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The push for gender equality in sports is moving in the right direction but it won’t happen overnight. Women still receive less coverage on TV and the media. Women athletes are often referred to more regarding their appearance and personal lives than their sporting achievements. This objectification reinforces stereotyped gender roles and limits female sports participation.

While educational programmes and progressive policies have helped to advance gender equality, there is still work to do in terms of equal opportunities for girls and women in sport. A recent study found that girls from schools where people of color are the majority have access to only 67% of the athletic opportunities that boys enjoy. This is a result of intentional discrimination that is not limited to specific conferences, competitive levels or geographic regions.

This discrimination is exacerbated by current politics in the United States and elsewhere. In 2021 and 2022, over 300 bills were introduced in state legislatures across the United States, 86% of which focused specifically on transgender women and girls (Nakajima and Hanzhang Jin, 2022). These laws prevent access to healthcare, require students to use the bathroom of the sex they were assigned at birth, and prohibit girls and women from participating in their chosen sport.

This article uses data from the Special Eurobarometer 525 (2022) to generate a synthetic indicator of attitudes towards gender equality in sports (ATGEQS). The analysis identifies regional differences in ATGEQS, and finds that support for gender equality in sport is higher in countries with more liberal political cultures, where people are more likely to have supported feminist movements, and where rapid social change has not been framed as an affront to cultural or national identity.

After a hectic free agency period and the end of the regular season, teams will begin to reshape their rosters in Green Bay this week with the 2025 NFL draft. The first round takes place Thursday, with rounds two through seven on Friday and Saturday. Each team will have 10 minutes to make its selection.

The first round features some intriguing fantasy options at a variety of positions, with a mix of rookies and veteran stars. Running backs Travis Hunter and Puka Nacua both offer a ton of upside in a Green Bay offense that will be under new HC Liam Coen’s direction, while the top-rated overall pick in this round, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, is another potential breakout name in Year 2. Meanwhile, 2024’s No. 1 overall fantasy pickup, Ja’Marr Chase, has a high floor and ceiling on his side as well.

A big-bodied defensive tackle, Mason Graham (Michigan) is another college star who could see a quick rise in the league this season. He’s a true power player who can win in a multitude of ways, whether it’s using his speed to evade blocks or his strength to overpower offensive linemen.

Last year, Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill were consensus top-two picks at their respective positions, but each experienced a disappointing and unpredictable season. McCaffrey was plagued by injuries and busted to a surprisingly low point in points, while Hill struggled through a sprained ankle and finished as only the No. 59 fantasy RB.

ANY sincere fan will, at times, display what may seem like an inordinate amount of emotional attachment and angst over their favorite sport and/or celebrity. Whether they’re yelling at the ref, still mourning Brangelina or defending themselves from autograph hounds, every fan carries a little bit of sports celebrity gossip inside them. From athletes starring in movies to musicians reppin’ their team, the crossover between sports and celebrities is bigger than ever. Get the scoop on everything from an NBA star’s relationship with a WNBA star to a former WWE superstar’s Coldplay cheating drama and more.

This week we have the latest on a sexy powerlifter’s incredible transformation into a world champion, as well as a former WWE star’s Coldplay cheating drama and surfing star Billy Kemper’s gruesome injury. Plus, WNBA star Suni Lee and her NBA player boyfriend OG Anunoby make their relationship official, and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn discusses her career and groin injury. It’s all in the gallery below.

The qualification systems of the various world football confederations vary in terms of structure and challenges, but all serve one purpose – identifying the best teams to compete at the next FIFA World Cup. The qualifying tournaments, known as qualifiers, take place in the years leading up to a World Cup and involve teams playing each other twice on home and away dates to determine who makes it into the final tournament.

With the 2026 tournament in Qatar just a year away, international qualifiers are kicking into gear around the globe. While some countries are clear favorites to qualify for the finals, others are in a tight race to earn their spot.

In Europe, the qualification process soft-launched in March and will get underway in full force this September. The 54 European teams will be divided into 12 groups, six of which will have five nations and four that have four. The winners of each group will qualify automatically, with the runners-up entering an inter-confederation play-off alongside four Nations League teams.

The qualifiers feature every country that has a FIFA-recognised national association. That includes non-members like Gibraltar, Guam and New Caledonia. However, some federations opt out of the continental qualifiers for a variety of reasons, often linked to political instability or the fact that they haven’t got suitable stadiums. If that is the case, a play-off on neutral ground with extra time and penalties if needed can be played if FIFA deems it possible within the coordinated international match calendar.

Athlete endorsements can elevate marketing campaigns by connecting brands with their audience in a powerful, credible way. Fans trust athletes to share honest opinions about products and services, and that credibility translates into brand loyalty and purchase influence.

Selecting the right athlete requires a deep understanding of the brand’s core values and ethos. For example, an athlete known for social activism may be a natural fit with sustainability initiatives. The more an athlete’s personal beliefs align with a company’s ethos, the more authentic the endorsement feels to consumers.

Endorsement contracts typically include appearance and content production requirements, licensing rights, and a variety of regulatory compliance benchmarks. Legal teams must support their clients in tracking deliverables through documented checklists and digital contract dashboards to prevent missed deadlines, which could trigger clawback clauses or reputational damage. Moreover, they must ensure that contracts provide for a flexible structure that includes a mix of fixed fees and performance incentives.

Athletes must also clearly disclose their relationships in online advertising, as well as adhere to strict authenticity standards. Attorneys can ensure that these protocols are included in contracts and that athletes are able to review, approve, or reject content before it goes live. Non-compliance can lead to fines and legal action from the Federal Trade Commission.

Formula 1 is an unrivalled global spectacle of speed, strategy and engineering excellence. It’s a sport that transcends mere racing; it is a global event that connects fans worldwide with the drama unfolding on the track through live timing and commentary. One of the core elements that distinguishes F1 from all other motorsport is its renowned live ranking system, which determines the season’s champions.

To win the Drivers’ Championship a driver must score points in all races, whether they finish first or last. A drivers’ tally is determined by the number of points they earn in each Grand Prix and Sprint race, with the highest amount awarded to the winner. Similarly, to win the Constructors’ Championship, a team must have its two drivers finish within the top 10 of every race.

The F1 world is an incredibly complex place to be with thousands of parts forming some of the fastest and most advanced cars in the world. It is governed by strict regulations, with the FIA controlling everything from engine size and component usage to aerodynamics and testing rules. It is these rules that drive many of the decisions and strategies that play a key role in shaping how F1 standings look. From rule changes boosting overtaking opportunities to significant technological advancements changing the speed landscape, pivotal shifts continually alter rankings across the entire field.

In the world of sports, technology is transforming player and fan experiences as well as enhancing training and stadium operations. These trends are driving the growth of sports technology at a global level.

Athletes are using wearable devices to track their physical performance, while fans engage with their favorite teams on digital platforms and social media. This digitalization of the sports industry has amplified fan engagement and forged new opportunities for athlete branding and revenue generation.

AI and machine learning are enabling more efficient analysis of data and statistics for sports teams, which can help improve team performance and build winning strategies. For instance, AI-powered video analytics enables coaches to identify patterns in the opposing teams’ play and develop strategic game plans. It also helps scout talent by analyzing gameplay footage and identifying player attributes.

In addition, virtual and augmented reality technologies are revolutionizing the fan experience with immersive broadcasts and interactive experiences. For example, Hawk-eye is a computer vision system that tracks the trajectory of a ball visually and displays a record of its statistically most likely path as a moving image on the screen during a live game.

Moreover, advanced data analytics and AI systems are empowering teams to maximize their performance in sports through predictive outcome modeling and intelligent crowd management algorithms. They are also helping to reduce maintenance costs and enhance stadium security with smart monitoring systems. Meanwhile, cloud-based analytics platforms offer flexibility and scalability.

Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, marched against their club’s owners at Chelsea or pushed back against plans to commercialize football, fans have long used their passion for the game as a tool of social change. From the Civil Rights Movement when black folks turned their love for sports into a powerful nonviolent weapon to the present, fan activism continues to be a vital force in the fight for equity and social justice.

This article draws on international perspectives to explore the ways in which fans, across a wide variety of different global territories, use sport-based fan culture as an avenue for activism and resistance. It examines the specific meanings ascribed to leisure and its role in shaping identities and agitating for change, as well as how fans use communication and posting formats (such as shout outs, prompts and asks) to facilitate and manage their activism.

The article also focuses on Liverpool’s historically rich cultural, sporting and fan media context and its idiosyncratic fan culture. Using data detailing the evolution of Boss Mag from its traditional fanzine format to the broader Boss Night events and The Anfield Wrap, the article highlights how the production of these fan media sites has become a central platform for fan activism and collective expressions of political identity. It identifies key aspects of this ‘fan media ecology’ as a site of fan activism that has contributed to the long-term success of Liverpool FC.

The Asian Games is the biggest sporting event in Asia. It is organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and has 45 participating countries or regions. It was first held in 1951, soon after World War II, to reestablish bonds between Asian nations through sports and contribute to world peace. The Games have been hosted by Japan twice in 1958 and 1994, and are scheduled to return to Tokyo in 2028 after having been postponed from 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a bid to cut costs for the upcoming 2026 edition of the Asian Games in Nagoya and Aichi prefectures, organizers have decided to rent out a luxury cruise ship that will serve as the ‘Athletes’ Village’. Nearly one-third of the 15,000 athletes and officials who are expected to attend the Games will stay on the vessel for the duration of their time in Japan, AINAGOC chief and Aichi Governor Hideaki Ohmura explained.

During its 1,500-day countdown, AINAGOC has been engaging with fans and members of the public on social media by asking them to produce inspirational slogans for their ‘thought corner’. In a show of its commitment to hosting the Games, AINAGOC has also released a series of promotional videos featuring the iconic Japanese castles of Aichi Prefecture.

During the 93rd OCA Executive Board meeting held in Harbin earlier this month, a total of 11 esports titles were confirmed for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games, four more than at Hangzhou 2023. PUBG and League of Legends will continue to feature, but Dota 2 was dropped in order to balance competitive integrity with broadcasting optimization.

Combat Sports are a unique group of athletic disciplines that involve direct physical contact with an opponent, typically in a contest setting. They are characterized by an emphasis on a system of rules that dictate the allowed techniques, scoring and judging systems for competitions, as well as general guidelines for safety. These governing structures provide athletes with a structured environment in which they can continually refine their skills for competition.

While the sport’s competitive nature is central to its core, learning a combat sport also instills important life-long skills that can benefit an athlete both on and off the mat. For example, a study conducted by the Good Men Project highlighted that the physical exertion and social support involved in training teaches individuals how to cope with setbacks, whether those are in the form of a coach change or an injury. Additionally, the repetition of practice drills promotes a perseverance mindset and teaches athletes to stay committed even when things do not go their way.

Additionally, participating in a combat sport can improve overall physical fitness and health through a full-body workout that enhances strength, speed, agility and cardiovascular endurance. The high-intensity nature of these sports also helps participants burn calories and build lean muscle mass. Furthermore, the ability to channel aggression and frustration in a controlled environment through sparring and other training provides a means of stress relief and emotional release. Finally, the social support and camaraderie in combat sports communities encourages a positive mental attitude and sense of community.