Time for your look ahead in the week in sports media. It’s going to be a busy seven days.
GOLF
The final Major of the year in the PGA Tour takes place at the Oak Hill Country Hill East Course in Rochester, NY. TNT and CBS will team up for coverage. Here’s how it will break down.
Thursday and Friday — 1st and 2nd Rounds, TNT, 1 p.m. ET
Saturday and Sunday — 3rd and Final Rounds, TNT, 11 a.m./CBS, 2 p.m.
Golf Channel will provide coverage through its studio shows, Morning Drive, Live From and Golf Central throughout the week. Here’s the schedule for Live From the PGA Championship shows:
Monday: 7 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Golf Channel will also provide coverage of the USGA Women’s Amateur from Charleston, SC starting on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and then Thursday through Sunday starting at 4 p.m.
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
ESPN begins in earnest its coverage of the Little League World Series this week with a bunch of regional games. Already, ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network have streamed or aired games this weekend. ESPN2 gets into the act with the Southwest Regional semifinals live from Waco, TX at 5 p.m. ET.
Here’s how the TV schedule shapes up this week.
| Tue, Aug 6 | 5 p.m. | Southwest Regional SF #1 | ESPN2 |
| 8 p.m. | Southwest Regional SF #2 | ESPN2 | |
| Wed, Aug 7 | 12 p.m. | Midwest Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 |
| 2 p.m. | Southeast Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Midwest Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| 6 p.m. | Southeast Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | Southwest Regional Final | ESPN2 | |
| Thu, Aug 8 | 2 p.m. | Great Lakes Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN |
| 5 p.m. | Northwest Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Great Lakes Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Northwest Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| Fri, Aug 9 | 11 a.m. | Mid-Atlantic Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 |
| 1 p.m. | Midwest Regional Final | ESPN2 | |
| 3 p.m. | Mid-Atlantic Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN2 | |
| 5 p.m. | West Regional Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Southeast Regional Final | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | West Regional Semifinal #2 | ESPN | |
| Sat, Aug 10 | 1 p.m. | Great Lakes Regional Final | ESPN |
| 5 p.m. | Northwest Regional Final | ESPN | |
| 7 p.m. | New England Regional Final | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | West Regional Final | ESPN | |
| Sun, Aug 11 | 6 p.m. | Mid-Atlantic Regional Final | ESPN2 |
MLB
The expected announcement of Alex Rodriguez’s suspension over Biogenesis at least for the rest of the 2013 and the entire 2014 campaign is supposed to be on Monday. Both ESPN and MLB Network are expected to cover the breaking news whenever it happens. Should it occur during daytime, ESPN’s SportsCenter should handle it during its regular editions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on ESPN.
With Outside the Lines being shifted to ESPN2 this week and to a later timeslot (more on that later), expect the show to cover the A-Rod suspension as well.
And let’s not forget the games as well. Here are the national games this week.
Monday: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Atlanta at Washington or Oakland at Cincinnati — MLB Network, 7 p.m./New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox — WGN America, 8 p.m.
Wednesday: Oakland at Cincinnati — MLB Network, 12:30 p.m./Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis — ESPN, 8 p.m.
Thursday: Detroit at Cleveland — MLB Network, 7 p.m. or Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis — MLB Network, 8 p.m.
Friday: Detroit at New York Yankees or Philadelphia at Washington — MLB Network, 7 p.m./Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — WGN America, 8:15 p.m.
Saturday: Baltimore at San Francisco or Minnesota at Chicago White Sox or Tampa Bay at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox, 4 p.m./Philadelphia at Washington or San Diego at Cincinnati — MLB Network, 7 p.m./Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — WGN America, 7:15 p.m.
Sunday: Detroit at New York Yankees — TBS, 1 p.m./Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — WGN America, 2:15 p.m./Tampa Bay at Los Angeles Dodgers — ESPN, 8 p.m.
NASCAR
Saturday: Nationwide Series, Zippo 200 — ABC, 2 p.m.
Sunday: Sprint Cup Series, Watkins Glen — ESPN, 1 p.m.
NBA
The 2013-14 regular season schedule will be released on NBA TV during a special hosted by Matt Winer with analysts Steve Smith and Isiah Thomas alongside. The NBA 2013-14 Schedule Release Special will hit the air at 6 p.m. ET and include the entire national TV slates along with the Opening Week, Christmas and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day games.
NFL
NFL Presseason Week 1 will begin on Thursday and run through Sunday. ESPN will have one game on Thursday night and NFL Network will air all of the preseason games most of them on tape delay, but there will be live simulcasts of local broadcasts. NFL Network will also provide Whiparound coverage as well. Here’s the national schedule.
Thursday: Cincinnati at Atlanta — ESPN, 8 p.m./Whiparound Coverage — NFL Network, 8 p.m./Seattle at San Diego — NFL Network, 11 p.m.
Friday: New England at Philadelphia — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m./Dallas at Oakland — NFL Network, 10:30 p.m.
Saturday: New York Giants at Pittsburgh — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Buffalo at Indianapolis — NFL Network, 1:30 p.m.
SOCCER
In its final days of existence, Fox Soccer will air the last four matches of the International Champions Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday. The last four matches will be aired live from Miami. Real Madrid, Juventus, LA Galaxy, Everton, Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Valencia are involved in the eight team tournament.
Tuesday: 7th Place Match — Fox Soccer, 6:30 p.m./5th Place Match — Fox Soccer, 9 p.m.
Wednesday: 3rd Place Match — Fox Soccer, 6:30 p.m./Championship Match — Fox Soccer, 9 p.m.
The CONCACAF Champions League involving teams from the US, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean begins. Fox Soccer Plus and Galavision will have Group Play beginning on Wednesday.
Wednesday: Montreal Impact vs. San Jose Earthquakes — FSP, 8 p.m./Real Esteli vs. Sporting KC — FSP, 10 p.m./Sporting San Miguelito vs. Club América — Galavision, 10 p.m.
NBC Sports Network airs Philadelphia Union vs. DC United in MLS action on Saturday at 8 p.m. ESPN2 has FC Dallas hosting the LA Galaxy 24 hours later.
TENNIS
ESPN2 and Tennis Channel once again share coverage of the U.S. Open Series. Both the ATP and WTA Tours converge in Canada for the Rogers Cup. The men will be in Montreal while the women will play in Toronto.
Here’s the schedule this week.
Monday: First Round — Tennis Channel, 11 a.m. — 9 p.m.
Tuesday: Second Round — Tennis Channel, 11 a.m — 9 p.m.
Wednesday: Third Round — Tennis Channel, 11 a.m. — 9 p.m.
Thursday: Round of 16 — ESPN2, noon — 4 p.m./Tennis Channel, 6 — 10 p.m.
Friday: Quarterfinals — ESPN2, noon — 4 p.m./ESPN2, 8 — 10 p.m.
Saturday: Women’s Semifinal — ESPN2, 1 — 3 p.m./Men’s Semifinals — ESPN2, 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Sunday: Women’s Final — ESPN2, 1 p.m./Men’s Final — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
TRACK & FIELD
The 2013 IAAF World Championship begin on Saturday from Moscow. The world’s greatest track & field athletes converge in the most important competition outside the Olympics. NBC and Universal Sports share coverage of the event. Much of Universal Sports’ coverage will be live, however, much of it will be aired during the wee hours of the morning on the East Coast. Here’s the schedule this weekend.
Saturday: Universal Sports, 1:30 — 5:30 a.m./NBC, 3:30 — 5 p.m. (delayed)
Sunday: Universal Sports, 1 — 5 a.m./NBC, 12:30 — 2 p.m. (delayed)
WNBA
Tuesday: Los Angeles Sparks at Connecticut Sun — NBA TV, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Los Angeles Sparks at Indiana Fever — NBA TV, 7 p.m.
Friday: Tulsa Shock at Phoenix Mercury — NBA TV, 10 p.m.
Saturday: Los Angeles Sparks at New York Liberty — NBA TV, 1 p.m./Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever — NBA TV, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Connecticut Sun at Washington Mystics — NBA TV, 4 p.m./Connecticut Sun at Washington Mystics — NBA TV, 4 p.m.
OTHER SPORTS
NBC continues its coverage of the Summer at Saratoga Series with the Fourstardave Handicap at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
NBC Sports Network has the America’s Cup from San Francisco, Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.
CBS Sports Network airs the Arena Football playoffs with a game on Saturday at 10 p.m.
STUDIO SHOWS
ESPN’s Outside the Lines moves from its long customary 3 p.m. weekday timeslot to 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2 on Monday. In its place, ESPN premieres NFL Insiders hosted primarily by Suzy Kolber. And College Football Live moves from 3:30 p.m. on ESPN to 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN FC makes its premiere next Sunday, actually Monday, August 12 technically, at midnight. That is ESPN’s soccer highlights show.
ESPN’s “Nine for IX” series continues on Tuesday with “The Diplomat,” a look at figure skater Katarina Witt’s time when she was winning Olympic gold medals for East Germany and how she was constantly tailed by the country’s secret police, the Stasi.
HBO Sports/NFL Film’s Hard Knocks returns for another season and premieres on Tuesday. This year, the focus is on the Cincinnati Bengals. The program will throughout the month of August on HBO, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
60 Minutes Sports has its monthly premiere Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
And that is your look at The Week Ahead in sports media. Next week, the launch of Fox Sports 1.
