Memorial Weekend features choices for sports fans

NASCAR+will+race+from+Charlotte+Motor+Speedway+this+week

Joe Ross (Flickr)

NASCAR will race from Charlotte Motor Speedway this week

Ole Olafson, Reporter

After weeks and months of no live sports due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, this Memorial Day weekend finally provides the still-self-isolating sports fan a few options.

Let’s start with today.

If you are an early riser and a soccer fan, you are probably already watching Bundesliga action from Germany.  The “late” game today starts at 9:30 a.m. and features Bayern Munich against Eintracht.  Also without fans.

Sports Entertainment, or professional wrestling — bless its heart — has basically been going on throughout the pandemic through a clever combination of live shows and taped content between states like Georgia and the not-so-terribly-concerned-about-social-distancing capitol of the U.S., Florida.  Most of two WWE pay-per-view events, Wrestlemania and Money in the Bank took place from the organization’s Orlando-based “performance center”, while other sports leagues were postponed.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) takes center stage with a PPV event of their own when “Double or Nothing” airs tonight at 5:00 (8 p.m. ET) on B/R Live or through local cable providers.  The event will take place at Daily’s Place Amphitheater at TIAA Bank Field.  The facility reportedly normally serves as the Jacksonville Jaguar’s indoor practice facility.

AEW are the new kids on the wrestling block, having only been around since last October.  The organization is unique in that it is owned and operated by wrestlers and is composed principally of athletes from All Japan Wrestling and crossovers from competitor, WWE.  The event on Saturday will not include spectators, per say, but if the innovative league stays true to their recent tendencies, other wrestlers will surround the ring, behind barriers, and add their cheers and jeers to the matches.

On Sunday, more Bundesliga matches will be shown in the morning.  If you are up early enough – or late enough (whichever the case may be) check out the FC Schalke 04 match against FC Augsburg at 4:30 a.m.  Our resident soccer guru thinks it will be a good one.

Later in the day, Tiger Woods will team up with former Colts and Broncos quarterback Payton Manning to play against Phil Mickelson and former Patriots and current Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.  The competition will be called “The Match – Champions for Charity and will be played for $10 million to go COVID-19 relief efforts.  The round will be played at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla.  Fans can tune into TNT, TBS, Tru TV and HLN beginning at noon (3 p.m. ET).

NASCAR runs again on Sunday, this time at Charlotte Motor Speedway in N.C.  The Coca-Cola 600 begins at 3:00 (6 p.m. ET) and should feature 400 laps from the 1.5 mile track — weather permitting.

Last week’s races from Darlington, S.C. resulted in a rain-shortened Cup Series race on Wednesday and an Xfinity Series race that was postponed by rain from Tuesday to Thursday and then moved up two hours due to more wet weather.  It will be surprising if NASCAR doesn’t move the race time up on Sunday, as current forecasts are calling for light rain beginning around 2:30 p.m. ET.