The arrival of Labor Day can only mean one thing: football is back! Yes, we've talked about global football on this site before since it returns sooner, but this time we mean American football in all its glory.

College football has been as wild as ever right out of the gate, with three top 10 teams falling in the first week and another one in a tough game as this post was being written. The 2016 NFL season is right around the corner too, kicking off Thursday night with a championship rematch.

The question is whether you're ready for the season. And we mean really ready. We'd suggest that that you aren't unless you're rolling with the right apps. We've got five free suggestions to ensure you're as prepared for football in every aspect as you could possibly be.

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and whether you’re a Panthers or a Broncos fan you’re no doubt gearing up for it.

You’ve got your snacks, right? Well, How about downloading some apps to improve your viewing experience? Here are some recommendations.

The Apple Watch is less than a month from hitting store shelves, and once you get your hands on it you're probably going to want some apps and games to install. Fear not! We've compiled a list of all the Apple Watch apps and games we've been able to find so far.

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Games

Rules!

By TheCodingMonkeys

App Store Description:

RULES! is a cute puzzle game that's challenging, fast-paced and fun.

• Choose your preferred type of game: Beginner, Expert or Timeless •

Follow RULES! into a hundred level-deep maze of cuteness and order:

• Multi-touch interface at its finest
• Color perception assistance mode
• Whales, Unicorns, Robots and Squirrels!
• A plethora of surprising new game mechanics

• Includes a daily brain workout mini-game for Apple Watch •

An update has arrived for ESPN's iOS app (Formerly 'ESPN SportsCenter'), bringing in further device support, a redesign, and the introduction of ESPN Now.

The app now takes advantage of the bigger iPad screen, with scores and news displayed at the same time. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will also be happy to hear that the app has been adapted to make full use of their bigger displays. The addition of ESPN Now, meanwhile, allows users to swipe to the right to access photos, videos, and social media content from ESPN. The cricket fans out there (insert obligatory 'C'mon England!' comment here) will also find that support for the upcoming Cricket World Cup has been added, bringing in video clips and scores from the 50 over contest to the app.

The updated ESPN app is available to download now for free.

March Madness is here, and that means everyone and their mom is going to try and make the perfect bracket. ESPN's bracket-making app, called ESPN Tournament Challenge, has received an update and it's waiting for you to make your picks.

The updated app is now ready for the 2014 season and features a slick new iOS 7 design and icon, making it a beautiful mobile client for ESPN's Tournament Challenge competition. From within the app, you can create entries for the competition, join groups, follow friends' brackets, as well as get news and highlights as the tournament progresses.

The app is available on the App Store right now, for the low price of free. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad running iOS 7.0 or later.

March Madness is nearing and ESPN has released its ESPN Bracket Bound 2013 app to get you closer to all the action. ESPN Bracket Bound 2013 allows you to fill out your brackets and follow the tournament in detail, with breaking news alerts as well as editorial and video analysis.

-Top Stories from the world of college basketball and basketball news alerts that will delivered each day.
-Ability to add “My Teams” that will tailor the app’s scoreboards to your favorite teams.
-Personalized “My Games” scoreboard featuring any college basketball game that you care about as well as games including your favorite teams.
-Easy access to live games on WatchESPN as well as replays of completed games.
-Comprehensive editorial coverage featuring game previews, recaps, analysis and highlights.
-Signature ESPN Video analysis from our College Basketball team plus exclusive clips.
-Breaking news alerts and tournament-related game alerts.
-Bracketology section for up-to-date bracket forecasts and region projections.
-Rankings show movement from week to week.
-Conference standings for all NCAA Division I teams.
-Conference Twitter content and team-by-team user discussions.

TechCrunch has the details of an update for the ESPN SportsCenter app for iPad that just went live.

The official update just says "New design with simple navigation, making it easier than ever to access the latest scores, news and video clips." and I think that understates it a bit.

Take a look at the screen above. They have changed just about everything in this app. Nice work and a great addition for those of us that use our iPads while watching sports on TV.

iOS users with a Sprint subscription are in for a treat as the company has just launched SprintTV, a new way to stream television content right to your iPhone or iPad. The app offers free episodes of TV shows like 30 Rock, NCIS, Access Hollywood, and more, as well as live sports from ESPN Mobile and breaking news from ABC and NBC.

The basic service is free to all Sprint subscribers, with options to purchase additional packs for a monthly fee. Channels, such as Nickelodeon, Lifetime, Discovery and more are available, and Sprint offers a number of packages for folks who would rather watch their TV on a tablet than at home.

Sprint's appearance marks another entrant into a marketplace featuring apps from ESPN, ABC, HBO and others. It seems we're quickly marching towards a future where nearly all of our entertainment is available not only through our home TVs and cable boxes, but via smartphones and tablets as well. Seems that the day when we may be able to cut cable and live a life free of the service providers could be fast approaching.

"It's the most wonderful time, of the year!"  As the popular Christmas tune rings through my head, ironically, I am not thinking about the holidays.  For many men, myself included, the most wonderful time of our year is the kickoff to the fantasy football season.  Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a green rookie, the key to having a good season is having strong draft selections right out of the gate.  Thank goodness ESPN has our backs, recently releasing an awesome new draft tools application for iOS devices.

The 500 top picks and NFL prospects will be at your fingertips, helping to make draft day that much more successful this season.  Here are some of the other features of the application:

• 2010 Rankings and Projections for 500+ players


• Player Cards with images, projections and ESPN analysis


• Players sorted by name, rank, team/bye week and projected points


• The ESPN bottom-line with the latest sports news and updates


• Updated rankings delivered to the app as soon as they are available Plus…


• Better manage the player list with the interactive draft tool


• Email your draft lists right from the app


• Get updates all season on every player in fantasy - And much more!

I wish apps like this had existed a couple of years ago when I was just learning the ropes of fantasy football.  It would have been great to have a leg up on my competition, considering they were hell-bent on destroying me anyway.  Either way, it is here now and you better believe that I will be taking advantage of it.

Why a draft specific app, though? Why wouldn't they just integrate this feature into something that could be used all season, instead of just a single week leading up to the kickoff?  I guess we will have to wait and see what else ESPN has up their sleeve.  They are pretty smart folks, so I am  sure they have some sort of world domination plan in the works.

Oh, and one piece of advice if you are participating in a live draft, please make sure you can pronounce your pick's actual name.  You don't want to end up like this guy:

ESPN considers themselves to be "The Worldwide Leader in Sport."  In an effort to further assert that reign, last year the network launched local versions of their website.  Each of these local markets were catered to, with special in-depth coverage that was specific to their geography.  As you can well imagine, this concept was a smash hit, inspiring 5.7 million unique pageviews in the last month alone.

Seeing the opportunity to further enhance this coverage, ESPN has decided to supplement the sites with their own free iPhone apps, choosing to focus on the Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York markets.

So what can you expect from these tools?  The ESPN MediaZone has the full breakdown:

• Top local and national news stories;


• GPS-activated local weather updates;


• Blog posts and tweets from each of the local contributors to the sites;


• Interactive scoreboard;


• Access to local SportsCenter video and audio clips;


• Stadium guides for all local professional sports teams;


• Schedules;


• Text direct to ESPN Radio stations in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York;


• Live digital audio from the ESPN Radio stations;

This is an amazing idea that I really wish someone could have thought of sooner.  However, a great idea is only as good as its execution.  Fortunately the good folks over at ESPN have provided us with a basic video overview of how each regional app will operate.

There are many facets to this application that I am curious about.  First of, what is the deal with not giving Detroit a local version? Hell, we have a representation in all of the major sport leagues and numerous minor/development league franchises.  Sure, the city may be a burnt out husk of what Chicago is, but we still love our teams... okay, well the Red Wings at least.

Secondly, will there be any ability to add in streaming of local sports, possibly at a cost to the user?  I know of many sports fans that would gladly pay a little extra each month for the ability to view their team of choice from the comfort of a wireless hotspot.  Plus, for those that have been separated from the city of their birth, such as military personnel, it could be viewed as a very welcome taste of home.

I look forward to see how successful these apps can be, and just hope they wise up and start targeting Detroit soon!

It's Friday! Hurray! Of course, for me it's summer vacation and Fridays aren't quite as exciting. But, we've still got our traditional sampling of delightful new releases from the past week, so that's something. Big names like ngmoco and Illusion Labs make an appearance this week, as well as a few more mainstream companies like ESPN. Enjoy!

Godfinger
Godfinger from ngmoco allows you to build up a little world of cartoony followers and exert your godly powers on them. In Godfinger, you can be a kind, caring deity—performing Wonders and helping your civilization prosper—or a wicked demagogue, leaving a path of destruction in your wake. You can control sun, rain, lightning, floods, and fire. As you play Godfinger, your actions shape the terrain and your populace's opinion. It's almost ngmoco's answer to Pocket God. Go on, give it a try and test out your godly abilities...Godfinger, like many of ngmoco's newer games, is free.

Geometry Wars: Touch
Geometry Wars was already a classic Xbox game, but it made its iPad debut back in March. Now, it's a universal app, meaning that iPhone and iPod owners can get in on the action! Geometry Wars is a simplistic arcade shooter with basic, geometric graphics and a strong retro theme. It also was one of the first major games to make good use of the dual-stick shooter system that's so popular on the App Store today. The iPhone/iPad version also includes a brand-new mode, Titan, in which you gradually break giant foes apart into swarms of smaller pieces.

ESPN Pinball
In honor of the World Cup, ESPN has a released a pinball app with some football-themed tables (ahem, soccer for us Americans). There's also a Basketball table. The new pinball app is full of flashy graphics and boasts pass-and-play multiplayer, global and local leaderboards, and voice-overs from ESPN Sports Center host Jay Harris. It's a marriage of a TV network, sports, and pinball...if that sounds a little strange, well, it is, but the game looks like some solid pinball fun nevertheless.

Onion News Network
Where would we be without the Onion? In case you haven't heard of this magnificent publication, the Onion is a completely satirical news network with both an online and a print publication. (Yes, that's right: you can get a real Onion newspaper.) Their stories are funny, witty, snide, and clever; you'd be crazy not to enjoy browsing them. The Onion's new app gives you mobile access to the entire Onion archives, including both textual stories and videos. There's not much more to say: it's a typical newspaper app. The only difference is that the Onion is anything but a serious, esteemed publication. It's here to make you grin, and, perhaps, think.

Foosball HD
Illusion Labs has long expressed an interest in touchscreen gaming on larger screens (think back to their tabletop demo of Touchgrind) and now they've released an impressive iPad-only title: Foosbal HD. Foosball HD takes full advantage of the iPad's large screen, transforming it into a top-down view of a foosball table designed perfectly for "local multiplayer": both you and your friend just play foosball! You can also play against the computer, of course, but multiplayer is the real draw. Foosball seems like a natural fit for the iPad, and it's great to see Illusion Labs putting the iPad to good use. Sorry, iPhone users; this one isn't for us.