The Summer of 2010 Belongs to Spain

While most Americans will remember the summer of 2010 because of NBA free agency and the five MLB no-hitters, the people of South Africa and Spain will remember this summer because of a soccer tournament, a golf tournament, and a bike race.

South Africans will remember this summer as the year they hosted the 2010 World Cup and the year Louis Oosthuizen, a South African native, won the 2010 British Open Championship at St. Andrews.

The Spanish will remember it because they won the World Cup and Spanish-born Alberto Contador won his third Tour de France in four years. Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal  also won the French Open and Wimbledon this year and is currently the number one ranked player in the world.

The South African summer was great for the people and the country. The World Cup (and the vuvuzelas) generated a lot of buzz and provided great excitement for a country that had not had such excitement in the past.

Oosthuizen added to this excitement by winner the Open Championship after entering the tournament ranked 54th in the world. Oosthuizen has only made the cut once prior to the Open, but was magnificent all weekend and provided the South Africans with another sporting event to cheer about less than a month after the world cup.

However, as great and exciting as the summer may have been for South Africans, it was even better for the people of Spain.

The Spanish soccer team took home their first ever World Cup, Alberto Contador brought the country its 13th Tour de France title. Rafael Nadal brought home two major championships. The Spanish will look to continue their amazing streak in September at the basketball world championships.

According to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, "Spanish sport is on a spectacular streak."