Top 10 Sports Apps for iPhone and iPad

Looking to keep up to date on the latest news from the Tour de France, the British Open, and your favorite baseball team this weekend? If you’ve got an iPhone or an iPad handy, the App Store has a treasure trove of sports apps ready to suit your needs. Here are some of the winning sports apps for every sports fan–whether you’re tracking the Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins in the off-season, or you want to start early on your draft strategy for fantasy football.

Sport: Cycling

Devices: iPad and iPhone

Cost: Free with optional $5 upgrade

Breakdown: NBC’s Tour de France app gives you all the information you need to stay on top of cycling’s biggest annual event. You can watch videos, check out the standings, follow specific riders, view stage maps, and get the latest news. For a $5 upgrade you can also get a live video feed and real-time event tracking on an interactive map.

Sport: General

Devices: iPad or iPhone

Cost: Free

Breakdown: Need to keep up-to-date on the latest news in the sports world or follow your favorite teams? ScoreCenter XL’s got you covered. You can configure the app to get team-specific alerts for game start times, scoring plays, final scores and other updates. You can also get videos from ESPN SportsCenter, game highlights, and other news.

Sport: General

Devices: iPad or iPhone

Cost: Free

Breakdown: Another good app for keeping current on the latest news from the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS, NCAA, NASCAR, PGA, and more. If you’re looking for game breakdowns and sports scores without a lot of extra fluff Sportacular is the app for you.

Sport: Baseball

Devices: iPad or iPhone

Cost: $10 each

Breakdown: MLB’s annual baseball app is the gold standard for sports apps. MLB At Bat includes pitch-by-pitch game breakdowns, video highlights, news, standings, access to gameday audio, and next-day condensed game videos. If you subscribe to MLB TV you can also get access to live streaming right on your iPad or iPhone.

Sport: College Basketball

Devices: iPad

Cost: Free

Breakdown: It’s too late for 2011, but keep your eyes open in the years to come for a free app from the NCAA that will let you watch the entire men’s basketball national championships on your iPad. You can also follow along on your iPad while you watch on TV with the app’s in-game stats.

Sport: General

Devices: iPhone and iPad

Cost: Free

Breakdown: View ESPN on the go on your iPad or iPhone including live streaming access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU. The downside is WatchESPN will only work if you get your cable service from Bright House Networks, Time Warner Cable, or Verizon FIOS TV. Verizon High Speed Internet customers can get access to ESPN3. It’s good stuff, if you can get it.

Sport: Fantasy Sports

Devices: iPhone

Cost: Free

Breakdown: Fantasy fans will appreciate RotoWire’s Fantasy News Center for iPhone that gives you the latest player-specific news and analysis for every fantasy sports nut including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, Golf and more.

Devices: iPhone

Cost: Free

Breakdown: Fox Sports Mobile provides you with the latest news and scores for your favorite sports and teams. You can also watch sports highlights from Fox, listen to Fox Sports Radio, and get access to local Fox Sports news for select U.S. cities.

Sport: General

Devices: iPhone

Cost: Free

Breakdown: Bleacher Report’s Team Stream is a no-nonsense team-specific news feed. Just fire up the app, pick your favorite teams, and get a customized list of the latest sports news.

Sport: General

Devices: iPad

Cost: Free (in-app purchases $5-7)

Breakdown: Get the latest edition of Sports Illustrated on your iPad as well as a few extras such as extended photo galleries, slideshows, videos, live scores, news feeds, and Facebook and Twitter integration. Access to SI editions on the iPad is free for print subscribers.