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Athlete endorsements are a potent marketing strategy, leveraging the inherent credibility and popularity of sports figures to increase brand visibility and consumer trust. Their aspirational image translates into a powerful connection with audiences, who often associate the athlete’s values and personal branding with the brands they endorse. This authenticity and relatability makes them powerful influencers in a wide variety of industries, from beauty to lifestyle and health. To ensure that the association between athletes and their endorsers is genuine, it’s essential to build long-term partnerships with brands that share common values and objectives.

Whether it’s through social media or more intimate platforms like one-to-one sessions, maximizing engagement is key to making the most of athlete endorsements. By connecting with audiences through authentic, personalized content, the likability of the brand-athlete pairing is strengthened, resulting in higher ROI. Leveraging digital tools and analytics to track campaign performance in real-time is also crucial for optimizing and enhancing campaigns throughout the duration of the partnership.

Endorsement arrangements tend to be more hands-on, with athletes taking an active role in promoting products and interacting with fans on behalf of their sponsors. These relationships also provide the opportunity for deeper integration, with athletes contributing to the product development process or co-creating exclusive collections. While this approach can be more lucrative for athletes, it’s important to protect their integrity by including a morals clause in any agreement. This allows them to halt or terminate the contract if they engage in conduct that damages their reputation, as standards for athlete behavior vary widely across sports.

When celebrities get involved in sports, it can bring a certain fervor to the game that can boost viewership and ticket sales. But fans can become overly invested in a celebrity reppin their team or even a fashion collaboration with an athlete, and that can lead to unhealthy levels of engagement. TMZ Sports has the tips you need to avoid the pitfalls of sports celebrity gossip. Plus, we take you inside the latest sports celeb drama including a pop star slipping into Arrowhead Stadium to support her NFL man Travis Kelce, NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard takes on clickbait analysis and a teen powerlifter breaks a world record.

About The Masters Leaderboard

The Masters leaderboard is a real-time update of player rankings that will allow you to follow the action at Augusta from any device. It provides valuable insights into who has a lead, who’s battling for the top spot and how your favourite golfers are performing in the race to win the green jacket.

Justin Rose retains the Masters lead after a superb 67 at Augusta National. The Englishman shot six strokes better than his first-round score and is ahead of a host of notable names. Bryson DeChambeau is on his heels, while Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners are all within five shots.

McIlroy is in a fine position to win the Masters after an impressive second round. The Northern Irishman is only two shots behind Rose after a solid second-round performance that included four birdies and an eagle on the par-five 13th.

Unlike many of his opponents, McIlroy’s drives are usually accurate enough to find the fairway at the first hole. And that’s exactly what he does, putting himself in a great position to make a birdie.

His tee shot at the 17th finds the bunker, but he is able to recover with a delicate chip from deep in the grass that rolls to a few feet of the pin. Another birdie puts him just over seven under and in the hunt for a green jacket.

No athlete wants to fall short of their goal after training for the big moment their entire lives, but sometimes that just happens. When it does, the results can leave a smile on the face and a smirk in the mouth of spectators and on social media. Throughout 2024, there have been numerous head-scratching, wacky and downright hilarious sports moments. From a 58-year-old shooter to “pommel horse guy” and everything in between, we’ve rounded up the best viral sports moments of the year so far.

Is this the weirdest Olympic shot ever? No, but it’s pretty close.

Did ‘pommel horse guy’ win a bronze medal? Yes — and he also got a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Athletes and teams are increasingly relying on social media to communicate with fans, share updates, and create content. This is especially true for sports organizations that cater to a global audience, as social platforms enable them to reach new audiences and engage with their current ones.

While traditional channels like TV broadcasts, ticket sales, and sponsorships still make up the majority of a team’s revenue, social media has opened up new opportunities. By embracing the platform, athletes and teams can reach a global audience of passionate fans and increase their brand awareness. Additionally, it allows them to gain valuable insights into the performance of their marketing campaigns and understand what ages prefer what kind of content.

Sports fans are active on social media to stay connected with their favorite teams and players. According to the 2020 Sprout Social Indexopen_in_new, 45% of consumers use social media to follow sports and its players, making it their second most popular reason for using the platform (after marking personal milestones).

Many athletes have their own social media accounts, independent from their teams’ accounts. This helps them engage their fans directly and humanize themselves. They can post photos and videos of their training routines or locker room banter, making them more relatable to their fans.

This personal connection also makes it easier for athletes to build loyalty with their audiences. For example, former NFL player Isaac Rochell used TikTok to showcase his off-field life and drew in a following that continued to support him even after his athletic career ended.

A globalised world has led to a growing number of international sports. As travel became easier, soccer’s popularity spread, eventually leading to the founding of FIFA in 1904. The Olympics and other events followed, making them a cultural phenomenon, and increasing their financial clout.

The Olympic Games are the oldest international sporting competition, dating back to ancient Greece. The ancient event was not just an athletic contest; it was meant to bring together city-states and kingdoms, with all internal struggles put on hold while the Olympian Games were taking place. This set a precedent for sports as a form of diplomacy or a temporary truce between conflicting powers, something still seen today.

Today, there are 43 Olympic sports, with eight on the programme for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and 35 in the LA 2028 Summer Olympics. These are governed by the International Federations (IFs).

IFs establish and govern their sport at world level and monitor its everyday administration. They ensure that their discipline is developed worldwide, promote the Olympic values and supervise the organisation of the events at the Olympic Games.

But even if you are not a huge fan of sports, attending a local match is a great way to experience the culture and vibe of an international city, like Rome. Whether it is hearing the crowd cheer for the hometown team or seeing that iconic goal, there is no better feeling than being part of the action at a live game.

Esports tournaments have transformed the way fans follow and engage with video games. Backed by major video game companies and global brands, these competitions are held in world-class arenas and broadcast to millions around the globe. Esports are also revolutionising the way young people play video games – over 600 schools have added varsity teams and scholarships for esports players.

Despite their rapid growth, esports still lack the same structure as traditional sports. Consequently, they are not exempt from the same scandals as their conventional counterparts. This includes claims of performance-enhancing drug use, game fixing, and discriminatory language. The rise of esports has been boosted by celebrity endorsements, with some players attracting a lucrative lifestyle from their achievements.

Among the most famous is Faker, a League of Legends player known for winning several tournaments and taking home hundreds of thousands in prize money. Other notable esports players include s1mple, who won the first-ever Fortnite World Cup in 2019, and Daigo Umehara, an iconic fighting game player.

While a number of professional sports leagues are starting to include esports, it is unlikely that they will be considered a fully-fledged sport until they are fully regulated. In the meantime, esports is establishing itself as a viable career option for gamers, and more and more students are choosing to study computer science and related fields.

2025 looks to be a landmark year for esports, with a host of new events and the continued popularity of existing competitions. April sees the launch of the first-ever League of Legends First Stand tournament, while other noteworthy events include Capcom Cup 11, Street Fighter 6’s biggest event of the year, and Rocket League’s RLCS 2025 Birmingham Major.

The World Athletics Championship is a biennial track and field competition organized by the sport’s global governing body, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF). It is held alongside the Olympic Games as the premier senior international outdoor event for the entire sport of track and field, including marathon running and race walking. Separate World Championships are also held for certain other outdoor events, such as cross-country running.

Japan is preparing to host the 2025 World Championships, marking its milestone twentieth appearance since the sport’s first championships were staged in Helsinki in 1983. The end-of-season showpiece will run from 13-21 September, with BBC coverage of the action across a variety of platforms.

In recent years, the likes of Noah Lyles and Faith Kipyegon have claimed double gold at the event, while heptathlete Nafi Thiam is targeting a sixth consecutive global title. Elsewhere, Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson will be out to repeat her success from Paris two years ago.

The men’s 400m hurdles final has produced some of the sport’s most thrilling contests and is a must-see event. Rio Olympic bronze medallists Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin are among those competing in the final, with the Norwegian aiming to go one better than his fourth-place finish at the London Olympics four years ago. Brazil’s Alison dos Santos and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba are the other athletes in the mix.

The US Open schedule features a full range of compelling matches for the sixth day of action at Flushing Meadows. Among the highlights will be top-ranked Katerina Siniakova taking on 2025 Australian Open winner Taylor Townsend, plus home hope Ben Shelton and Canadian No. 6 Mirra Andreeva. Meanwhile, rising star Coco Gauff is looking to continue her strong start at the year’s final Grand Slam against Poland’s Magdalena Frech.

As the tournament nears its final weekend, the stakes are higher than ever for both players and fans alike. Total player compensation has reached an all-time high of $90 million, with two singles champions earning $5 million apiece. It’s the highest ever singles prize money at a Grand Slam.

With a new 15-day schedule in place, fans will be able to see more matches than ever before, while players will have extra rest between rounds. There are 22 outdoor courts on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center complex in Queens, including four “show courts” (Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, and Court 17), 13 field courts, and five practice courts.

Matches will air on ESPN, with coverage beginning Sunday, Sept. 7. Check out the complete TV schedule here. You can also watch on the US Open website, or through other streaming services. The US Open is held annually in August, at the United States Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York City. The event was first played in 1881, and it is the fourth and last of the season’s four Grand Slam tennis championships. Since 1978, the event has been played on acrylic hardcourts.

With Friday marking a year until the start of Asian Games 2026, organizers are trying to ramp up public awareness of the event. They admit it’s still low but hope interest will grow as they unveil a logo, mascot and slogan.

The theme of the Games is “IMAGINE”. It’s meant to encourage athletes and fans to envision a future in which everyone can live a happy and fulfilling life by putting their hearts into their sport. The slogan will be used in conjunction with the emblem which features a sun with 16 rays that represents the hopes of Asia.

Organizers are working to ensure the Games will run smoothly, particularly when it comes to transportation. Shuttle buses will be available between competition venues and the nearest public transport stations, while measures to curb private cars around the games sites are also being considered.

This will be the third time Japan hosts the Asian Games, after 1958 in Tokyo and 1994 in Hiroshima. The city of Nagoya is home to the main venue, the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which will be revamped for the occasion.

Japan has banned North Korean citizens from entering the country since February 2016 as part of sanctions against Pyongyang’s repeated ballistic missile firings. However, the government will carefully consider allowing some of them to compete at the Games, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday.