Three August Sports Events You Won’t Want to Miss

August isn’t the most jam-packed month on the sports calendar.

The basketball and hockey postseason, draft and free agency are well in the rear-view mirror. College and NFL regular-season games aren’t quite here yet.

This isn’t a Summer Olympics year, leaving a relative black hole of sorts before things ramp up in September.

But there are still things worth watching, including these three August sports events you should have circled on your calendar.

Aug. 3: MLB Trade Deadline

Alright, I recognize this is a bit cheap as it’s not a sporting event that you can watch.

The conversations surrounding potential and actual moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline will be happening behind closed doors, with plenty of intel never leaking out to the public through insiders.

But there should be plenty of rumors, reports and then actual trades over the next three days before 6 p.m. on Monday, when teams are essentially set for the rest of the season aside from a potential prospect call-up.

It could be quite a hectic few days for the hot stove, with lots of teams looking to add pieces and plenty who won’t be contending this year happy to acquire prospects and look to the future.

The biggest question is where does two-time defending American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal go? Does he become another cog in the Dodgers’ Death Star or go to a different contending team in need of a rotation boost like the Brewers, Rays, Cubs or Braves? How big a prospect package does one of the best pitchers in baseball command?

Once the big domino falls, what other pitchers begin flying off the shelves? Who is the biggest position player moved? It should be a fascinating few days on the “staying glued to your phone” front.

Aug. 21: Premier League returns

World Cup fever was rampant this summer in the U.S., which hosted the majority of the matches of the tournament won by Spain.

Any newfound American soccer fanatics searching to further scratch that newfound itch could take an interest in their local MLS teams. But if you want to see more of the players and the top-level soccer you watched this summer, I’d advise that watching the Premier League on NBC/Peacock is the way to go.

It’s the best domestic-league soccer in the world, for my money. For those with no idea where to dedicate their rooting interest, just start watching and see where your heart takes you (or you can take this quiz NBC created to determine your team).

Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga also start this month, and the Champions League kicks off in September. Soccer doesn’t need to be a once-every-four-years phenomenon.

Aug. 29: College football Week 0

It’s a bit unfair that college football meekly returns with just eight games in a standalone Week 0.

This year, that includes Bill Belichick kicking off his second season at North Carolina against TCU in Ireland, an early Atlantic Coast Conference matchup between Virginia and North Carolina State and a zesty UNLV-Memphis game for the “after dark” crowd.

It also includes College Football Playoff darkhorse USC kicking off its season vs. San Jose State, Hawaii looking to beat Stanford for the second straight Week 0 and FCS powerhouse North Dakota State making its FBS debut against Jacksonville State.

It’s not much. But after the seemingly endless football offseason, the fanatics will take what they can get.