How Brands Engineer Viral Sports Moments

When sports moments go viral, they capture the world’s imagination, build bridges to new fans and create global communities of team loyalty. Whether it’s an unbelievable goal or a heartwarming tribute, these moments are what make sports so exciting, and can even boost a brand’s marketing efforts.

Sometimes, virality strikes when we least expect it. We’ve all seen that blue/black dress that ignited a global debate, or the lawyer who appeared as a cat in a Zoom court hearing. But what about when brands intentionally engineer these viral moments? To explore the process, we took a look at three campaigns that captivated the world and mapped them to Berger’s STEPPS model.

From a casual swimmer’s epic win to a darts legend’s eloquent tribute, 2024 has been filled with incredible viral sports moments. And while some of these have inspired awe, other examples have captured the lighter side of sport, with wacky head-scratching antics that keep audiences engaged and teams talking.

World Series Highlights

The World Series has a history of dazzling moments, nail-biting turns of events, and games ending on walk-off home runs. This year was no different. The Houston Astros won their first World Series in seven years and ended a 26-year drought for the franchise, which was founded in 1962.

The Astros won the Series with a series-clinching win in Game 7, which was played just hours after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Santa Cruz. The seismic event was so strong that it caused the World Series to be delayed, and the first pitch of Game 7 was thrown just after 5 p.m.

Despite the late start, the game was a dramatic affair from the get-go. The Yankees jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the Dodgers rallied back with two runs in the bottom of the frame against a pair of tired New York relievers. Freddie Freeman’s 10th-inning grand slam was the icing on the cake for a thrilling series that was decided in six games.

Known as the “Summer Classic,” this World Series has been one of the most memorable in MLB history. The 1912 Series featured a conspiracy to fix the championship in favor of the Boston Red Sox, led by gambler Chick Gandil and Red Sox captain Bill Buckner. The infamous plot involved first baseman Eddie Cicotte, pitchers Lefty Williams and Bob Stanley, left fielder Swede Risberg, center fielder Happy Felsch, and outfielders Shoeless Joe Jackson and Happy Sullivan. The plan was to throw the Series and give the Sox a sweep.

Social Media in Sports

Athletes and sports business professionals alike know social media can boost their personal brands, build loyal fan bases, and even increase revenue. However, it can also sabotage a team or school’s reputation or deep-six an athlete’s career if used poorly.

Athlete social activism

With platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok allowing users to share content instantly with billions of followers, athletes now have the power to communicate with their audience in a more intimate way than ever before. In doing so, they can create more authentic and transparent relationships with fans, further humanizing their brand. Athletes have also embraced this opportunity to stand up for causes they believe in and align themselves with the social agenda of their community. This not only bolsters their personal brand but also promotes authenticity and values-driven leadership.

Athlete social influence

Social media has transformed athletes into powerful social influencers, capable of attracting new audiences and building loyalty among existing fans. Athletes can use their platforms to promote specific initiatives and share behind-the-scenes content that humanizes them, further connecting them with their fans.

Athletes can also leverage social media to stay updated in real-time on the latest sports news, real-time scores, and more—all of which can fuel their passion for their sport. In fact, a recent Sprout Social reportopen_in_new found that 45% of consumers cite watching or following sports as the top reason they use social media. This ardor can be sustained through a season’s ups and downs and even during the long offseason thanks to teams and athletes that prioritize digital marketing.

What is Champions League?

Since its beginning in 1992, Champions League has been the most prestigious club competition in European football. The tournament, created by French sports journalist François Hanot, is contested by the champions (and in some cases one or more runners-up) of the top national leagues of the member nations of the Union of European Football Associations.

The first tournaments of the competition were purely knockout; however, in 1960, UEFA doubled the number of teams and introduced group stage play in the tournament’s structure. The revamped tournament was renamed UEFA Champions League to reflect the new format and expansion of teams. The tournament has been won by some of the biggest clubs in the world, from Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi.

In the league phase of Champions League, all thirty-two qualified teams are grouped into eight groups of four teams each. A randomized draw divides the teams into groups and a coefficient-based seeding system ensures that each team plays opponents of a similar competitive level. In a round-robin format, each team plays the other teams in its group twice: once at home and once on the road. Teams earn three points for a win and one point for a tie.

During the league phase, the top teams advance to the round of sixteen automatically. The next eight highest-ranked teams compete in a knockout phase playoff, in which they are paired against a team placed seventeenth through twenty-fourth with the home leg of the quarterfinals and semi-finals being played at the highest-ranked club’s stadium.

Esports Tournament News

The world of esports takes video games to a whole new level, attracting millions of spectators and global brands. These tournaments showcase top players and teams, with high-stakes competitions that rival sports championships in terms of production quality, viewership, and sponsorships.

Esports, or electronic sports, can be played on consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, personal computers (PCs), or mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. They can be played in person or broadcast online, with live coverage and commentary by professional analysts. Spectators can follow the action in real time and cheer on their favorite teams and players.

Several specialized websites feature breaking esports news, providing in-depth analysis, and exclusive interviews with top competitors. ESPN Esports and The Score are just two examples. Alternatively, game publishers and platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook often feature dedicated sections that highlight upcoming tournaments and details on how to participate or watch them.

For the most popular events, tickets sell out within minutes when they go on sale. Major eSports tournaments draw audiences in the tens of millions, and the competition itself is televised across multiple platforms. Professional gamers are regarded as professional athletes, with some even achieving celebrity status through their achievements. Examples include Faker, a League of Legends player whose mid-laner skills have earned him the nickname “the Beast,” and s1mple, a renowned Counter-Strike competitor known for his impeccable aim. ESports’ unstoppable momentum could see it surpass traditional sports in terms of revenue and audience engagement.

The Cultural Importance of Combat Sports

From the gladiatorial spectacles of ancient Rome to today’s televised combat sports, contests of strength and skill have held deep cultural significance. From wrestling and boxing to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, these disciplines evoke intense emotions and reflect complex societal values. They embody the spirit of competition, promote healthy lifestyles, and serve as powerful tools for advancing wellbeing and community.

Behind the glitz of arena shows, combat sports are an intricate production that requires incredible athleticism and strategic mastery. They are also a lens through which broader social issues like race, gender, and class intersect with sport. Understanding the complexities of these relationships can enhance our appreciation of the rich legacy and profound impact of combat sports.

As warriors forged in the crucible of adversity, combat athletes’ stories of triumph and resilience transcend sport to inspire and influence a wider audience. Their journeys reveal the limitless potential of the human spirit and demonstrate that embracing challenges and learning from setbacks can help athletes achieve even greater success.

In addition to their physical and psychological benefits, a life of training combat sports helps an individual develop a heightened awareness of the world around them. Their reaction time improves, they become able to recognize the body language of an attacker and they learn to keep a safe distance during verbal altercations. Moreover, the training allows them to practice counterattacks against opponents who attempt to take them down or use their size and strength as an advantage.

How F1 Standings Are Calculated

Formula 1’s blend of tradition and futurism captivates millions, with a rich legacy and promising future. One of the keys to this enduring fascination is F1 standings – the real-time rankings that determine season champions. Understanding how these rankings are calculated provides insight into the competitive essence of the sport and how drivers and teams compete to win.

Since the sport’s inception, a series of adjustments have shaped its ranking systems, ensuring an equitable balance between driving excellence and a system designed to reflect fairness. These changes, which can have dramatic implications on how a championship is decided, help maintain the excitement of the sport and encourage new entrants to participate.

The current F1 scoring system gives each top-10 finisher a fixed number of points, with 25 for the winner and a decreasing scale for those behind. The system also rewards drivers with extra World Championship points for setting the fastest lap in Grand Prix races, though this bonus was scrapped for 2025. If a race is shortened, full points are awarded as long as 75 per cent of the scheduled distance is completed.

Drivers’ and constructors’ championships

The most coveted prize in F1 is the Constructors’ Championship, which celebrates a team’s overall performance during a season. Each team enters two cars, and the points scored by both drivers are added together to tally a team’s total. It has been the case eight times in the history of the championship that the teams’ title has been won by a driver who doesn’t hold the Drivers’ Championship lead – including a dead heat between Ferrari teammates Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

The team with the most points at the end of the season is crowned champion. As well as providing significant prize money, this also confers certain privileges such as a guaranteed place at the starting grid for next year’s event at their home race.

US Open Schedule

The US Open is played in August and September each year, the last two weeks of the summer in New York City. It is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and was first held in 1881, making it one of the oldest tennis championships in history. All the courts used by the US Open are illuminated, allowing matches to continue into the evening.

Ticket prices for the US Open are usually among the highest in the sport, but early buying and resale options make it possible to find affordable seats. The best way to find deals is on the official Ticketmaster site, which features both any standard tickets (non-resale, face value) that may be available (shown as “blue dots” on the detailed seat map for each session) and resale tickets (shown as red dots).

The 2025 U.S. Open begins with mixed doubles matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by singles action from Thursday through Sunday. Defending champion Jannik Sinner will start his men’s draw against Vit Kopriva, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka will play either Reilly Opelka or Jasmine Paolini on her first match day before potentially facing the likes of Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Novak Djokovic en route to the final.

A deep American contingent of players also will challenge in New York, led by runner-up from 2024 Madison Keys and recent semifinalist Coco Gauff, plus rising talents Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien, and Brandon Nakashima. This year, the US Open will use a new format to hold its semifinals and final on consecutive days, instead of spreading them out over three days like previous years.

NFL Draft 2025

After the dust has settled from a busy free agency period, teams turn their attention to shoring up their rosters via the NFL draft. The 2025 edition will take place April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The first pick of the draft is made Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports.

As always, the big storyline of the draft is who will go first overall. The Titans will hold the top pick and could opt to select either Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward. Both players are considered to be potential generational talents in their position as Sanders has the speed and power to evade blocks while Ward can run, pass and play defense.

The remainder of the draft order is set based on how far a team advanced in the previous season’s playoffs. The team with the worst regular season record gets the first pick, followed by teams eliminated in the wild card round, divisional round and conference championship rounds. The Super Bowl loser picks 31st, and the Super Bowl winner 32nd.

Teams are allowed to trade picks during the draft, and those transactions often make for the most dramatic moments of the evening. But a team cannot move up in the draft without giving up one of its existing picks. Those rules are designed to promote fairness in the process and ensure that all teams have a chance to add talent to their rosters.

How Olympic Ice Hockey Has Changed Over the Years

Amid a backdrop of war and political crisis, the first Olympic hockey games took place in 1920 at Antwerp’s small ice palace. The owner of the facility refused to let ice skating happen unless hockey was allowed, and the sport was born.

Today’s Olympics have changed quite a bit since the first games, from the way players skate to the dimensions of the rink itself. The game itself has also evolved significantly – the most significant change occurring at Squaw Valley in 1960 when organizers switched from natural to artificial ice, making for much smoother play and improved sightlines for TV viewers.

From the beginning, the Olympics have been a showcase for the best ice hockey players in the world. Minnesota natives have played an important role in that history, starting with the six members of the U.S. team that won the infamous Miracle on Ice in 1980 against the Soviet Union at Lake Placid. Among them were the late Mike Eruzione and former NHLers Goheen, Conroy, Fitzgerald, Weidenborner, Green, and Kaprizov.

Overtime at the Olympics isn’t as simple as next goal wins; the process depends on where a team is in the tournament, with games played in group play and quarterfinals having a longer overtime period than those in the semifinals and finals. There are no ties in the Olympic tournament, and any game that ends in regulation must be decided in either an overtime or a shootout.