This year’s Fourth of July weekend will be an exciting one for sports fans, and not just because of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. As the NHL and NBA playoffs head into their final stretches, many MLB teams will push to finish strong heading into the All Star break.
One of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, Wimbledon, will continue over the weekend. NASCAR will be featured at Road America in Elkhart Lake over the holiday. Fans of golf will have a couple of events to watch: the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2021 teed off on July 1 and “The Match,” featuring Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady against Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers, is on July 6.
Here is everything you need to know about tuning into the action this holiday weekend:
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Here’s how to watch the Chicago White Sox's games this weekend:
The Chicago White Sox travel to Michigan this weekend to take on their fellow AL Central foe, the Detroit Tigers. Lance Lynn will take the hill opposite Casey Mize to start the weekend series off. The White Sox still hold first place in the division, as they are five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians, while the Tigers sit 12.5 games behind the White Sox. So far this season, the White Sox have taken care of business against the Tigers, owning an 8-2 record against the Motor City squad this season. After the Detroit series, Chicago travels to Minnesota for a three-game set with the Twins.
- Friday, July 2: White Sox at Tigers, 6:10 p.m. CT (NBC Sports Chicago)
- Saturday, July 3: White Sox at Tigers, 3:10 p.m. CT (NBC Sports Chicago)
- Sunday, July 4: White Sox at Tigers, 12:10 p.m. CT (NBC Sports Chicago)
- Monday, July 5: White Sox at Twins, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Here’s how to watch the Chicago Cubs' games this weekend:
The Chicago Cubs will pay the rival Cincinnati Reds a visit this weekend, with Alec Mills on the mound against Sonny Gray on Friday to kick off the series. Like the Cubs, the Reds are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, trailing Chicago by just 1.5 games. The two teams have split the first six head-to-head matchups so far this season, with the Cubs taking two of three in the most recent series. After a three-game set with Cincy, the Cubs will return to Chicago for a seven-game homestand starting Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Friday, July 2: Cubs at Reds, 6:10 p.m. CT (MARQ)
- Saturday, July 3: Cubs at Reds, 3:10 p.m. CT (MARQ)
- Sunday, July 4: Cubs at Reds, 12:10 p.m. CT (MARQ)
- Monday, July 5: Phillies at Cubs, 7:05 p.m. ET (MARQ)
Will the Detroit Tigers have fireworks this weekend?
MLB
Both Chicago MLB teams will be out of town for the holiday weekend. However, while the White Sox are in Detroit, the Tigers will host Comerica Park’s first fireworks show since 2019 on July 2.
Will the Cincinnati Reds have fireworks this weekend?
The Cubs will be able to enjoy fireworks at Great American Ball Park after they face the Reds on Friday, July 2.
If your holiday plans include staying in the Windy City, there are plenty of fireworks displays near you.
What TV channel is the Stanley Cup Final on?
The Tampa Bay Lightning hold a 2-0 lead over the Montreal Canadiens as the Stanley Cup Final shifts north of the border Friday night. The reigning champions took care of business at home, securing 5-1 and 3-1 wins to open the series. After facing just 20 shots in Game 1, Andrei Vasilevskiy was the star of Game 2 with 42 saves. The Canadiens will be hoping for similar success on their own home ice as they try to avoid falling into a 3-0 series hole.
- Game 3: Friday, July 2, Lightning at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
- Game 4: Monday, July 5, Lightning at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
Will there be NBA playoff games over the Fourth of July weekend?
The Milwaukee Bucks have a chance to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974 this weekend. The Bucks, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a hyperextended knee, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday. The Hawks were without Trae Young, who missed Game 5 because of a bone bruise in his foot. With the stars sidelined, it was Brook Lopez who shined with 33 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Four Milwaukee starters scored more than 20 points, putting the team within one victory of a matchup with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
- Game 6: Saturday, July 3, Milwaukee at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
- *Game 7: Monday, July 5, Atlanta at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
When are the 2021 Wimbledon Championships this weekend?
Third-round matches will begin at Wimbledon on Friday, July 2 and continue on Saturday, July 3. Americans Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys will be in action on Friday morning. Half of the top 10 seeds in the women’s bracket are out, including Serena Williams, who had to retire from her first-round match due to injury. 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza and world No. 4 Aryna Sabalanka are also playing Friday, and both are among top favorites to make the finals.
French Open champion and defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will play Friday against American Denis Kudla. American Francis Tiafoe will look to continue his stay into the second week at Wimbledon against world No. 29 Karen Kachanov on Friday. Tiafoe upset French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitispas in the first round earlier this week.
On Saturday, superstars Roger Federer, Ash Barty and Coco Gauff will headline the matchups and look to punch their tickets to the Round of 16. With a fairly wide-open women’s draw, Gauff is poised to make a deep run in her only second Wimbledon appearance.
As usual, Wimbledon will take a rest day on Sunday, July 4, and Round of 16 play will begin Monday, July 5. You can catch all Wimbledon action on ESPN+ this weekend.
What’s the best way to watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Road America?
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., this weekend for just the second time ever, with the first coming back in 1956. Chase Elliott is the favorite to win Road America with +260 odds (per our partner, PointsBet). Kyle Larson, who had his three-race winning streak snapped at Pocono Raceway, has the second-best odds at +340.
The Road America practice will be broadcasted Saturday on NBCSN at 12:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the qualifying session begins at 11 a.m. on CNBC, with coverage of the race starting at 2 p.m. on NBC.
- NASCAR Cup Series Race at Road America: Sunday, July 4, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Will the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic be on TV?
The PGA Tour is currently at the Detroit Golf Club for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic. The action kicked off Thursday and will continue throughout the weekend, with the final round coming on Sunday. Davis Thompson was atop the leaderboard after Round 1 at 9-under. Reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic champion Bryson DeChambeau, who entered the tournament as the favorite, finished the first round at 1-under.
After the first day of action, Joaquin Niemann was favored to win the tournament at +600, per PointsBet.
- Round 2: Friday, July 2, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
- Round 3: Saturday, July 3, 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
- Round 4: Sunday, July 4, 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
How can I watch ‘The Match’ golf event with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady?
DeChambeau has another golf competition right after the Rocket Mortgage Classic, as he’ll team up with (disgruntled) Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the fourth iteration of “The Match.” They’ll be facing 2021 PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson and Super Bowl LV champion Tom Brady. The 51-year-old Mickelson is 2-1 in “The Match,” but his lone loss came with Brady as his teammate when they were defeated by Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning. There’s already been some trash talk in the lead-up to this event and with everyone mic’d up, this will be must-see TV.
- “The Match” golf event: Tuesday, July 6, 5 p.m. ET (TNT)
What TV channel is the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on?
In what may as well be known as “The Greatest 10 minutes in Sports,” the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place in Coney Island, N.Y., on July 4. Hot dog-eating legend Joey Chestnut is back again and seeking his sixth straight championship belt and 14th overall. Last year, Chestnut ate a world-record 75 hot dogs and buns. On the women’s side, there will be a new champion for the first time since 2014 with seven-time champ Miki Sudo announcing she will miss the contest because she is pregnant with her first child. Sudo set a world record at last year’s event by eating 48.5 hot dogs and buns.
- 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest: Sunday, July 4, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN)
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.