2. Tennis:

Summer is prime tennis season. For some, this is can be great to hear because you appreciate the sport. For others, you could literally care less because almost any sport would be better to watch. Rafael Nadal is making his return to the French Open this week, which he has previously dominated for the past decade. This July could possibly be Roger Federer's last chance to win Wimbledon (if he can get healthy) and surpass Pete Sampras for most grand-slam titles. Novak Djokovic is dominating the sport right now and he will likely be the favorite to win in each tournament. Then of course there is Serena Williams, who has dominated the women's sport for the past several years. She always makes for a fun match if you enjoy big serves, excessive screaming, and just pure domination. The French Open began this week, Wimbledon begins June 27th, and the U.S. Open will follow starting August 29th.

3. Netflix:

For those who prefer to stay indoors or for those that just need a break from other activities I introduce Netflix. Now, you have to be careful with Netflix because it will literally change your life. One moment you find a cool new series and want to watch an episode or two. The next thing you know you are laying on your couch three seasons in, unsure of what time or day of the week it is, and questioning all of your life decisions. If you're unsure of what to watch I have a few recommendations: Breaking Bad, ESPN 30 for 30 (all of them), and Better Call Saul. That is more than enough to get through until football season and it comes at a reasonable price of $10 a month. On a side note Suicide Squad is released in theaters August 5th. That will be something to look forward to as well.

4. Baseball

Whether you care about baseball or not, you should definitely tune into the 2016 NCAA Baseball tournament. The Red Raiders just won the Big 12 championship last week and they are projected to be a host seed in the tournament. That means there's a good chance the NCAA tournament will be coming to Lubbock, where the Red Raiders will fight for their opportunity to compete in Omaha for the College World Series. Also, the Texas Rangers are having a good season so far. They are just a few games behind the Mariners for the AL West. If you're a Houston Astros fan, well then maybe just stick to the College World Series, which begins June 18th. The MLB All-Star break kicks-off with the home-run derby on July 11th and the All-Star game will follow on July 12th.

5. Madden

Some people just need football all year round and Madden is a great solution. You can play with your favorite NFL team or player all summer long and possibly win a few Super Bowls along the way. Also you can compete against your friends to get some friendly (or not so friendly) competition in. For Tech fans you have an opportunity to play with some of your favorite players from previous seasons. You can play with Deandre Washington and Michael Crabtree with the Oakland Raiders, Jakeem Grant with the Miami Dolphins, Jace Amaro with the New York Jets, or Danny Amendola with the New England Patriots. For those interested, Madden 17 is released on August 23, right before the beginning of football season.

6. Cryonics

Now this one is for those who are just too desperate to wait three months for football. There is absolutely nothing this world can offer that will satisfy your impatience. That leaves only one other option...freeze your body until the kickoff of football season. I've looked into the science and this option is by far the most risky because I'm pretty sure death is an inevitable result of this one. But if you set your mind to it anything is possible right?