The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Calendar for Fitness and Sports highlights the most notable marathons, cycling races, professional tennis matches, Thoroughbred horse races, and professional sports championships around the world in December 2017. For the rest of the Luxury Calendar, click here. For other Fitness and Sports events, click here. And for weekly updates on what you need to know to learn how to talk sports, read TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk.
It’s game on in American football this month, with the NCAA College Football Playoff selection and a couple of early bowl games at the end of the month. The NFL’s regular season heats up as team jockey for position in the post-season. Rugby and squash host world championships; there’s a bobsled race and a women’s ski championship race at the ultra-luxurious St. Moritz; there are marathons in the vacation destinations of Honolulu and the Cayman Islands; and a steeplechase thoroughbred horse race in Kempton, UK. There are no holidays in the world of sports.
College football conference title weekend and Selection Sunday (when the 4 teams in the College Football Playoff are announced) make for an exciting weekend:
- Pac 12 Championship Game – USC vs. Stanford at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA – Dec 1
- Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Game – Georgia vs. Auburn at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Dec 2
- American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Game – Memphis vs. UCF at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, FL – Dec 2
- Big 12 Championship Game – Oklahoma vs. TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX– Dec 2
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game: Clemson vs. Miami at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC – Dec 2
- Big Ten Championship Game – Ohio State vs. Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN – Dec 2
The men’s and women’s Rugby League World Cup Finals are in Brisbane, Australia – Dec 2
The 15th annual Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon takes place the first weekend of December every year in George Town, Cayman Islands (warning: it starts at 5:00A) – Dec 3
NFL match-up to watch: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints; Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense face the number one defense in the NFL and their fiercest rivals in the NFC South (when the two met earlier in the season, the Saints won) – Dec 3
The Audi FIS Ski World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland will see three days of Olympic-caliber sport from the best female alpine skiers in the world – Dec 8-10
The classic American college football rivalry the Army-Navy game is at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia – Dec 9
The World Squash Championships for men and women are organized by the Professional Squash Association; they’ll be held this year in Manchester, England – Dec 9-17
Anthony Joshua defends his IBF heavyweight boxing title against Eric Molina in Manchester, UK – Dec 10
NFL match-up to watch: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams; as the number one team in the NFL, Philadelphia is knocking on the Super Bowl door, while the Los Angeles Rams have exceeded expectations all season, and are currently second-best in the NFC – plus the game will feature the first face-to-face match-up between Carson Wentz and Jared Goff (the two quarterbacks were drafted first and second overall) – Dec 10
London International Horse Show – Dec 13-19
The Honolulu Marathon starts at 5:00A on December 13
NFL match-up to watch: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers; QBs Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady face off, with both teams looking for a win in what could be a preview of this year’s AFC Championship (and a rematch, since the Steelers lost to New England in last year’s conference championship game) – Dec 17
NFL match-up to watch: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots; the AFC East rivals meet up as the Bills are hoping for a shot at the playoffs for the first time since 1999 (FYI, the Pats have beaten them in 28 of their last 32 meetings) – Dec 24
If you’re in London, get up early to watch the members of the Serpentine Swimming Club compete for the Peter Pan Cup in the icy waters of the Hyde Park lake – Dec 25
NFL match-up to watch: Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles – Dec 25
The King George VI Chase is the second-most prestigious steeplechase horse race in England (surpassed only by the Cheltenham Gold Cup); its run in Kempton, UK and is open to horses aged four years or older – Dec 26
The Bob: Swiss Championship runs on the bobsled at St. Moritz, Switzerland – Dec 26-31
The NCAA college football’s “New Year’s Six” bowl games will determine the final teams in the College Football Playoffs (three are this month, and three are on New Year’s Day):
- The Cotton Bowl is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – Dec 29
- The Orange Bowl is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida and the Fiesta Bowl is at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – Dec 30
NFL match-up to watch: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers; this New Year’s Eve game is a re-match of the game that saw the Packers take the NFC North title last winter. QB Aaron Rodgers could be healed from his broken collarbone, potentially making for a can’t-miss game – Dec 31
See other December 2017 Events:
— Travel
— The Arts
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