Athlete Endorsement Contracts

Athlete endorsements offer a unique opportunity for brands to forge an emotional connection with consumers. Athlete endorsements are most effective when they align with a brand’s values and are authentically integrated into the company’s identity. This enables brands to stand out amongst competitors and create differentiation in the market.

Endorsement contracts must clearly define performance deliverables and attribution metrics. Compensation is often structured as a combination of fixed fees and performance incentives. In addition, contracts may establish limits on geographic scope and product categories (e.g., athletic shoes vs. lifestyle apparel).

Long-term athlete endorsements offer the potential for deeper integration and a more genuine representation of brand identity. This allows for an opportunity to create a narrative around how the brand is woven into the athlete’s life story. Athlete-brand partnerships can also facilitate collaboration on new products and creative initiatives.

Athlete endorsements involve a significant amount of legal risk and need to be carefully structured to protect against the unexpected. Endorsement agreements should include indemnification provisions, morality clauses, and termination/restructuring rights. In addition, it is critical to address evolving regulatory standards and digital media dynamics in contract negotiations and drafting. Legal practitioners must collaborate with marketing teams to incorporate valuation analytics, negotiation strategy, and stakeholder roles into the contract drafting process. This helps ensure that the agreement reflects current conditions and anticipates future trends in the NIL and professional markets. This approach also supports more effective and cost-efficient legal management of NIL and celebrity agreements.

How Nations Are Doing in FIFA International Qualifiers

As October’s international window comes to a close, the countdown for next summer’s World Cup is in full swing. Here’s how nations around the globe are doing in their qualifying attempts.

In Europe, the top 12 in the UEFA Nations League will qualify automatically for the finals, while those finishing lower than that will have to take part in intercontinental playoffs. There are also paths for teams to reach the finals via FIFA’s ‘play-off system’, which involves the best runners-up in each confederation’s group.

Several big-name nations are in contention to reach the World Cup finals via this route, with four routes left open in Conmebol and one in Asia. Despite dropping a point against Israel, Norway are top of their group after Erling Haaland’s sixth hat-trick of the qualifiers.

Elsewhere in the continent, Jordan are in pole position to make the finals after a 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan. The victory pushed them up to second in Group B, ensuring they will join Iran (24 points) in the finals from Round 3. Uzbekistan (16 points) have already qualified from their group, while Qatar, Iraq and Oman are out.

Just two direct qualification spots remain in Asia, with the runner-ups of each group progressing to the fourth round. In this phase, the groups are redrawn into two groups of three teams who play single round robin matches, with the winners and runners-up advancing to Round 5. The winners from each group will go through to the final two places at the World Cup. Suriname and Jamaica are vying for these spots in their group, with both sides managed by former Netherlands goalkeeper Stanley Menzo. Huddersfield defender Radinio Balker is among the players in the Suriname squad.

The Masters Leaderboard

The Masters leaderboard shows the top 50 players, plus ties, who advance to the final two rounds at Augusta National Golf Club. This year, the cut line fell at 2 over, and there were a number of notable names who missed out.

Justin Rose held on to the lead at The Masters on Friday as he shot a one-under 71 in his second round. The Englishman, who is attempting to win the green jacket for a third time, has won eight rounds at Augusta during his career. He had birdies on the first three holes, as well as the par-5 13th hole, in his bogey-free round.

Rory McIlroy bounced back from a poor finish to the first round with the lowest second-round score at Augusta, a 6-under 66. The one-time major champion is tied for the lead with Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler, while Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Aberg are also chasing him down.

McIlroy is seeking to exorcise the demons of Augusta and complete his career Grand Slam. He will tee off in the final group alongside Rose and DeChambeau on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. You can follow the action live from Augusta with our new Masters leaderboard, and check out our all-new PLAY hub for puzzles, games and more. The Masters is a tournament for invitation only, and participants are selected from among those who have won a major championship in the past five years, or have finished in the top 10 of a regular season major. The Masters is a tradition that dates to 1922.

World Athletics Championship

The World Athletics Championship is the world championships in track and field athletics organized by World Athletics (formerly International Association of Athletic Federations). Along with the Olympic Games, it forms the highest level of senior international outdoor competition in the sport.

The milestone 20th edition of the World Athletics Championship will serve as the season finale to an exciting summer for track and field athletes. With a number of intriguing storylines, there’s plenty to discover as the world’s best athletes gather in Tokyo for the milestone event that marks the first time the championships have been held in Japan since 1983.

Jeannette and Rob discover that Saint Lucian sprint sensation Julien Alfred will be looking to make history in the men’s 100m final. And in The Vault, Karsten Warholm will be hoping to rebound after a disappointing run at the Paris Olympics.

The defending world champion over 400m hurdles is also coming to the championships with a lot of confidence. However, he faces a tough challenge from the likes of runner-up Rai Benjamin of the USA and Brazilian Alison dos Santos, who both broke the world record in this event earlier this year.

The first three days of the championships have been disrupted by extreme heat in Tokyo. Temperatures are expected to peak at 34C on Wednesday and the organisers have moved up some races’ start times in order to ensure athletes’ safety. The organisers said in a statement: “We have taken this decision in consultation with the World Athletics Health & Science Department. This is the best way we can ensure the athletes’ health and safety.”

International Sports

A key feature of international sports are the competitions between teams from different countries. These can be at a national level, for example the World Cup football tournament or the Olympics, or between multiple nations as in the case of cricket and rugby league (World Cup) and baseball (World Series).

Hosting major events like the Olympics and football World Cup can boost a city or country’s reputation internationally. The Olympics and FIFA have explicit rules that recognise that hosting a major event should lead to sustainable improvements in the host city. This is why it is important for cities to lobby the organisers of these events to make sure that the bids are realistic and that they will be able to deliver on their promises.

However, even positive policies can only go so far. As Zohreh Abdollahkhani from the University of Trondheim points out, if the organisation governing an event is located in Europe, there’s little it can do to hold Western governments accountable for human rights abuses committed in their region.

There are also a variety of other international sporting events, from the Universiade – an international university sport event for students – to Six Nations rugby. These can give an insight into the sports culture of a country, which can be a good way to immerse yourself in local life when studying or interning abroad. For example, a visit to Florence would not be complete without witnessing calcio fiorentino – a violent mix of soccer, rugby and MMA.

The Most Viral Sports Moments of 2024

Sports can be a crazy and wild ride for spectators, especially when things don’t go exactly as planned. From “pommel horse guy” earning a bronze medal and a spot on “Dancing With the Stars” to Dwyane Wade’s statue reveal, this year has been full of head-scratching sports moments that have left fans in stitches and awe.

Despite its reputation as the beautiful game, soccer has its fair share of strange and unbelievable sports moments. One such occurrence was when a dog managed to save a goal in a crucial moment during a soccer match, leaving players and fans alike in awe of the canine’s incredible reflexes.

The famous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, known as the Battle of the Sexes, went far beyond a regular game of tennis and became an iconic sporting event that was hailed for its wide-reaching impact on gender equality. In addition to tennis, 2024 has seen its fair share of unforgettable sporting events in everything from darts to heavyweight boxing. From a 16-year-old kid from northern England to a 58-year-old returning former heavyweight champion, here are the viral sports moments of 2024 that got everyone talking.

World Series Highlights

The World Series, the pinnacle of baseball competition, is a place where legendary moments are born. The best of these moments are the ones that reverberate down through baseball history and give us a glimpse into the pure joy and passion that this game embodies.

From Carlton Fisk’s dramatic walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series to the first perfect game in MLB history, these are the moments that have stood out in the annals of the Fall Classic.

This year’s World Series has provided its fair share of memorable moments as well. Freddie Freeman’s game-winning shot in the 18th inning of Monday’s marathon Game 3 was a stunning display of power and persistence that will go down in World Series lore.

FOX Sports photographer Zeke Hernandez was in the right place at the right time when he captured the moment on camera. The photo of Hernandez’s finger pointing in the direction of the ball as it was flying to the plate is one of the best World Series pictures in history.

Shohei Ohtani had a game for the ages in Game 3 of the World Series, and he’s on a short list of players to have done so. He doubled and homered in the same game, and he made a huge impact on his team’s offense despite a calf injury he claimed was nothing more than a cramp. He is one of the most special talents this game has ever seen.

Social Media in Sports

Social media is transforming sports leagues, teams and players by enabling two-way communication with global fans (especially the Gen Z audience), deep engagement with sports content, expanding revenue opportunities and more. This rapidly changing landscape is influencing how organizations and athletes engage with their audiences as well as shape conversations and public perceptions of sports events.

Athletes can build their personal brand through social platforms by sharing regular glimpses of their lives and engaging with their audiences authentically. Athletes who can attract a large following on their own can boost their contract value, endorsement chances and overall career success.

Similarly, sports organizations can leverage social media to share photos and video highlights of memorable moments from player or team histories that create a sense of community and loyalty amongst fans. Social media is also a platform for athlete advocacy, allowing them to promote causes they care about, expand their influence and reach, and grow their audience at the same time.

On the other hand, social media can be stressful for athletes. Constant public scrutiny can make them feel compelled to uphold a polished online image, which can stifle their own authenticity and lead to overuse of the platform. It is important for athletes to find a balance and to have tools to prevent unhealthy overuse of social media.

College and university athletic departments can provide resources for their student athletes to help them navigate social media use by educating them on the impact of social media on their mental performance and wellbeing. They should also offer support to help them develop a healthy online presence early in their careers to set them up for success down the line.

New Champions League Format for 2024-25

Champions League is one of the biggest soccer competitions in the world. Winning it doesn’t just give you bragging rights over your cross-town rivals or country; it crowns you as the best club in Europe. It takes more than top talent to win, though. It also takes heart, and a bit of luck.

The 2024-25 season marks the beginning of a new format for Champions League, one that aims to strengthen the synergy between the league phase and the knockout rounds. The league phase rankings will now determine and lay out the bracket for the knockout round of sixteen.

From there, the remaining thirty-two teams will be divided into eight groups of four clubs each. The randomized draw will restrict placing two teams from the same national league in the same group and use a coefficient-based seeding system to create competitive balance within each of the groups. Each team will play its fellow clubs in the group twice: once at home and once away, earning three points for a win and one point for a draw.

Those teams that finish ninth through 16th will be seeded in the knockout play-off draw and will face a team that is ranked between 17th and 24th. The two winners of those play-off ties will then join the final group of 16 clubs that were seeded. Unlike past seasons, which saw country protection in place until the quarterfinals, there will no longer be any protected groups for the knockout round of 16. This means that a team like Liverpool could potentially be drawn against Chelsea.

Esports Tournament News

Esports tournament news is a growing segment of the video game industry. It’s a global competition, watched by millions and backed by major brands. Esports is revolutionising the way consumers follow, watch and engage with video games. The events are arranged by game publishers and are regulated by the games industry to ensure competition is fair and consistent.

In its earliest form, esports consisted of competitive gaming in arcade settings. One of the first cited examples of this was the Intergalactic Spacewar! Olympics in 1972. More recently, esports gained momentum in the 2000s when the concept of professional leagues was pioneered by a company called Major League Gaming (MLG).

The tournaments are typically organized by the game developers themselves or independent organizations that hold rights to organize a particular title’s esports ecosystem. They often feature a variety of formats, from separate events that focus on a specific aspect of the video game, to championships that are designed to crown the best overall team.

May 2025 features a number of notable esports events, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s PGL Bucharest and BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, IEM Spring, Call of Duty: League’s Stage 3 Major and Rocket League’s RLCS Birmingham Major. This month also sees OG, Astralis and FaZe Clan aiming for glory in their respective leagues.

June is a busy month for esports, with the likes of PUBG Mobile’s ESEE World Cup, IEM Cologne and VALORANT Champions 2025 featuring in the calendar. The esports landscape is also being rocked by the start of the new season of Riot’s flagship League of Legends World Championship, which is always one of the most viewed events in esports history.