Welcome to the RealClearSports Weekend Warmup!

Christmas came early for football fans this week, as players from five NFL teams reported to training camp, signaling the official start of the 2017 season. Football is officially back.

College football is gearing up for its return as well, with coaches and players being interviewed across the country for media days that mark the beginning of the season. You can almost hear the fight songs and see the tailgating tents dotting lush green campuses as summer slowly turns into fall. With that in mind, RCS editor Cory Gunkel highlighted his way-too-early Top 10 College Football Contenders for 2017, featuring perennial favorites to dark-horse competitors.

British Open

In Southport, England, the best golfers from around the world (sans Tiger Woods) have gathered at Royal Birkdale for the 146th playing of the Open Championship. Or that is what the governing body has instructed American broadcaster NBC to call the tournament we more commonly know as the British Open.

Americans Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, and Matt Kuchar began the tournament with a fantastic opening round and shared the lead at 5-under-par 65. The second round is already in progress with Friday’s coverage concluding at 4 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Early-bird coverage on Saturday and Sunday (4-7 a.m. ET) begins on Golf Channel with NBC grabbing the baton for the 7-3 p.m. ET shift.

MLB

We are 10 days away from the non-waiver trade deadline, and the New York Yankees this week made waves by adding corner infielder Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox for reliever Tyler Clippard and three prospects. The Bronx Bombers hope Frazier can end their third base woes and help the team make up ground in the AL East. The Yanks are one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the first wild-card spot, and Tampa hosts the Texas Rangers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET on FS1).

Entering the All-Star break everyone was asking, “What’s wrong with the Cubs?” The answer, apparently, was pitching. Since acquiring White Sox ace Jose Quintana last week the Cubs are riding a six-game winning streak. The Northsiders get the slumping St. Louis Cardinals next for a three game set at Wrigley Field with Jake Arrieta on the mound in a Friday matinee (2 p.m. ET on MLB Network). The series continues Saturday (4 p.m. ET on FS1) with Jon Lester taking on Adam Wainwright, and comes to a conclusion on Sunday night, as the recently acquired Quintana makes his second start for the Cubbies (8 p.m. ET on ESPN).

The hottest team in the American League, the Houston Astros, have yet to make a move to bolster their chances at a first World Series crown. This week they lost All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa to a thumb injury that will sideline him for nearly two months. The Astros nonetheless hold a 16Â game lead in the AL West. (Catch them play the Baltimore Orioles Friday night at 7 p.m. ET on MLBN and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on TBS).

Soccer

In Philadelphia on Wednesday night the United States defeated El Salvador behind first-half goals from Omar Gonzalez and Eric Lichaj to advance to the semifinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The USMNT will face Costa Rica, who defeated Panama 1-0, on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on FS1 and Univision) in Texas. The second semifinal will pit Jamaica against Mexico on Sunday at 9 p.m. (on FS1 and Univision) from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Tour de France

Chris Froome is in control and looking for his third straight Tour de France victory, and the fourth of his career. The Brit and Team Sky will have to hold off Colombian Rigoberto Uran and Frenchman Romain Bardet. The penultimate stage, Stage 20, is on Saturday (coverage begins at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN) and the final stage is on Sunday (coverage at 10:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN).

Around Sports

They are set for 160 laps, or 400 miles, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 on Sunday (coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC). This will be the final time this race takes place in July, as next year the race will move to September.

On This Day

On this day 28 years ago, after just 93 seconds, referee Randy Neumann waved his hands in the air to stop the fight: Challenger Carl Williams was done. With a devastating left hook Mike Tyson scored the victory and retained the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles. Neumann’s decision that night at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City was seen as rather controversial, and Williams later demanded a rematch. Tyson and spokesman Don King said no. They should have booked the rematch. Tyson’s next fight seven months later would go down in history: an upset defeat in the Tokyo Dome to James “Buster” Douglas.

Check RealClearSports.com throughout the weekend for coverage of the British Open, MLB games, baseball trade deadline updates, and more. Follow us on Twitter @RealClearSports and become a part of the conversation on Facebook.