Over the past ten years, the pro sports industry has experienced exponential growth. Numerous elements and motivating forces both inside and outside the sector are responsible for this expansion.

The North American professional sports industry was estimated to be worth $71.06 billion by Statista in 2018, and it is anticipated to reach the $90 billion threshold by 2023. The professional sports market includes a variety of revenue streams, including sponsorships, media rights, and merchandising.

This sector has been expanding globally as a result of the factors listed below.

Sports Wagering

Pro sports and gambling have been entwined for generations. Sports enthusiasts like to extend their enjoyment and experience by placing bets on various sporting results. Given this, we cannot assert that we have evaluated the sports market without taking into account its betting component.

In the past, a physical sportsbook was the only location where spectators could wager on sports. However, owing to the internet and mobile technologies, those times are a thing of the past. The number of internet bookies has skyrocketed over the past decade.

Many of these betting sites promote professional sports by providing betting odds, partnering with athletes and streaming sports games. Still on betting, gambling sites like Buumi casino online might not provide sports betting. But they support pro sports by offering football, basketball, baseball and tennis themed slots.

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About Betting on NFL

eSports' Ascent

Esports are competitive digital gaming events, more like competitive video games, for those who are still new to this. Over the past few years, this industry has experienced significant growth.

Esports' income and viewership have reportedly been increasing at a pace of 14 percent yearly, according to Newzoo. This indicates that both the number of players and supporters have increased over time. Even more unexpected is how enthusiastically professional sports leagues like the NBA and the EPL have embraced esports.

To create a professional NBA 2K e-League, the NBA teamed up with Take-Two Interactive, a prominent video game company. More and more teams and leagues are noticing this pattern and making adjustments as a result.

Other considerations include mobile compatibility and a website with round-the-clock technical help.

Read Also: How Fantasy Cricket Popularity Grew during Lockdown

The Development of Fantasy Sports

The global fantasy sports market is already worth more than $25 billion, and Research & Markets predicts that it will grow at a CAGR of 9.5 per cent in the coming years. According to data service research, the market is expected to reach $38.6 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 14.7 per cent.

 Another report by Technavio projects that the North American fantasy sports industry will grow by $6.11 billion between 2021 and 2026. In this particular study, market drivers, projected market trends, significant investment areas, market size, competitive situations, winning tactics, and projections were all thoroughly examined.

The primary and most popular fantasy sports include baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and cricket. The primary technological factor enabling the success of fantasy sports is artificial intelligence.

A fantasy football app was released in 2020 thanks to a partnership between US broadcaster ESPN and computing giant IBM. The app uses AI to provide fair transactions and to inform consumers.

Streaming Technologies

A few years ago, sports fans had two options: either they went to the games in person or they paid for subscriptions to major sports networks like Fox Sports, ESPN, and Super Sports. Sports fans can now watch live games in real-time on a variety of streaming websites.

Sports streaming software has already been integrated into the platforms of all significant media sources and social networking sites. As a result of more sports coverage, more media rights are granted and sports awareness rises.

In other words, sports enthusiasts are not required to pay any additional fees to enjoy their favorite sports. As a result, sports viewing statistics have broken records. A decade ago, it was unthinkable that anyone could watch a pro sporting event on their mobile phone.

Read Also: Which country has won the most football world cup?: Top 8 List

Sponsorship Contracts

For pro sports teams and leagues, sponsorship agreements are a significant source of funding. These agreements are constructed in a way that is advantageous to all parties. The sponsor often commits to supporting the club or league in exchange for the chance to promote or advertise their goods or services via the franchise of the team or league.

Through sponsorship agreements, companies from other industries, including gaming, clothing, and footwear, have been funneling billions of dollars into the sports industry for years. Sports leagues and teams use this money to develop and enhance their brands.

Sporting organizations need enough money to function effectively, just like any other organization. This is now achievable thanks to interested sponsors.

Successful Community Relations

The majority of professional sports leagues and clubs have specialized sections for community relations. This implies that the majority of collegiate and professional athletes invest time or money in initiatives that strengthen their communities.

 In 2014, the Boston Bruins hockey players celebrated Halloween with young patients at a nearby children's hospital. To encourage the patients, they even donned Frozen costumes from the Disney blockbuster.

To combat bullying, the Northwestern sports department's community relations staff and student-athletes collaborated to develop the Reach Out and Reinforce Respect (ROARR) initiative in 2013.

These are just a couple of the numerous efforts by sports leagues that benefit local communities. Communities' support for sports has increased as a result; after all, "He who gives receives."

National Cooperation and Local Pride

The vast majority of people enjoy sports. Sports provide the perfect venue for bringing people together to cheer on their national teams in international competitions and local teams at local sports events. In other words, sports are fundamentally woven into the social fabric of people across the world.

City pride goes hand in hand with national pride. You'll see that almost all professional sports teams use their hometowns as the basis for their names. This fosters a sense of community pride among residents both on and off the field when their teams compete.

Conclusion

From their modest origins, professional sports have developed into a multimillion-dollar business. There is a huge global following for these competitive sports. Large sponsors have also been attracted to live events like tournaments. Professional sports will probably continue to advance dramatically in the upcoming years.

The No.10 jersey in football is always an iconic one. Be it for any club, country or any team playing in a local tournament, usually the best player of the team or the attacker wears the No.10 jersey for the team. 

FC Barcelona, one of the best and historical clubs in the World, had some of the greatest players ever to wear the No. 10 jersey for them. Today, in this article, we will discuss 10 legendary Barcelona players who have worn the jersey no. 10. 

To give you the context of the article, let me remind you that, after a great 2024-25 season, Lamine Yamal is set to wear the No.10 jersey for FC Barcelona in the next season, only if Ansu Fati leaves the club. 

Read Also | Football jersey numbers: Significance of jersey numbers in football

1. Lionel Messi (2008-2021)

If you talk about any stats or legendary things about FC Barcelona, there is a chance that you will have to mention the little man from Argentina, Lionel Messi. Most goals, most trophies, most assists, most Ballon d'Ors, and many more records for the club - Messi has everything to his name.

Messi had 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 appearances for FC Barcelona and left the club with the most number of titles. The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner wore the No.10 jersey for the first time in 2008 when Ronaldinho left the Catalan club to join AC Milan. 

Since then, Messi has worn the iconic jersey for 14 years, before leaving the club as the greatest Barcelona player. 

Read Also | 11 players who have won the most trophies in football history

2. Diego Maradona (1982–1984)

An Argentine legend followed by another one. One of the greatest footballers ever, Diego Maradona, who is known for his time at Italian Club Napoli, spent two seasons at FC Barcelona as well. 

Although Maradona's stint at Barcelona was full of controversies and injuries, he scored 38 goals in 58 matches and won the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup for FC Barcelona. 

3. Ronaldinho (2003–2008)

With his Samba magic and flair, Ronaldinho is regarded as one of the greatest Barcelona players ever. The Brazilian legend was there when Messi made his debut and gave him all the support to fill his shoes later. Before Messi, it was Ronaldinho, who used to wear the No. 10 jersey for FC Barcelona. 

Ronaldinho scored 94 goals and provided 71 assists in 207 matches for FC Barcelona. 

Alongside winning two La Liga titles, he also won the 2006 UEFA Champions League for the Spanish club.

Read Also | Top 10 Greatest EL Clasico Matches of All Time

4. Gary Lineker (1986–1989)

Gary Lineker is one of the greatest English players ever to play for FC Barcelona. From 1986 to 1989, Lineker played for FC Barcelona in 138 matches, wearing the famous No. 10 jersey. 

Lineker scored 51 goals for the Catalan club and helped them win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1989.

5. Rivaldo (1997–2002)

Rivaldo, the Brazilian legend and captain, joined FC Barcelona in the 1997 season and played 235 games for the Catalan, the most he played for any club in his career. The attacking midfielder scored 130 goals for Barcelona and won four titles, including two La Liga titles. 

Not only that, during his stint at Barcelona, he won the FIFA Best Player Award and Ballon d'Or award in 1999. 

Read Also | Football Facts: Players With Champions League, World Cup and Ballon d'Or

6. César Rodríguez (1939–1955)

Since there was no consistency in jersey numbers during the 1930s and 1940s era, it is quite unclear how many games he played wearing the No. 10 jersey for FC Barcelona. But Cesar, who wore the No. 10 jersey occasionally for FC Barcelona, played 344 games for the club.

In those games, he scored 226 goals and won 11 trophies for the club, including 5 La Liga titles. With 28 goals, he also finished the 1948-49 season as the top scorer of La Liga.

7. Juan Román Riquelme (2002–2005)

Another Argentine legend is on the list of legendary players to wear the No. 10 jersey for FC Barcelona. Riquelme, the legendary Argentine attacking midfielder, though he only played 42 games for FC Barcelona, made his mark before leaving for Villarreal and Boca Juniors. 

8. Michael Laudrup (1989–1994)

Laudrup, the Danish playmaker, was an integral part of Johan Cruyff’s dream team. The stylish midfielder played 226 games for FC Barcelona and scored 54 goals for the club. Along with his goals, Laudrup assisted 26 times as well. 

Laudrup won 9 trophies for FC Barcelona, including 1 UEFA Champions League, 4 La Liga titles, 1 UEFA Supercup and 2 Spanish Super Cups. Post becoming FC Barcelona.

After his successful 1992 and 1993 seasons, Laudrup joined Real Madrid the next season. 

9. Luis Suárez Miramontes (1955–1961)

One of the greatest Spanish midfielders, Luis Suárez Miramontes, is also one of the greatest FC Barcelona players. Luis Suárez Miramontes, in 176 games for FC Barcelona, scored 80 goals and assisted 21 times. 

Suarez won two La Liga titles and two Spanish Cup titles for FC Barcelona before moving to Inter Milan, where he flourished as a striker and went on to win two Champions League titles as well. 

But before leaving for Inter Milan, he won the 1960 Ballon d'Or while playing for FC Barcelona.

10. Hugo Sotil (1973–1976)

Hugo Sotil, the Peruvian striker, was one of the key players for FC Barcelona during the Johan Cruyff era. In 70 games, he scored 18 goals and helped FC Barcelona win the 1973–74 La Liga title.

Hugo was one of the key members of Barcelona's resurgence in the 1970s. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the final by defeating Punjab Kings in the first qualifier of IPL 2025. Punjab Kings lost the qualifier but their chances of winning the title are not over. 

Also Read: RCB in IPL final: Seasons when RCB qualified for IPL finals

First playoffs system implemented in 2011

The playoffs system was implemented for the first time in 2011, in which Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and Final match are played. If the team winning Qualifier 1 reaches the final, then the losing team gets another chance.

The team that wins the Eliminator plays against the team that loses Qualifier 1 and the team that wins this match plays the Final.

Do you know how many times the teams that lost the qualifiers have won the title? Let us take you through the history of the playoffs of the cash rich league.

How many times has the team that lost Qualifier 1 reached the final?

IPL 2024 runner-up team Sunrisers Hyderabad also made it to the finals by winning Qualifier-1 and then Qualifier-2. So far it has happened 11 times that the team that lost Qualifier-1 has reached the final. That is, it has won Qualifier-2. See which teams have reached the finals after losing Qualifier-1 in which season.

• 2011: RCB
• 2013: MI
• 2014: PBKS
• 2015: CSK
• 2017: MI
• 2018: SRH
• 2019: MI
• 2020: DC
• 2022: RR
• 2023: GT
• 2024: SRH

Also Read: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2025 Eliminator Preview, Head-to-head, Possible XIs and Fantasy Team Prediction

Which team won the IPL title after losing Qualifier 1?

Before Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians is the only team that has won the IPL trophy even after losing Qualifier 1. Out of 11 seasons, it has happened only twice that the team that lost the qualifier has won the title, while the remaining 9 times such teams have lost in the final.

• 2017: MI won the trophy by defeating RPS in the final.
• 2013: MI won the trophy by defeating CSK in the final

Punjab Kings can become the second IPL team to win the title after losing Qualifier 1. On the other hand, Bangalore has reached the IPL 2025 finals earlier also after winning Qualifier 1 but had to face defeat. The good news is that out of 14 times, the teams that won Qualifier 1 have won the title 11 times.

The Indian contingent, over 60 athletes participating at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in Gumi, Republic of Korea, from May 27 to 31. So far, Indian athletes have won 14 medals, five gold, six silver and three bronze, at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025.

400m runner Rupal Chaudhary and 1500m runner Pooja bagged silver medals, while Yoonus Shah added a bronze in the men’s 1500m event. Rupal clocked 52.68 seconds to finish second in the women’s 400m final. India’s Vithya Ramraj came in fifth with a time of 53.00 seconds. Pooja timed 4:10.83sec in the women’s 1500m to come in second, ahead of Lili Das, who finished fourth in 4:13.81sec.

In the men’s section, Yoonus Shah bagged the bronze with a time of 3:43.03, behind Japan’s Kazuto Lizawa, who clocked a PB of 3:42.56 and South Korean Jaeung Lee, who timed 3:42.79.

Also Read: Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Gulveer Singh wins gold in the men’s 10,000m, third Indian to achieve this feat

Meanwhile, India’s 4x400m mixed relay team successfully retained the gold medal as the quartet of Rupal, Santhosh Kumar, Vishal TK and Subha Venkatesan earned top spot with a timing of 3:18.12sec.

Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar added a silver for the nation, as he finished second in his event after accumulating a score of 7618 following the 10 events.

Earlier, India’s Gulveer Singh claimed the gold medal in the 10,000m event, while Servin Sebastian bagged the 20km race walk bronze.

The 26th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships features over 2000 athletes from 43 nations. Indian athletes are participating in a total of 30 medal events - 15 for men, 14 for women and one mixed team - over the five-day competition.

Asian Athletics Championships 2025 | India’s medal winners

Asian Athletics Championships 2025 | Medal Tally

The Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty performed brilliantly in the Singapore Open 2025 badminton tournament, making it to the semifinals with a straight-game win over world No. 1 Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin on Friday.

Also Read : Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019

The Indian pair, which has been facing fitness challenges for some time, showed excellent performance in this match. The Indian pair displayed rock-solid defence and controlled the front court with precision to register a 21-17, 21-15 win in a 39-minute quarterfinal clash at the Singapore Open 2025 Super 750 badminton tournament.

Third semifinal of the season

This is their third semifinal appearance of the season, having reached the last-four stage at both the Malaysia and India Open earlier this year.

The former world No. 1 Indians held a 6-2 head-to-head record against the Malaysians going into the match, although they had lost their most recent meeting at the India Open.

Match Report

The match began with two service faults in the first four points and featured short rallies as both pairs looked to execute angled returns and attack at the earliest opportunity. As a result, the score moved evenly from 1-1 to 7-7 before the Indians gained a three-point cushion at the interval, with Satwik dictating the serve and third shot.

The Indian pair maintained the pressure to go up 15-11 before Satwik committed a service error and Izzuddin unleashed a jump smash to narrow the gap to 13-15. A brutal forehand smash from Satwik pushed India ahead at 18-15. Izzuddin then hit one wide, and Chirag, who had earlier sent a shot long, redeemed himself with a straight smash to earn three game points.

Goh buried a service return into the net, handing the Indians the opening game and the early advantage. Chirag made a few errors early in the second game, but the Indians did well to keep pace in the high-speed exchanges, with the score level at 6-6.

Satwik and Chirag then reeled off four consecutive points before an unforced error halted their momentum. A body blow from Chirag forced a weak return from Izzuddin into the net, giving India a four-point lead at the interval. A sharp backhand at the net took the Indians to 15-9 after the break. Satwik then sent down a thunderous smash to make it 16-10.

Though the Indians committed a few unforced errors, Satwik produced another fierce return to earn five match points. They sealed the win after another error from their opponents.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been one of the most popular franchises in IPL history with millions of followers around the globe. However, despite having many great players of the game playing for them, RCB have failed to win the IPL title till now.

In the 18 seasons of the tournament, they have reached the IPL final four times so far. They first reached the final in 2009 and then qualified for the IPL finals once 2011 and another time in 2016, before reaching the final this season. Unfortunately, they have faced defeat on all three previous occasions. 

2009 IPL final: Lost vs Deccan Chargers by 6 runs

After beating Chennai Super Kings in the semi-finals of the second season in 2009, RCB qualified for the final. In the final at Johannesburg, RCB bowled first, winning the toss. Their captain, Anil Kumble, was on fire with a spell of 16/4 in 4 overs and restricted Deccan Chargers to 143/6 only. Herschelle Gibbs was the best batter of Deccan with an unbeaten 53 from 48 balls. 

But during the chase, RCB struggled from the beginning and even with a good-looking 32 from Roelof van der Merwe, RCB fell 6 runs short of the total. Pragyan Ojha, with 28/3 in 4 overs, was the pick of the bowlers for Deccan in that final. 

2011 IPL final: Heavy 58-run defeat against CSK

Two seasons later, RCB again reached the IPL final, this time under Daniel Vettori. RCB had finished at the top of the points table after the league stage, and despite losing the qualifier 1 against CSK, they qualified for the final after beating Mumbai Indians in the second eliminator.  

In the final, RCB were asked to bowl first. CSK managed a huge total of 205 in the first inning, with the help of a 95 from Murali Vijay. Chris Gayle was the star with the ball for RCB with 34/2 in four overs. 

During the chase, RCB crumbled, and except for Saurabh Tiwary's fighting unbeaten 42 from 34 balls, no one could get going. Virat Kohli also played a slow 32-ball 35 innings. In the end, RCB lost by 58 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three wickets, giving away just 16 runs in four overs, for CSK.

Read Also | IPL 2025: RCB batters create this unique history before the playoffs

2016 IPL final: Lost by 8 runs against SRH

Among the three defeats in the final, this one is the most heartbreaking for RCB fans. After finishing second in the league stage, they defeated Gujarat Lions in the qualifier 1 to enter the final. 

In the final, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and decided to put runs on the board. David Warner scored a stunning 69 from 38 balls, and Ben Cutting, with an unbeaten 39 from 15 balls, took SRH to 208 in the first innings. 

Unlike the two previous finals, RCB got off to a flyer during the chase. Chris Gayle smashed 76 from 38 balls while Kohli scored 54 from 35 balls, to finish with a record-breaking 973 run season. 

With 67 needed from 8 overs and 8 wickets in hand, RCB struggled under pressure and eventually lost the game by 8 runs. 

IPL 2025: Reached the final

RCB qualify for the IPL finals for the fourth time!

Will it be their lucky time this time in Ahmedabad?

📸IPL#RCB #PBKSvRCB #ipl2025playoffs #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/jrO4LnCSo4

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) May 29, 2025

RCB finished second in the group stage to set up a date with Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final. Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Yash Dayal did exceedingly well to restrict PBKS to 101 in the first inning. 

Phil Salt played an incredible inning of unbeaten 56 from 27 balls to take RCB over the final in just 10 overs.