Under the Radar: 6 Major Sports Stories Overshadowed by NFL Free Agency

The past week in sports has belonged to the NFL.

From the owners and players coming to terms on Monday to transactions officially beginning the next day, you've likely seen more of Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen and John Clayton than you have your closest family and friends.

In the midst of the rapid player movement, many important stories around the sports world have gone largely unnoticed. 

So let's take a second to recap the biggest sports stories of the past week (in no particular order):

Ervin Santana Throws a No-Hitter (Wednesday)

Angels pitcher Ervin Santana became the eighth pitcher in franchise history to throw an individual no-hitter, and the first since 1984.

Considering Santana's record (an underwhelming 6-8) and the fact that he's the third best pitcher in the rotation, behind Jered Weaver and Dan Haren, this no-hitter took everyone by surprise.

Santana had carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his previous start, putting him with Justin Verlander as the only two players this season to carry no-hitters into the sixth in consecutive starts. Both of them ended up throwing a no-hitter in one of those starts.

Why has it been so overlooked?: For starters, it was the first big day of NFL transactions.

But the biggest reason is that the value of the no-hitter has decreased in recent years. Santana's no-hitter was the ninth since the beginning of last season—according to ESPN, only eight were thrown from 2005 to 2009.

Add in the fact that it was a day game and wasn't a shutout, and you have the first big story overshadowed by NFL free agency.

UNC Loses Football Coach and Athletic Director (Wednesday)

With their season opener a little over a month away, one of the favorites to win the ACC was dealt another serious blow.

The school fired head football coach Butch Davis, after four seasons with the program. Defensive coordinator Everett Withers has been promoted to interim head coach.

Davis's termination will make this the second consecutive season of setbacks for the Tar Heels. Last season, the school was force to bench several players for the entire season due to NCAA violations. 

Last month, the NCAA officially charged UNC with nine major violations, which will likely lead to more sanctions and a postseason ban. 

To make matters worse, the school's athletic director Dick Baddour announced his resignation, effective when his contract expires in June 2012. 

In spite of the turmoil, the Tar Heels ended last season with eight wins and a bowl victory. But they still aren't out of the woods yet, and won't be for at least a few years.

Why has it been so overlooked?: Davis's firing was announced Wednesday morning, while Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen were making appearances on every ESPN radio and television program with the latest free agency updates.

Meanwhile, Baddour's resignation announcement got caught up in the Albert Haynesworth trade buzz.

Carlos Beltran Traded to the Giants (Wednesday)

Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran was traded to the San Francisco Giants for one of the Giants' top pitching prospects, Zach Wheeler.

Beltran came to the Mets in 2005 on seven-year, $119 million contract at a time when $100 million contracts weren't commonplace (Beltran's was only the 10th in baseball history at the time). It's safe to say that he was worth the money, racking up 149 home runs and three consecutive seasons of 100-plus RBI from 2006-2008.

Beltran only reached the postseason once with the Mets, but he's certainly not to blame for that—he's been the team's most consistent player since arriving.

San Francisco is still getting a good player in the 34-year-old Beltran. With 15 home runs and 66 RBI before the trade, he's already the best offensive player on the NL West-leading Giants. As of right now, all signs point to Beltran playing in October.

Why has it been so overlooked?: See the Ervin Santana slide, plus the fact that Beltran isn't the high-profile trade that fans are eager to see around the trade deadline.

Tiger Woods To Play in Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship (Thursday)

After a two-month layoff, Tiger Woods is getting back on the course next week.

Woods announced that he would be playing in next week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, as well as the PGA Championship on August 11th if everything goes well. 

Woods has won the Bridgestone Invitational seven times.

We last saw Tiger as he withdrew after nine holes at the Players Championship due to injury. The former world No. 1 has only played in six events and one major tournament this year (the Masters). Last week, he also fired his good friend and long-time caddie Steve Williams.

He previously stated that he wouldn't return to golf until he was fully healthy again. Now may be a better time than ever, since he dropped out of the top 20 world rankings last week.

Why has it been so overlooked?: News on Tiger always has the potential to gain headlines, but I think there's something more here. Golf's popularity suffers Woods's absence, and though he has announced his return, fans aren't particularly optimistic that he will perform well.

But if he's still in either event after the second day, we will certainly tune in.

Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant Ponder Playing Overseas (Thursday)

With the NBA owners and players set to resume negotiations on Monday, it was reported that both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were seriously considering the the prospect of playing overseas should the season not begin on time.

Kobe is scheduled to meet with the Turkish club Besiktas today to discuss the possibility of him joining the team. Those closest to Bryant have yet to comment on the situation, but Besiktas put the odds of him playing for them at "50-50" for this season. 

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant also speculated about a possible international move. Though no specific clubs were named, Durant himself put his chances at "50-50" for the upcoming season.

These are the two biggest NBA stars to publicly entertain the idea of playing overseas, and while it's still a long shot until the NBA season gets shortened, it's certainly something to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Why has it been so overlooked?: Two reasons. For one, the Patriots had just made their second big trade of the day, acquiring WR Chad Ochocinco from the Bengals for draft picks.

But also because it's news that not only involves a sports lockout (which is the last thing that fans want to hear about right now), but it also involves some of America's best basketball players moving overseas.

Bob Bradley Out, Juergen Klinsmann in for USMNT (Thursday)

After leading the U.S. to the knockout stage of last summer's World Cup, Bob Bradley was fired as coach of the U.S. men's soccer team. 

The Americans beat out England to win their World Cup group, before losing 2-1 to Ghana in the Round of 16.

Since the tournament, the team has stalled, winning only one international friendly in the past year. The Americans advanced to the final of the Gold Cup, but suffered a 4-2 comeback loss to Mexico. 

Replacing Bob Bradley is former German national player and coach Juergen Klinsmann. Klinsmann's name has been linked to the US team since 2006, but now, his hiring is finally official. 

Hopefully, he's ready to begin right away—the U.S. have a Gold Cup final rematch against Mexico on August 10th.

Why has it been so overlooked?: Two main reasons (besides the NFL free agency madness):

1) The big soccer stories tend to only make headlines on slow news days.

2) The men's Gold Cup loss and the women's loss to Japan on penalties have left a sour taste in the mouth of American soccer fans.

Simply put, when the U.S. isn't winning in soccer, they get little mainstream media attention.