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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.

The World Series, or Fall Classic, is baseball’s annual championship series that pits the best teams in MLB against each other. The series has been held every year since 1905, with the exception of 1994 (players’ strike) and 1919 (NL champion Giants refused to play AL champ Athletics). The series is known for its intense, fast-paced games with many dramatic moments. This article outlines some of the most significant World Series highlights in history.

2024: New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers

The 2024 World Series was a bit of an anomaly, as the two teams finished first and second in their respective divisions, which meant that this was the first time that a team with a record-low win-loss record had won the World Series since 1981. The Yankees won four games to three over the Dodgers, earning their 27th championship. Corey Seager was named World Series MVP, joining the likes of Reggie Jackson as a player to win the award with two different teams.

The 115th World Series was a weird one, starting with the fact that ace Gerrit Cole was forced to leave Game 5 with neck and shoulder problems after throwing only seven innings. The series also featured several egregious misplays, from a muffed fly ball by center fielder Aaron Judge to shortstop Keoscar Hernandez’s failure to cover first base on a grounder by Anthony Rizzo. The series concluded with Giancarlo Stanton’s fourth home run of the game, giving the Yankees a lead they would not relinquish.

NFL draft 2025: What to expect

It’s a new season, and the fantasy landscape looks different with some big changes on both sides of the ball. Those changes could make or break your fantasy season, and you need to know how to prepare for them.

Get top-level 2025 NFL Draft analysis with intuitive data visuals and advanced analytics, all in one place. Whether you’re scouting top prospects or preparing for your own draft, make every pick count with NFL Draft Scout.

This year, the NFL Draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin from Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26. Fans can attend the three-day event at Lambeau Field and Titletown for FREE with a ticket to the Draft Theater (or by purchasing a separate ticket through a third-party vendor).

The Draft Experience is a family-friendly football festival featuring food, interactive games, photo opportunities with The Vince Lombardi Trophy and a variety of other attractions. The event will also include a live performance by a headlining national musical artist, with additional entertainment taking place throughout the day on the Draft stage at Lambeau Field.

The NFL is committed to maintaining a safe environment at all NFL Draft events, including the 2025 Draft presented by Bud Light. Security screening in and around the NFL Draft Experience will be significantly heightened, and items carried by fans will be carefully inspected and potentially prohibited from entry into the Draft Theater and Draft Experience.

If you follow athlete news, you may have seen some big-named athletes retiring recently. This is a major event for athletes and their families as it signals the end of an entire chapter in their lives, and the start of something new. Retirement is a difficult transition for anyone, even professional athletes.

Upon retiring, athletes must learn to stay fit without their sport. This can be a tough task for some people, but with the right tools and support from others, it can be easier than expected. Having connections with peers outside of the sports world is also essential to adjusting to retirement, such as former teammates or even coaches.

It is also important for athletes to maintain a connection with their family and friends to help them through the process. This can be done through regular family trips, or simply spending time with loved ones. Keeping in touch with these outside relationships can help athletes feel less isolated and can also keep them connected to their passions.

Lastly, it is vital that athletes make plans for their futures and stick to them. Just like an athlete’s training schedule, having a financial plan can help athletes prepare for retirement and avoid financial struggles. This is a step that many people don’t take, but it can make the transition much smoother for those who decide to hang up their running shoes or equestrian cleats. It can also help them find their purpose beyond their sport and lead a happier life.

Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho, led marches against their club owners or simply sat in silence during a match, fans have a long history of using their passion for football to fight for social change. From boycotting pro teams with segregated seating to protesting the Civil Rights Movement, fan activism is more than just a fad.

But the way journalists report on these stories often has a significant impact on how people perceive them. To help media organizations avoid dehumanizing or criminalizing the people who participate in these events, the Center for Media Engagement recently conducted a study to explore the effectiveness of different story framing tactics.

The research showed that stories that humanized the teenager whose death sparked the protest resulted in more positive attitudes toward the protest itself and the protesters. This effect was stronger among people who considered themselves Democrats and those with Democrat-leaning views. Alternatively, stories that criminalized the person sparked negative perceptions of both the protest and the protesters. These results held regardless of participants’ political beliefs. In addition to humanizing the person whose death sparked the protest, other tactics that can be used to promote more positive attitudes include sharing personal information about the protester such as their hobbies or family life to give readers a more complete picture of who they are and how they came to be involved in the event. This approach can also boost perceptions of the newsworthiness of the story.

Women and girls in sport face many barriers that impede their ability to play, compete, and enjoy the health and social benefits of sports. These barriers are rooted in culture, politics and economics. While social movement activism and media advocacy have raised awareness of gender inequality in sport, they are not enough to make sustainable change. The need for policymakers and governing bodies to adopt policies that promote and sustain gender equality in sports has become clear.

For example, research shows that legacy sports media coverage frequently objectifies female athletes by emphasising physical appearance and downplaying their athletic achievements. This objectification reinforces gender stereotypes that are harmful to girls and young women who participate in sport. It also limits sponsorship opportunities, as companies prefer to sponsor athletes who are deemed marketable and desirable.

Gender equality in sport requires a strategic approach that includes cultural, political and economic interventions. This includes the adoption of anti-discrimination policies, a commitment to invest in women’s sports, and ensuring that female coaches are given the same training and support as men. It also requires tackling misogyny in sport and a willingness by both men and women to challenge it.

This article is part of a series of articles on the status and challenges of gender equality in the world of sports. For more information about the project and to read the other articles in the series, visit the Gender Equality in Sports Project page.

Whether it’s a high-definition streaming experience that makes fans feel as if they’re part of the action or intelligent algorithms that curate personalized content based on their viewing history, sports technology trends are reshaping how we watch and engage with sports. However, the industry faces significant challenges, including high costs and data privacy concerns. Navigating these dynamics is critical to capitalize on market opportunities and ensure the adoption of new technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing sports by enhancing training programs and improving fan engagement. AI-driven performance analysis tools identify and analyze player strengths and weaknesses, facilitating improved coaching methods and more effective athlete-centered training programs. Similarly, AI-enabled refereeing systems are boosting accuracy and minimizing human error. In addition, AI-based automation in scouting and recruitment improves efficiency by analyzing player statistics and on-field actions, helping to find future talent more efficiently.

The emergence of next-generation AI, known as Gen Al, is further driving innovation within the sports technology sector. For example, Gen Al solutions allow teams to use predictive outcome modeling and analyze historical trends to predict the likelihood of a particular event occurring. This information is then used to make informed decisions during games, which improves the overall performance of a team.

Additionally, Gen Al is enabling sports organizations to better understand their fans by tracking their behaviors during matches. This information can then be used to improve the in-stadium fan experience, including food and beverage services, stadium security measures and information displays.