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Not long ago, sports fans connected with their favorite teams and athletes primarily through TV broadcasts or newspaper articles. But today, it’s more likely that they connect with their idols through social media, and it’s an ever-growing opportunity for organizations to build fan engagement and foster loyalty. But, like any marketing strategy, a successful one requires a clear goal and the right tools.

It’s no secret that social media platforms allow athletes and teams to reach massive global audiences, but what may be less obvious is how those channels can drive real-time engagement and brand affinity. From viral plays to pre-game outfit looks, a well-executed social media strategy allows brands and athletes to humanize their brand, cultivate a loyal fan base, and increase ticket sales and merchandise revenue.

In fact, according to a recent YPulse reportopen_in_new, 70% of sports fans ages 13 to 37 say they don’t watch games live and instead follow their favorite teams or players on social media. That’s why it’s important for sports leagues, teams, and athletes to understand what fans want—whether it’s a peek behind the scenes or a conversation around their role as a role model.

Athletes are taking advantage of the two-way communication that social media platforms offer by connecting with their fans through live Q&A sessions, Instagram Stories, Twitter polls, and more. This kind of direct interaction is also empowering young athletes, especially women. For example, Simone Biles and other elite female athletes use their platforms to speak out about mental health, reducing stigma and creating networks of support for fellow competitors.

International sports bring together athletes from different countries in a celebration of competition and cultural exchange. They also have profound effects on the host countries and global community at large, driving economic development through tourism and infrastructure enhancements, as well as fostering national pride and unity.

The most popular international event is probably the FIFA World Cup, contested every four years and viewed by billions of people around the globe. But other international events draw massive crowds too. Here are a few to put on your bucket list:

1. The Olympic Games:

With its roots in ancient Greece, the modern Olympics first took place in 1896. Today, the Olympic Games are a full-blown international spectacle. Next year’s Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

2. The Cricket World Cup:

The second most popular international sporting event, contested every four years, is the cricket World Cup, which has over 3 billion fans worldwide. The sport is very similar to baseball but played with wickets at each end of the field, instead of bases. And it’s much faster!

3. The Euro Games:

The euro games are a multi-sport event along the lines of the Olympics, but limited to European nations. The next one will be in Baku, Azerbaijan. 4. The Gay Games:

Esports is one of the most popular industries in the world. With millions of viewers tuning in, massive cash prizes, and worldwide recognition, it’s no wonder esports have quickly grown into a multi-billion dollar industry.

While many people have never heard of esports, they’ve probably played video games competitively at some point in their lives. Whether it was trying to erase your name at the top of the Pac Man machine at the arcade, or beating your sibling in Street Fighter, the competitive nature of these games is what sparks the excitement of esports.

In the modern era of gaming, this competitive spirit has exploded into full-fledged professional sports competitions. With teams, coaches, and even broadcasters being paid in the millions, esports are not only growing in popularity but are attracting global investors like traditional sports.

The 2025 esports tournament calendar is packed with events. From the LoL World Championship to the RLCS, Valorant Champions Tournaments, and MSI, there’s something for everyone.

However, despite the growing popularity of esports, it’s important to note that esports are not immune from the same scandals and controversy that plague other sports. In 2015, a member of the professional team Cloud9 publicly admitted that they all used Adderall to enhance their performance, which prompted the Esports League to start testing players for banned substances. Additionally, just a few years ago, a StarCraft II player was caught for throwing two matches in exchange for $60,000. Nevertheless, despite these minor controversies, the future looks bright for the esports industry.

The final Grand Slam of 2025 is underway, and a number of intriguing storylines are shaping up at Flushing Meadows. Can defending champion Aryna Sabalenka repeat? Will top seeds like Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner make a run to the finals? The US Open schedule is full of great match-ups that promise to provide plenty of drama, including some heated exchanges between players.

The 2025 US Open is taking place from Sunday, Aug 24 through Sunday, Sept 7. The tournament was first held in 1881, and it was the last of four major tennis events that used a challenge system before switching to a pure seeding system starting with the 1920s. The tournament was moved to its current home in 1978, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York City. It has since grown into a global sports spectacle and is one of the most prestigious events in tennis.

Tickets to the US Open are available on SeatGeek. When you buy two, four or more tickets in the same listing, SeatGeek guarantees that they will be seated together unless the seller notes otherwise in their listing. SeatGeek also offers a seating chart on each listing to help you find the best seats to watch your favorite player in action.

The action at Arthur Ashe Stadium will heat up this afternoon with a tense clash between No. 4 Taylor Fritz and world No. 28 Emilio Navarro. On Louis Armstrong Stadium, top-seeded Naomi Osaka will face a tough test from No. 47 Hailey Baptiste. The afternoon session also features a clash between 2022 champion Daniil Medvedev and No. 14 Tommy Paul.

From the precision of martial arts to the speed of track and field, Asian Games 2026 will showcase athleticism in the heart of Japan. From 19 September to 4 October, the continent will be abuzz with athletes competing for glory in a range of sports that celebrate culture and unity.

The Asian Games is the largest continental multi-sport event among athletes from Asia, and is held every four years. The Games are organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and there are 45 participating countries and regions. The Games are also an important venue for fostering friendship between Asian nations through sport and contributing to world peace.

This year’s edition will be hosted by the cities of Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City. The two cities will be using their vast experience in hosting high-profile events to make this the best Games ever. The city organizers will make sure the Games are safe and accessible for everyone, and that competitions are held at venues with sufficient space for spectators to enjoy the atmosphere and watch the action.

Besides the usual amenities provided by the Games Village, athletes staying in the Aichi-Nagoya Games Village will be briefed on a contingency plan for evacuating them in case of tsunamis or typhoons. This is because the Games will be held during the peak typhoon season in the region, and the organising committee wants to ensure that all the athletes are well prepared.

The OCA and the Japanese Olympic Committee signed a Host City Contract on Monday to officially start the planning for the 2026 Asian Games. The contract details the rights and responsibilities of the OCA, the JOC and the Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya city governments in terms of organising the Games.

The World Series was first played in 1905, and it has been an annual event except for 1994 (due to a players’ strike). The last expansion team to win the World Series was the Mets in 1969. Since then, the Series has seen a number of firsts.

In 2014, the Kansas City Royals reached the World Series for the first time since winning in 1985. They lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. This was also the first time that two teams from the same division faced off in a World Series that extended into November.

The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox each went a century without a World Series title until 2004 and 2005, respectively. The Chicago Cubs followed them a year later.

During the 1919 Series, Sox first baseman Chick Gandil collaborated with gambler Joseph “Sport” Sullivan to arrange a fix in which six of his teammates would throw the World Series. Third baseman Buck Weaver was the only player not to participate, but he still hit a career-high.324 during the Series.

No World Series highlights match the drama of Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit home run in Game 7 in 1997. Gibson had been injured during the NLCS and was expected to miss the entire Series. But after taking the first two pitches from Goose Gossage, Gibson worked the count full and blasted a shot into the right-field upper deck. The series was tied at 2-2, and Gibson’s walk-off homer became one of the most famous in history. It also inspired elements of the media to dubbed him Mr. November, a title that was later bestowed on Reggie Jackson.

The NFL draft begins Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET and runs through Saturday as teams select young athletes from around the country who have been working tirelessly to fulfill their dream of playing professional football. This year’s event is being held in Green Bay. The first 32 picks are on Thursday, followed by 70 on Friday and the final 155 on Saturday. Teams have 10 minutes to make their selections in the first round, five minutes for regular or compensatory picks in rounds 2-4 and just four minutes for picks in the final two rounds.

The 2025 NFL draft features a small but elite group of prospects at quarterback and tight end, as well as a smattering of known commodities with question marks in between. As a result, the best strategy for fantasy managers is to target players with league-winning upside at these onesie positions. That could mean drafting players like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter early in the draft, for example.

It also means targeting rookie running backs in the double-digit rounds, as depth charts can shift quickly and unexpected sleepers like Rico Dowdle or Bucky Irving can defy expectations. As a bonus, some of these players will be able to help their fantasy owners in the second half of the season by filling a void created by an injury or another roster-shuffling event.

The last few weeks have seen a flurry of athlete retirement news, from New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu to Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Carter. For many athletes, deciding when to hang up their cleats is an important decision that requires careful planning. But just because they’ve retired doesn’t mean they can’t “un-retire” and come back better than ever.

Athlete retirement can be a challenging transition, from juggling training and competition with family and work to budgeting for elite training and equipment that can cost thousands of dollars each month. For some, it can also be difficult to find their identity outside of their sport, especially if they retire at a young age. A recent survey conducted by the British Elite Athletes Association (BEAA) found that half of Olympians and Paralympians say they don’t feel prepared for life after sport.

But for some athletes, it’s not always about the money or fame, and it can be about a desire to prove that they have something left to give. Some, like Olympic diver Tom Daley, who came out of retirement just two years after winning a silver medal in Rio, and rower Helen Glover, who won gold in Tokyo after initially retiring, have even made the U-turn to come back for another shot at glory. Here, four more athletes who thought they were ready to throw in the towel, but ended up “un-retiring” and coming back better than ever.

Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, led marches against their club’s owners at Chelsea or pushed back against plans to commercialize football, fans are a powerful force in the game. But while their protests may be less dramatic than the giant tifos of the past, their fight is more important than ever.

On a street corner in Hollywood, fans held signs like “#SaveTheOA” and a stuffed octopus (representing Old Night, an ancient octopus character who appears in season two of Netflix’s sci-fi drama “The OA”). They stood for hours in the sun, soaking up the honks and waves from cars on the busy stretch of road. Two of them even took turns running a YouTube livestream for folks who couldn’t make it to the location.

Across the country, fans are using their passion for football to fight for important social issues. Using the power of their numbers, they’re using their voices to demand respect, change and a better future for all.

The following fan protest stories come from a few different countries and show the variety of ways in which supporters express their views. They can address different counterparts such as other fans, their team, club management or associations, political leaders, police and security forces or local authorities. Depending on the reason for their activism, they can also organize protests in public spaces like streets and stadiums.

In the last decade, several gender equality (GE) initiatives have taken root in sports to address gender discrimination that exists among female athletes. However, GE in sport remains a challenge for several reasons, most notably the lack of public awareness about it. Fortunately, social movements such as the #MeToo and #SeAcabo have brought awareness about this issue to the forefront of the public debate.

Nevertheless, there is much more to do, particularly in the area of equal opportunities for male and female athletes, where attitudes are largely determined by culture, values, and beliefs. To this end, the present article uses data from the Special Eurobarometer 525 (2022) to explore Europeans’ attitudes towards GE in sport and identify key determinants using Fuzzy-Hybrid TOPSIS, latent profile analysis and multinomial logistic regression.

The initial research reveals that a direct relationship exists between the level of sports participation and support for GE in sport. Those who play more sports tend to be more supportive of gender equality in sport, suggesting that more exposure to sporting environments helps people understand and recognise the need for it.

Furthermore, the results show remarkable geographical differences in attitudes to GE in sport. The Nordic countries, led by Sweden and Finland, have high levels of support for GE in sport. By contrast, Austria and Eastern European countries have low levels of support for GE in sport. This can be explained, in part, by a combination of very strong traditional gender norms, religious conservatism and older socio-political structures.