The 10 Most Anticipated Sporting Events of the 2010 Summer

As spring starts to come to an end, we now take a look to the summertime. The 2010 summer has so much for sports fans to look forward to.

This summer has events that could make it one of the best summers for sports that we've seen in a very long time.

I'll take a look at the Top 10 sporting events that are the most anticipated heading into the 2010 summer.

10. College World Series

With college baseball season wrapping up, it's time to focus on the College World Series.

College baseball is a good way for college sports fans to watch their schools and show their pride while we're in the offseason of college football and basketball.

With upsets such as Fresno State winning it all in 2008, there's always an added excitement brought to Omaha. You'll see an extra amount of school pride during the College World Series.

9. NFL Training Camp/Preseason

Although offseason might not sound exciting, football will always bring attention. The most popular sport in the US will have its training camps, offseason, and start of the preseason all this summer.

Many of us football-deprived Americans are overly anxious for the start of preseason and the first real action of football.

8. NBA Draft

John Wall or Evan Turner? Who will be the Wizards' first pick?

Most likely it will be John Wall, but with the NBA draft, you never know. It is a deep draft class this year, so a lot of new talent will be entering the NBA.

Which team will get their franchise player? Which team will get that one extra piece needed to push them over the hump?

That will all be decided in the upcoming draft.

7. NASCAR

Not everyone, including myself, is a NASCAR fan, but there's no doubt that it is very popular in America. With the season in full stride, there will be some big races coming up over the summer, including one at Daytona.

The summer will be the key for drivers moving up and down the points list, as it's towards the end of the NASCAR season.

6. Baseball Season

Like NASCAR, baseball season is also hitting full stride. The movements in the summertime will likely decide playoff spots for baseball teams.

It's where some hot teams fall off, and some teams that start out slow get hot. It's moving time in the MLB standings, and it should be a fun season to watch.

5. Wimbledon

Arguably tennis's biggest event, Wimbledon will appeal to tennis fans all around the world. There is no longer one dominating force in tennis, and it's now more wide open than it has been in recent years.

I still expect Roger Federer to be the favorite, but with young guns like Andy Murray chasing him, anything is possible.

4. US Open and British Open

Phil Mickelson has been red hot in 2010, but never count out the one-man media show called Tiger Woods.

Golf majors are when you get every top player all playing in the same event.

Tiger Woods himself is enough to have golf majors make this list, but when you add Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, along with many others, the US Open and British Open should be two of the most entertaining weeks of the year for golf fans.

3. NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics are already in the Finals. Now it's up to either the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Lakers to win the West and take them on.

Either way the Western Conference shapes out, it'll be a spectacular matchup against the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers and Celtics have a long history of rivalries, including a matchup in the NBA Finals two years ago. If they meet again it would be the two most dominating NBA franchises of all time competing against each other.

If the Suns win the West, we'll see Steve Nash in his first NBA Finals of his career. We'll also see Amar'e Stoudemire in likely his last game in Phoenix.

The Suns have one of the most explosive offenses going up against one of the NBA's best defenses in the Boston Celtics.

Either matchup, NBA fans everywhere will be tuning in.

2. NBA Free Agency

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, David Lee, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, and Yao Ming are all free agents after the season ends, making the 2010 Free Agent class the most discussed of all time.

Then there are other players who also might be on the move, including Tony Parker.

Many have guessed where all of these big name players might end up, but nobody has a clue where they will ultimately sign. The players most likely don't even know that yet.

It will be a VERY interesting offseason in the NBA and will likely lead to one of the biggest power shifts among teams the NBA has ever seen.

No. 1. World Cup

Only coming around once every four years, the World Cup is an exclusive event. That's a big reason for all the hype.

The World Cup is the second most popular event in the world only behind the Super Bowl. Soccer is also the most popular sport worldwide.

The fact that it's different countries battling it out makes the whole country have an added pride, similar to the Olympics.

Even people who are not soccer fans will be tuned into the World Cup. For all of those reasons is why the World Cup is the No. 1 most anticipated event of the 2010 summer.