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Many sports organizations leverage social media to boost fan engagement and connect with a new generation of fans. But for athletes, it can be a challenging place to navigate. With one wrong move, a player can tarnish his or her reputation and harm the team’s image or even deep-six their career.

Athletes can use social media to build a brand that reflects their positive public image and drive sponsorship opportunities for both themselves and the organization. This authentic connection benefits fans, too. Fans who feel connected to athletes are more likely to engage with game-related content, purchase merchandise and support the team.

Social media also gives athletes a platform to share behind-the-scenes content, which can deepen their connections with the audience. Athletes like Isaac Rochell of the Seattle Seahawks have used TikTok to show off everything from family moments to his business ventures, connecting with fans in a more personal way. This engagement has continued well after Rochell’s NFL career, demonstrating the longevity of a strong social media presence.

But the social media landscape can be a tricky environment for young athletes, who may not yet have the skills and experience to manage a social media strategy effectively. It’s important for coaches to be prepared to discuss social media with their players, ensuring that they have a plan in place to navigate the challenges. The coach can take the stance that some colleges and high schools have taken—and subsequently rescinded—by banning athletes from social media, or they can help them build an online presence early and guide them in developing a mature approach to the platform.

Sports are a powerful medium that capture the peaks and valleys of life, delivering moments of wonder that can leave fans gasping and sayin’, “Holy shit!” In the age of social media, a viral sports moment is one that goes from a simple game or event to indelible cultural touchstone and monoculture. These moments become part of a fan’s identity and help explain why they follow certain teams or even the sport itself.

The Olympics dominated viral sports moments in 2024 with “pommel horse guy” winning a bronze medal (and a spot on Dancing With the Stars), Ilona Maher rumbling over Aussies, Steph Curry knocking out France and so much more. But there were plenty of head-scratching micro-moments outside the games as well, with Pat McAfee’s pricey year at College GameDay, Squirrel White’s terrifying field rush, and Luka Doncic’s statue reveal all leaving fans bewildered.

In addition to the incredible on-field action, there were some outstanding sports marketing campaigns that tapped into the emotions of fans and left them cheering. One example is the Nike campaign that asked athletes to thank their moms for the impact they had on their careers. The result was an ad that went viral and earned tens of millions of reactions on social media.

These viral sports moments showcase the power of a good story in sport, and how a simple moment can become a lasting iconic movement that transcends the game itself. As you craft your next article, try to remember these examples of how a compelling narrative can help propel a story into the realm of virality.

The Masters (officially known as the Masters Tournament) is one of four men’s major golf championships and is held each April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. The Masters is widely considered to be the most prestigious tournament in professional golf and its winner earns the coveted green jacket.

After three exhilarating days Rory McIlroy leads The Masters by two strokes from Bryson DeChambeau. But the Northern Irishman isn’t worried about his rivals on the leaderboard. He’s simply focused on his own game and he’s playing the best Masters golf of his life.

Rose is a close second as he chases a first green jacket but it’s not an open race at this stage. The Englishman had a nightmare start to the day but he recovered from seven over at the turn with an impressive 68 in the second round.

DeChambeau meanwhile bogeyed the 12th and he missed a birdie putt on the 16th to move back into second place. But he’s still hitting 59.3 per cent of his greens in regulation so he’s not out of it.

There’s also a strong challenge from the likes of Patrick Reed, Corey Conners and Ludvig Aberg who are all just four shots off the lead. It’s sure to be a thrilling final day of action at the 2025 Masters. The action begins at 2.40pm on Sky Sports Golf.

The biggest clubs in Europe compete to win the Champions League. It’s a competition that features many of the sport’s most famous names, from Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi. This year is no different as the game’s elite teams look to add another prestigious title to their resumes.

In its current form, the Champions League features a group stage followed by a knockout phase. The first two rounds feature an open draw, while home advantage for the quarterfinals and semifinals is determined by a seeding system.

From 2024-25 onwards, the competition changed to a league phase with thirty-six qualified teams competing in eight groups of four teams. Each team played the other teams in their group twice, once at home and once away. Teams earned three points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a defeat.

UEFA now eases entry criteria to allow for the top-four highest-ranked clubs in each country to enter the tournament, with the remaining places granted through a four-round qualifying tournament. Clubs must also be licensed by their national association and meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements to compete.

The Liverpool-Milan final in 1984 saw the first all-English team to make an appearance in a Champions League final. The Reds won the title with a 1-0 victory at the Feijenoord Stadion, but were defeated by Milan in the final at the Stadio Olimpico in a match best remembered for the antics of Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.

The Asian Games are the biggest sports competition in Asia that takes place every four years. They were first held in 1951, soon after the end of World War II, with the aim of reestablishing friendship among nations through sports and contributing to world peace by recognizing diversity. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are scheduled to take place from 19 September to 4 October 2026, and will be hosted by Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya for the third time after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The Games are co-hosted by 45 national and regional Olympic Committees of Asia, and this event will provide an opportunity to further deepen growing exchange within Asia.

The AINAGOC Board of Directors decided to retain cricket and include Mixed Martial Arts in the 2026 Asian Games at its meeting on Monday. These two events will be incorporated into the sports programme as medal events, and will be classed under Combat Sports. The decision was based on the fact that the two events have a high number of participations in Japan. Moreover, cricket has been played at the three previous editions of the Asian Games.

The AINAGOC is preparing a transport plan to ensure smooth transportation for athletes and spectators during the 2026 Asian Games. The plan includes consideration of shuttle buses between competition venues and the nearest public transport stations, as well as measures to curb private cars around Games-related facilities.

When it comes to fantasy football, it’s important to have a plan. But you also have to be ready for the plan to change in real time. That’s especially true on draft day, when an unforeseen move by another team or a late-round surprise can derail your carefully laid out strategy.

The 2025 NFL draft kicked off Thursday, with every team making a pick at least once through the first seven rounds. We’ll track all 257 of those picks right here, along with team-by-team explanations and analysis.

Why they picked him: The Giants needed a franchise quarterback and opted for the consensus top-flight prospect in this class, which evaluators often call “blue-chip.” He excelled at throwing on the run and displayed great anticipation, ball skills and ability to escape pressure. His savvy and composure were a big reason why the Giants passed up Shedeur Sanders, another top-flight option, with their third pick.

The Saints need more protection up front, especially with left tackle Terrance West and center Mike Pennington both returning this year. Banks can fill both roles at once and give the Saints a plug-and-play left tackle who won’t surrender many sacks. He started 42 games at Texas, so he’s used to being in the starting lineup.

Unlike the NHL, which is played on an arena sized for one team, Olympic hockey games are played in smaller arenas that accommodate two teams. The games are also played on a smaller surface, measuring 197 feet by 98.5 feet. This is the third time the Olympics have featured men’s and women’s ice hockey, having first appeared at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics in Chamonix and Lake Placid respectively.

Traditionally, the tournament has featured a round-robin series of games leading up to the medal round. Medals are awarded based on the total number of points earned during that period. In 1998, the format was adjusted in order to better align with the NHL schedule. Until then, only top six teams (Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and United States) were allowed to use NHL players during the preliminary round. In the final round, all teams were allowed to use NHL players.

The 1988 Calgary Winter Games were the first in which the Olympic gold medal would be decided by a shootout. Unlike the NHL, which requires a full 20-minute overtime period at five-on-five, Olympic games feature a modified sudden death shoot out where each team will take turns sending a player in to rush the goalie for a shot until they are successful.

With ten minutes left in the game, the Americans trailed 3-3 against the Soviets. But, on a night known as the “Miracle on Ice,” U.S. captain Mike Eruzione picked up the puck in the Soviet zone, used a defenseman as a screen and scored. The crowd exploded in cheers as the buzzer sounded.

With the Premier League putting its break on hold for international qualifiers, all eyes are on the next round of fixtures. England impressed in Belgrade, while Northern Ireland and Wales both played important group games.

The race to the 2026 World Cup is underway around the globe with a host of countries looking to secure one of six direct qualifying spots and two intercontinental play-off berths allocated to their respective regions. Here’s how the competition is shaping up in each of the confederations.

In Europe, qualifying officially kicked off on March 21 when the 55 European nations not involved in UEFA’s Nations League entered the initial phase of their campaign. The 12 groups of four or five teams will play home-and-away round-robin matches until November, when the top two finishers in each group qualify for the finals. The two runners-up advance to a two-legged playoff in November to determine the other direct qualifier.

The lowest-ranked countries in Concacaf entered a new format for this round, with the four lowest nations competing in a two-legged tie to decide which will be placed in Round 2. The winner and runner-up from this round will join the winners of the other three groups at the finals.

South Korea’s 2-0 win in Iraq on Thursday was enough to see them qualify from this group, ensuring they will be the fifth team from this stage of the competition. Uzbekistan’s 1-0 victory over Qatar also booked their first-ever World Cup appearance, while Iran and the UAE will move on to Round 4. The remaining six teams will enter a two-legged playoff in October to determine the last of the four direct qualifiers from this region.

The World Athletics Championship is a biennial international outdoor track and field competition organized by the sport’s governing body, World Athletics (formerly International Association of Athletics Federations). Held alongside the Olympic Games, it is the highest level of senior world outdoor athletics competition. It is the most important international competition in track and field athletics. The best athletes from around the world come to compete in this event. Besides individual medals in each event, the top three finishers receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Originally named the IAAF World Cup, it was first held in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland.

A day of shocks and surprise winners at the World Championships in Tokyo on Sunday (21 July). Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clinched a sprint treble, and joined her idol Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the only woman to do so, while Leo Neugebauer won the decathlon after a dramatic race of twists and turns, Daniel Stahl became a four-time champion in the discus and Cole Hocker rebounded from a difficult Olympics to win the 5000m gold.

But the biggest crowd pleaser was the American men’s 4x100m team, who pipped Botswana to take victory in the final. This was the third consecutive victory at this event for the US squad, and their performance is a massive boost ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in LA. They won with a new world record, and topped the all-time list of men’s world records set at the championships.

Esports tournament news covers the world of high-stakes multiplayer video game competitions where teams compete for huge prize pools sponsored by mainstream brands. These high-profile events feature a wide variety of popular games, some with dedicated fanbases that can rival those for traditional sports. Some tournaments are focused on specific genres, such as the popular League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike games or fighting and card games like Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros.

These tournaments are often televised and livestreamed, and their success has spurred many other major companies to invest in the industry. Major media networks ESPN and TBS broadcast esports, traditional sports leagues have launched their own tournaments, and the owners of NBA and NFL teams now have ownership stakes in esports teams. More than 600 colleges have added varsity esports programs and even offer scholarships to their players.

But while the esports industry continues to grow exponentially, it’s important to remember that it’s still just a video game. Just like football and ballet dancing, esports can be intense, and it’s not unusual for professional esport athletes to spend hours each day practicing and playing for the chance to win big money. They’re also not immune to the same controversies that plague traditional sports, including accusations of cheating and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.