Month: October 2025

Welcome to our live coverage of The Masters as it comes down to the final day at Augusta National. Rory McIlroy has a two-shot lead on 12 under with Bryson DeChambeau next door, but an esteemed and hungry pack is chasing them down. There are the likes of 2018 champion Patrick Reed, bright young thing Ludvig Aberg, Scottie Scheffler, Jason Day and defending champion Justin Rose all within five shots.

Rose has rediscovered his groove after an awful start and drains a 58ft putt at the long par-four 11th to move up to nine under. He also hits a towering iron into the par-three 13th and holes the putt to take his score to eight under.

McIlroy has a chance to win his first green jacket since 2011 but he doubles at the first hole for the second time in this tournament. He lays up to the right of the green, plays not his finest wedge from 87 yards and lags it short to leave himself a tricky bogey putt.

Aberg moves into the top 10 by making a birdie at the par-four 14th, but he misses a short putt for a share of the lead at the 15th and drops back to eight under. He is tied with McIlroy, however, and a birdie at the 16th puts him on the cusp of joining an exclusive club.

The World Athletics Championship, previously referred to as the IAAF World Indoor Championships until 2019, are biennial international outdoor track and field competitions organised by IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Olympic Games, it is considered the highest level of senior international competition in athletics worldwide. Separate World Championships are also held for marathon running and race walking, as well as age-group competitions.

Jake Wightman’s comeback from a bleak couple of years gave Great Britain their first medal of the championships, but he was pipped at the post by Portugal’s Isaac Nader in the 10,000m. Team GB had a handful of other medallists in Paris last year, including Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr.

A total of 15 world records were broken, seven of which improved upon existing records. American athletes have been the most successful at this competition with fifteen world records, followed by Jamaica and Great Britain with four each. Usain Bolt holds the record for most world records set at a single event, having broken five in the men’s 4 x 100 metres relay finals.

Whether you’re watching the World Cup or cheering on your favorite club team in your study abroad city, international sports can provide a glimpse into local culture. But there’s more to these events than meets the eye: they can have a profound influence on the political, economic, and cultural aspects of countries around the world.

A multi-sport event like the Olympics, but open to athletes from all nations. This is the biggest multi-sport competition in the world.

The official competition for men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed teams in the sport of tennis. The winner is crowned the world champion.

An international multi-sport competition that takes place every four years, excluding football (soccer) matches. Athletes compete in a range of Olympic disciplines, including athletics, archery, baseball softball, canoeing, cycling (road and track), fencing, golf, gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic, trampoline), handball, judo, rowing (standard and sprint distance), water polo, and volleyball.

International governing bodies for each sport discipline govern the sport at world level, supervise its practice and monitor day-to-day administration. These organisations, also known as International Sports Federations, must ensure their statutes and practices conform with the Olympic Charter.

As international travel becomes easier and more common, sport grows increasingly global. But, as Zohreh Abdollahkhani from the University of South-Eastern Norway explains, this doesn’t always mean good news for countries in the majority world. In some cases, corrupt governments use international sport to lure investors and free up competitors from visa red tape, while at the same time suffocating their own citizens through repressive policies.

As sports leagues, teams and athletes continue to rely on social media for real-time engagement, viral moments capture the world’s attention. Whether it’s a dog saving a soccer goal, a dart player’s troll-tastic handshake or a mascot with the best dance moves, these micro-moments captivate fans and drive team loyalty in a way that transcends traditional box score metrics.

The Olympics are a breeding ground for viral moments, but the 2024 games saw a particularly flurry of activity that went beyond the merely wacky or silly. From “pommel horse guy” winning a bronze medal to Olympic pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s – uh – manhood getting in the way of his shot, some of the summer’s biggest sports moments broke the internet.

When India’s cricket legend Virat Kohli announced his retirement, he did it in style, sending the cricket-crazy nation into a frenzy and generating more than 1 billion posts globally within 24 hours. The viral moment wasn’t just about cricket but about legacy and a life well lived.

For a powerful emotional punch, few things can beat a tearjerker. That’s why these sports ads are among the most shared of all time, with tens of millions of reactions across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. One ad in particular – the one featuring athlete’s thanking their moms – was especially moving, with many viewers confessing to shedding a tear or two while watching it. It also drove a huge spike in traffic to the Seahawks’ website, making it one of the most successful sports marketing campaigns of all time.

From Freddie Freeman’s 10th-inning Game 1 slam to this year’s glitzy, high-scoring championship, World Series history is full of memorable moments. Here are 24 of the best.

1. MICKEY OWN’S DROPPED THIRD STRIKE

After a series of egregious Yankee misplays, the most famous came in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4. Dodgers catcher Mickey Owen had two strikes and one out when he attempted to throw out Yankees first baseman Joe DiMaggio on a bunt. Instead, the ball rolled to the pitcher’s mound, where Owen, who was a drinking and boxing buddy of Ernest Hemingway, missed it. DiMaggio raced home, the Yankees won 5-4, and a legendary play was born.

2. THE DREWITT CATCH

The champagne was on ice, and the Commissioner’s Trophy was just a few wins away. That’s how it looked after Jack Morris won Game 1 and took a no-decision in Game 4, but Fernandomania was about to explode, with Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager delivering back-to-back home runs off Morris.

3. THE LAST PERFECT GAME

This was the last time a team won consecutive World Series titles, and the Yankees did so with ease, taking all seven games against the Phillies, who had never won one before. Throughout the series, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra hit multiple homers, and Don Larsen tossed the only perfect game in World Series history. This was the final World Series played at Ebbets Field, and the last one to feature the New York-Brooklyn rivalry.

Whether they’re on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, millions of sports fans worldwide want to keep up with their favorite athletes. This desire has helped make social media an essential part of the game. For athletes, it can help increase their public profile and endorsement opportunities; for teams and leagues, it can strengthen fan loyalty and engagement—both of which are critical to the bottom line.

Athletes are now considered commercial brands in their own right, and they must manage their image just like any other brand. They need to maintain a consistent presence, share regular glimpses into their personal lives, and engage with fans authentically through original content. This is especially true for those who are rising stars in their respective sports, or those who have the potential to be stars in the future. These are the young players who can attract the attention of college recruiters, scouts and brand sponsors.

The power of sports marketing now lies in the hands of the fans, and this has led to a more democratic distribution of information about the sport. From live-filming games and trash-talking to creating memes that target specific moments in a game, fans can now be a direct conduit for distributing sports content and messages.

While this new dynamic has many benefits, it can also pose challenges for athletes and the people around them. As an example, trolls can hurl abuse and negativity at athletes, and their privacy may be compromised. In addition, many athletes now face a greater level of scrutiny than ever before.

Originally known as the European Cup, and more recently the UEFA Champions League, it is the world’s most prestigious club competition. The tournament is contested by the champions (and, in some cases, runners-up) of the national leagues of Europe’s top footballing nations. It is the oldest and most successful club competition in international football, and has been won by an impressive list of elite teams including Real Madrid, Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, Ajax, and Juventus.

For the 2024-25 season, the UEFA Champions League was overhauled to replace the group stage with a new “league phase.” This expansion allows for thirty-six qualified clubs to compete in a single phase of four seeding pots where each team plays eight matches, playing four home and four away. At the end of the league phase, the eight highest-ranked teams will automatically advance to the round of sixteen, while clubs finishing ninth through twenty-four will face each other in a two-legged knockout play-off to join them.

The new format also saw the elimination of the away goals rule in the last 16 and quarter-final stages, and the introduction of one-legged semi-finals and a traditional two-legged final. The knockout phase play-off draw also sees a change, with a higher priority given to teams that beat the team they face in the league phase, rather than re-ranking each tie based on their overall ranking. This is designed to add a greater sporting incentive in the league phase, and also create more meaningful games in the semi-final and final rounds.

Esports tournament news is all about competitions where teams and individuals play video games for spectators. The events can be broadcast online via streaming services, cable and broadcast networks, and in person. They have become extremely popular around the world, especially in East Asia, where China and South Korea first licensed professional gamers in 2000, but are less common in Japan due to its broad anti-gambling laws.

There are several different governing bodies that oversee esports tournaments on a local, regional or global basis. Some, such as the Electronic Sports League, are a standalone organization that is independent from game publishers. Others are more integrated with the video game industry, acting as a trade group and public face for the sport.

Some of the most prominent esports tournaments take place in world-class arenas and attract millions of viewers. Some, such as the The International, are synonymous with grandeur and feature prize pools that can exceed $40 million. While the sport still has a long way to go before it is considered mainstream, esports are making an impact that goes beyond the millions of fans who watch the events on live video or in person. They are affecting economic growth, demographics, social engagement, job creation, and education. They are also revolutionizing the way people perceive video games as creative works worthy of copyright and intellectual property rights protection.

Formula 1 standings are updated after each race. These are based on both race and points results.

The table below shows the latest 2025 standings for both drivers and constructors. The rankings are sorted by points and positions. Click on a column to see its contents. For more information about the current standings, go to our season section. Also, don’t miss our teammate battles – head-to-head comparisons between teammates in both races and qualifying, based on their GP results. The rankings are also displayed in graph form, where available. Oscar Piastri leads the World Drivers’ Championship and McLaren-Mercedes lead the Constructors’ Championship.

Across the globe, gender equality in sports remains a complex and long-term challenge. However, recent advances are encouraging. Title IX has pushed the needle on parity, and strategic moves by governing bodies are helping to close the gap. This is also true of women’s representation in coaching and leadership positions, which remain disproportionately low. Moreover, female athletes have an opportunity to leverage their visibility to advance gender equality in sports and beyond.

Gender equality in sports is not possible without addressing fundamental, systemic issues. This is why this issue brief focuses on a range of critical areas, from increasing women’s participation in sports to developing inclusive practices. The insightful perspectives of Barr-Anderson et al. [106] highlight the power of sport to tackle deep-rooted gender discrimination, and the empowering impact of the Olympics in addressing the glaring disparities. Similarly, Capranica et al. [115, 116] expose the pervasive media bias that female athletes endure, underscoring the need to reframe gendered images of sporting events to promote equality.

Additionally, the poignant challenges that female students experience in their educational institutions are addressed by Dowling et al. [99], who reaffirm the need to incorporate gender equality in curriculums to support equitable and just learning environments. Likewise, Gerdin et al. [89, 114] champion the inclusion of mixed-gender sports such as korfball as an antidote to discrimination and as an integral cog in the journey toward gender equality. In the final analysis, the commitment of fervent educators is crucial to fostering gender equality in sports and beyond.