The Sports Examiner’s Weekend Watch List: The Katie Ledecky Show

The best of Olympic sport on television this weekend is from, in reverse order, Paris, Arlington, Pasadena and Budapest:

=> No. 3: Cycling/Tour de France: Stages 20-21

 Stage 8: Saturday, July 22 on NBCSN at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time from France.
¶ Stage 9: Sunday, July 23 on NBCSN at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time from France.
¶ Why watch? British star Chris Froome is closing in on his third straight Tour de France win, but he’s not free and clear yet, especially from France’s Romain Bardet, just 23 seconds back in the overall standings, after more than 80 hours of racing. Remember, no Frenchman has won the Tour since 1985, so he will have plenty of supporters!

=> No. 2: Football/CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals

¶ Saturday, July 22 on FS1/Univision/UDN at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time from Arlington, Texas;
¶ Sunday, July 23 on FS1/Univision/UDN at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, from Pasadena, California.
¶ Why watch? The U.S. men’s soccer team faces Costa Rica, which humiliated the Americans so badly in their last game in November that Jurgen Klinsmann was fired and Bruce Arena re-hired. That’s on Saturday.

On Sunday is upstart Jamaica, trying to make its second consecutive Gold Cup final vs. defending champion Mexico, with a suspended coach and more drama than all the telenovelas on television put together, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

=> No. 1: Swimming/FINA World Championships

Sunday, July 23 on NBCSN at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time from Budapest, Hungary.
¶ Why watch? The swimming action is finally starting, with American superstar and world record holder Katie Ledecky swimming in the 400 m Freestyle, and the men’s and women’s speed relay, the 4×100 m Freestyle, all from Budapest.