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Across all sports, fans are eager to engage with their favorite teams and players. Rather than wait for traditional media outlets, they seek out and engage with social media content like real-time games, play-by-play updates, goal announcements, etc. The social media platform also enables athletes to interact directly with their fans, fostering a deeper emotional connection that strengthens fan loyalty and engagement.

Athletes are often celebrated as icons, but their humanness is also an important part of the sport experience. Athletes’ personal social media channels allow them to showcase behind-the-scenes images, training routines and locker room banter, humanizing them for their fans and building a stronger bond that promotes loyalty and investment in their career.

Social media also allows athletes to reach and interact with a global audience in unprecedented ways. Through a platform’s real-time functionality, athletes can communicate with fans from all over the world, creating virtual stadiums where they celebrate victories and commiserate defeats together.

Social media also empowers athletes to build a unique brand image that promotes and grows their personal earnings, both during the playing season and after they hand up their athletic gear. The engaged social media following a player amasses can increase their market value and provide them with lucrative business opportunities once they retire from playing.

Sport brings people from all over the world together by transcending language, culture, economic status, and political boundaries. This unique ability to bring nations together and foster change has made international sports a major part of the global landscape. The United Nations has recognized this potential by declaring 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

Whether through the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, international sports are organized competitions between teams from different countries. These events are usually watched by millions of fans around the world. The earliest international competitions may have been the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, where city states would travel to Olympia and put their internal conflicts on hold.

Soccer is the most popular international sport with over 500 million fans worldwide. It has become an integral part of the national culture in many countries, and its trophies — including the FIFA World Cup — stir up tremendous pride around the globe. However, the sport has also caused health problems such as heart attacks and stress-related depression in players. A recent study found that African athletes are more likely to suffer from these effects because they lack the resources and support systems of their European counterparts.

Basketball is a huge sport in US domestic markets and in Japan, and has a growing interest in Europe. Its a fast-paced team sport that demands speed, precision, and teamwork. The Olympic basketball tournament has garnered over 2 billion fans.

Esports has a vast ecosystem with different games having their own unique tournament calendars. With so much to keep track of, 2025 looks set to be a year filled with major events that span multiple game titles and regions.

With an ever-increasing number of people taking up gaming, the esports industry is becoming more mainstream than ever before. With that, more people want to participate and win real prizes. That’s why it’s no surprise that more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer esports-themed prizes, such as a new PC from Acer.

The Predator Orion 7000 is the official tournament PC for the upcoming Intel Extreme Masters. It features a high-end GPU and an immersive display with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

In China, a team named Edward Gaming has become the country’s first world champion in the popular online shooter game Valorant. The victory has given Beijing a big boost in national prestige, but it also raises concerns over the government’s efforts to crack down on illegal activities within the sector.

Esports players can earn massive amounts of money by winning tournaments. But with more teams competing for bigger prize pools, competition can be fierce. That’s why more and more esports players are choosing to join large, well-established clubs, which can help them have the best chance of netting the top prize.

From August 19 to 27, the best track and field athletes from around the world competed for medals and titles at the World Athletics Championship. With unlikely triumphs, inevitable upsets and unfortunate falls all on show, it was a thrilling nine days of elite sport.

In contrast to the Olympic Games, which occur once every four years, the World Championships are held on a biennial basis each year in a different country. While the Olympics are restricted to a limited number of sports, the World Championships are a true showcase for all of the track and field disciplines.

As a result, the competition can feel even more exciting than the Olympic Games. That’s particularly true if you watch the long and middle distance races, where the athletes’ mental strength is put to the test. Then there are the grueling events like the marathon and race walking, where athletes have to endure a punishing mix of temperatures and humidity.

Despite the challenging conditions, some athletes still produced impressive performances. For example, Keely Hodgkinson secured second place in the 800m and Ireland’s Ciara Mageean won bronze. Meanwhile, British sprinters Zharnel Hughes and Matthew Hudson-Smith clinched bronze in the 100m and 400m respectively.

The women’s 1500m final was another highlight of the day. With 2022 Olympic champion Sifan Hassan missing out due to a knee injury, Dutch multi-distance star Sifan Bol took advantage. Although she initially stayed toward the back of the pack, she moved into fifth position with 600 meters remaining before battling Aregawi for victory in the final stride.

The US Open schedule opens this week with qualifying matches during the free “Fan Week” tournament August 18-21, then main draw action begins Sunday August 24. The 2025 US Open is the first to become a 15-day competition, with round 1 playing out over three days instead of two (the same as other Grand Slams).

Unlike in the past, where only the top eight seeds earned automatic entry into the main draw, this year every ATP and WTA player gets one shot at claiming the last four spots in both the men’s and women’s singles. That could make for a wild ride to the championships, with plenty of upsets and riveting match-ups likely.

This year the US Open will use shorter sets and no-ad scoring in the opening rounds, along with deciding tiebreaks in the early stages. It will also use a new rule requiring all players to wear white, with only one exception.

Tip #1: Watch for resale tickets: You can sometimes pick up great seats at the US Open if you look hard enough, but it requires monitoring the ticket situation carefully in the days leading up and being ready to act quickly once the official schedule is released. If you aren’t able to secure the perfect ticket, don’t despair: you can still watch all the action from home with the help of streaming services like ESPN+ or Tennis TV.

Keep an eye out for British talent, including defending champion Iga Swiatek taking on the reigning US Open queen, Jelena Ostapenko; rising stars Cam Norrie and Coco Gauff; and 2021 Wimbledon champion Daniil Medvedev facing off against 13th seed Alex de Minaur. Also look out for Emma Raducanu, who makes her return to the US Open in strong form following her quarter-final run at Roland Garros and a runner-up finish at the HSBC Champions.

The Asian Games, held every four years, is Asia’s biggest multi-sport event with 45 countries and regions participating. The Games are a platform for international exchange and cultural connection that celebrates diversity across the continent. They were first held in 1951, soon after World War II. The founders hoped to reestablish the bonds between Asian countries through sports and contribute to the development of peace in Asia.

In 2026, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be Japan’s third hosting of the event, following Tokyo 1958 and Hiroshima 1994. The theme for the Games is “Imagine One Asia”. The slogan and concept are based on the idea that we can create a unified and harmonious Asia through sport, with an emphasis on Asian values such as perseverance and teamwork.

A total of 41 sports and 58 disciplines and 400 events will be played at 55 competition venues. The organisers plan to use 70 accommodation facilities, with 14 in Nagoya city and 39 in Aichi prefecture, with the number of venues outside the host area depending on the location of sports competition venues.

Esports are also a feature of this year’s Asian Games, with seven titles available to participate in, including Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms, FIFA Online 4, League of Legends, PUBG and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. India, which won a bronze in eFootball at Hangzhou 2023 and a silver in eFighting at the 2018 World Championships, is expected to be a strong contender.

The World Series is the pinnacle of baseball competition, with the most talented players in the sport converging to compete for the title. As a result, the Series is chock-full of exciting plays, nail-biting twists and turns of fate and historic moments that will live on forever. From Carlton Fisk’s famous “fingertip home run” to Kirk Gibson’s iconic Game 7 blast, here are some of the most memorable World Series highlights.

The 2024 World Series was the first one to feature both teams playing at their home stadiums in a decade and the action didn’t disappoint. The series kicked off with a thrilling Game 1 in which Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam stunned the crowd at Chavez Ravine and made him the youngest player to hit a World Series winning home run.

For the second time in two games, a controversial call at first base changed the course of a World Series and helped put an end to the St Louis Cardinals’ reign as champions. After New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter tagged out a sliding Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the seventh, the umpires reviewed the play and determined that Ohtani didn’t touch second base before being touched by the ball. It was ruled a foul ball, and the Yankees went on to win 4-2 in the game and series.

The 1988 World Series is remembered for the heroics of Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley in Game 7. Trailing the 104-win Boston Red Sox by two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Eckersley faced elimination and fouled off pitch after painful pitch on his injured leg before launching a screamer over the right-field fence that became one of the most legendary World Series moments.

The NFL draft is a time to snag game-changing talent for teams looking to get back into the playoff race. It also offers a chance to fill glaring holes. The 2025 NFL draft was full of talented young players who will help their teams reclaim their spots in the AFC South.

New York’s first pick of the 2025 draft was a big one, as they grabbed Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins. The Big Apple will be a threat on both sides of the field with Higgins and fellow first rounder Jordan Matthews. The Giants then picked another top receiver in Isaiah Oliver, and then filled a huge need for depth at safety with the addition of Azareye’h Thomas.

With a new coach at the helm and a fortified front, the Chargers made some nice additions in this draft. They traded down twice, but still found value in this class with a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Woody Marks and the fifth-round selection of running back Jahkiya Taylor. Both should be immediate contributors.

Mike Vrabel’s first pick as the Patriots’ head coach was a smart one, as he bolstered his team’s offensive line. The unit was a sieve in 2024, and the quickest way to return to relevance is making sure franchise quarterback Drake Maye stays upright. The Pats also added a second-round receiver in Kyle Williams and a center in Jared Wilson. Both will provide Maye with bigger downfield targets than what he had in 2024.

Whether they were forced to retire or chose to, athletes are often left to figure out what to do next. Some find a new way to use their skills, some try to resurrect their career and others just start anew. Regardless of the reason, all athletes reach the end of their athletic careers at some point.

For some, retirement can be a financial necessity. Many elite athletes spend thousands on equipment, shell out for elite coaching and often forgo regular employment in order to train around the clock. They can even go broke as they attempt to make it to the Olympics where their dream is to win gold. Many of these athletes have reported having to rely on food stamps or rack up credit card debt after their sporting career ends.

This week, two-time Olympic gold medalist Tobin Heath, a pioneer for women’s soccer, hung up her cleats after 13 years with the U.S. women’s national team. The American midfielder, 37, is also retiring from club soccer with the San Diego Wave.

Meanwhile, in collegiate athletics, associate director of sports medicine Mike Goforth is stepping down from his post after 26 years with Virginia Tech athletics. During his time with the Hokies, Goforth has been instrumental in advancing sports medicine across the college landscape and is known for his dedication to athlete health and well-being. He will be focusing on research, teaching and new initiatives with various campus agencies in Blacksburg.

When fans organize to protest the actions of their teams or club owners, this is a clear example of fan activism. These groups demonstrate the power of Jenkins’s theory that fandom provides the opportunity for people to invest in media with the potential to mobilize civic or political action.

In this case, the protest was against Sevilla’s president and board. The protest was aimed at urging the board to remove president Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco and other top members of the club’s management, who the fans believe are making poor decisions for the team. The fans’ protest was successful; the club did end up firing Carrasco and several other board members.

While many scholars argue that fan activism is a fad, recent events have shown that this movement can be a powerful force in the game. Fans have brought down Jose Mourinho at Manchester United and led marches against their club’s ownership at Chelsea, as well as pushed back on plans to commercialize the game in Liverpool.

The NFL’s response to the Kaepernick controversy also illustrates how fan activism can influence the discourse around a issue. Rather than viewing the player’s position as a social justice issue, the statements by various NFL personnel emphasized the importance of patriotism. These officials were worried about the possibility of disapproval from President Trump and losing revenue, but they failed to recognize that Kaepernick’s stance on police reform was a valid social justice issue.