Blogging The Boys
We are so close to actual football action.
The passage of time between the Dallas Cowboys offseason and the start of training camp is nearly over, with the team and their many new players and coaches set to practice on July 22nd. How fans pass this time has come up at various times leading up to this start to the real countdown for the 2025 season. There weren’t exactly a lot of moments from the 2024 Cowboys season that make us fans want to go back and relive them in hopes of building excitement for the new year. The NBA and NHL playoffs have been over for some time, and baseball is about to head into it’s All-Star Break.
There is one other major world sporting event that runs concurrent to this final stretch before football though, and while it may not get on the radar of most American fans who still consider this time a dead zone for sports in general, its popularity globally is unquestioned. Currently, the Tour de France is rolling around the streets, hills, and mountains of France for the 112th time in it’s rich history. The Tour will conclude in Paris on Sunday, July 27th, doing more than just taking fans like myself who are interested up to the start of Cowboys training camp.
Throughout the course of the Tour, four classification jerseys are awarded on a daily basis. The most famous, prestigious, and important is naturally the yellow jersey, given to the rider in the overall race lead, and the eventual winner in Paris. There is also a green jersey given to the points leader, with different opportunities to gain points laid out throughout each stage. Mountain climbing points are also awarded throughout stages that feature more uphill riding, with the leader of that classification rocking the always stylish red and white polka dot jersey. A white jersey is given to the race’s overall best “young” rider, the criteria of which has changed throughout the years, but essentially this jersey is to highlight potential future winners that are up and coming as Tour de France contenders.
One other much smaller podium award is given out each day, a red number to the most aggressive rider of the stage. Any rider that shows a knack for going to the front of the race, not being afraid to take a risk, or goes above and beyond for their team can be recognized here, and then takes to the start of the next day’s race with their jersey number in red instead of white.
As it relates to the Cowboys, we’ve decided to have a little fun and pick a player that best embodies the spirit of each jersey of the Tour de France. A very important thing to keep in mind here - this is not a list based on which players, body type, age, and skills considered, would actually be best at winning any of these jerseys on the bike. Fans can go to [Green...
