Events streamed online allow hundreds of millions of fans around the world to watch video game teams and players just as they would go to a stadium or arena and view a beloved local sports club.

Madden NFL 19 is the latest edition of the video game series named after retired NFL Super Bowl champion coach and long-time television commentator John Madden.

The game, considered one of the most realistic digital NFL games, was released by manufacturer EA Sports earlier this month ahead of the 2018-19 NFL campaign that begins September 6.

Tournaments of various styles of video games have grown in popularity in recent years, with shooting, strategy, and fighting for multi-player teams evolving into some major arena events.

The Florida event was a regional qualifier for a Madden NFL 19 Classic tournament that would deliver a $25,000 top prize to the eventual champion at the main event in Las Vegas later this year.

Games feature soundtracks and realistic player motion for rushers, blockers and quarterbacks and receivers.

“This is a horrible situation and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved,” EA Sports tweeted.

The NFL said in a statement, “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy today in Jacksonville. Our hearts go out to all those affected.”

The boom in eSports has caught the attention of such sports groups as FIFA and the NBA, who boast popular video games and leagues, and eSports is a demonstration sport in the Asian Games currently ongoing in Jakarta, expected to move to full medal status in 2022.

The International Olympic Committee has studied the possible future inclusion of eSports medals in its offerings.

There was minor controversy over the Madden 19 release having the name of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick censored, a move EA Sports said was required because with him no longer in the NFL and not a member of the NFL Players Association, they did not have the rights to use him in the game.

Kaepernick began the kneeling protest before US anthems at NFL games while a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, a move that has continued despite harsh criticism from US President Donald Trump.

SUTIYA JIEWCHALOEMMIT finally made an Asian Games breakthrough, claiming her first women’s skeet gold medal on a day of mixed fortunes for Thai athletes in Indonesia on Sunday.

After settling for bronze in 2010 and 2014, it was third-time lucky for the 32-year-old sharpshooter who beat Wei Meng of China 55-54 in the final. Her mark of 55 also equalled Asian record set by Wei in the Asian Championships in Astana last year. Defending champion Kim Minji of South Korea won the bronze with 42 points.

Sutiya’s gold medal came to Thailand’s rescue on a day when badminton star Ratchanok Intanon was knocked out of the tournament and gold medal prospects in golf yielded nothing after the final day. Hers was the ninth gold medal for Thailand in the Games.

“I was trying to stay focused. There may have been some hiccups but I fought my way back,” said Sutiya, who was heart-broken when she was unable to win a medal in the 2016 Olympics Games as the world No 1 then.

“I tried to turn the poor results of the past into a thrust for future success. It really paid of. I’m so delighted,” said Sutiya, who finally regained her momentum after poor results for months due to change of equipment and some techniques. She will enter an Olympic Qualifying event in South Korea in the next 10 days.

In badminton, fourth-seeded Ratchanok blew a 11-4 lead away in the first game and lost to Saina Nehwal of India 21-18 21-16 in the women’s singles quarter-final. The former world No 1, after the big lead, failed to capitalise on her opportunities as the Indian world No 10 slowly found her momentum and got back into the match to score her fifth straight win over the Thai since the 2016 Australian Open.

“I was in solid control and felt relaxed until she started coming back. I came under pressure and couldn’t control the shots,” said Ratchanok.

“I came into the match knowing my chance was 50-50 per cent. I had to overcome my own nerves if I had to win that match. I still need to improve,” said Ratchanok, who has been stopped at this stage for two straight Asian Games.

Later in the day, Thai No 2 Nitchaon Jindapol lost to World Championships finalist PV Sindhu of India 21-11 16-21 21-14. Their exits meant no Thai woman has ever progressed to the semi-finals since Sujittra Ekmongkolpaisarn won the bronze medal in 1998 in Bangkok.

The Thai badminton’s team, however, achieved their goal of one Games medal by grabbing the bronze from the women’s team event last week.

Atthaya Thitikul

In golf, which was expected to yield two golds, the men’s and women’s teams finished fourth while teenage prodigy Atthaya Thitikul and Sadom Kaewkanjana finished fifth and sixth, the best among Thai players, in the women’s and men’s individual respectively. It was a lacklustre result for the amateur golf association after having won a gold, one silver and two bronzes in 2014.

Elsewhere, in the women’s canoe TBR 500m, Thailand settled for third with a time of 2:26.904 minutes while South Korea crossed the line first in 2:24.788 minutes with China coming in second in 2:25.092.

Thailand also won a bronze from the equestrian team event, scoring 126.70 points. Japan, with 82.40 points won the gold, followed by India, with 121.30. It was the second medal for the Thai equestrian team after winning the dressage team bronze last week.

Later in the evening, the women’s 3×3 basketball team edged out Taiwan 15-14 in the bronze medal match to capture the first Asian Games medal for Thailand in 52 years.

Suttisak Singkhon won the first medal from athletics for Thailand in the 18th Games after he finished second in men’s decathlon.

Ginting beat Chen Long 21-19, 21-11 to sail through to the semis, guaranteeing Indonesia a medal in the men’s singles event in Jakarta.

The 21-year-old, fresh from victory against Japanese world champion Kento Momota on Saturday, brought the curtains down on China’s medal hopes after Shi Yuqi’s swift exit in the first round.

The new Indonesian poster boy will now face Taiwan heavyweight Chou Tien Chen, who battled past NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong 21-18, 21-18.

World number 10 Kenta Nishimoto kept up the Japanese fight after defeating Korea’s Son Wan ho in straight games and will meet Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the final-four clash.

In the women’s draw, India’s Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu assured their country of at least a bronze after making the semi-finals.

Sindhu, who was recently listed as the world’s seventh highest paid sportswoman by Forbes, got past Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol 21-11, 16-21, 21-14 in the last-eight match.

But the lanky Indian — who is ranked third in the world — admitted to making mistakes in the second game, saying she was nervous.

“I made unforced errors. I felt that I could have finished off in two sets but I think due to my easy errors I gave her the second set,” Sindhu told reporters.

“I was leading and then I started giving off points and then I was nervous. I thought nothing is going on, nothing happening with my strokes. They were simple errors but I began to get more nervous,” she said.

Earlier Sindhu’s teammate and rival Nehwal got past fourth-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-18, 21-16.

It is the first time in 36 years that India will be getting an individual badminton medal at the continental games since the late Syed Modi’s gold in 1982.

The Indian shuttlers will go head-to-head if they win their respective semis on Monday and Sindhu is looking forward to the challenge.

“Hopefully if that happens then it is very good for Indian badminton. Proud moment for the country. Two singles players in the finals,” said Sindhu, who recently lost the gold to Nehwal in the Commonwealth Games.

“Definitely hoping to get the best. Not just the medal but it should be a gold. It’s not over yet and I have to keep going,” she added.

Nehwal will face the world number one from Taiwan, Tai Tzu Ying, who knocked out 2017 World Champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-15 21-10.

Sindhu will play world number two Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, who won her match against Chen Yufei of China 21-19, 21-11

Like her 22-year-old sibling Rim Un Sim in Saturday’s 69kg category, the reigning Olympic champion enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory in the 75kg class — this time by a massive 26kg.

“I was a bit nervous after my sister won, just hoping I could do the same,” said a delighted Jong Sim, 25, who was watched by her sister Un Sim as she further extended North Korea’s record weightlifting haul at the Asian Games.

The sisters couldn’t hold back their emotions after Jong Sim was presented with her gold medal by North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk and the secretive country’s anthem played for the seventh time in seven days of competition.

After wiping away her tears, Un Sim told AFP: “I was so happy for ‘Onni’ (‘big sister’). I knew she could win but I couldn’t hold back when I thought of her and my country.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Jong Sim. “This gold is not just for me but for my country,” she told reporters. “I cried when I thought about my country. I can’t wait to go back home now.”

North Korea’s previous best performance at the Games had been four weightlifting golds at the Incheon Asiad four years ago.

But with regional heavyweights China, who topped the Incheon weightlifting medals with seven golds, and Kazakhstan currently under a doping suspension, the North Koreans have dominated the event.

– Six of the best –

Rim was so in control that her opening weights in each discipline would have been enough to win, and she used the rest of the competition like a training exercise with a flawless series culminating in a snatch of 116kg and clean and jerk of 147kg.

After her sixth and final successful lift she broke into a huge smile and waved to the packed crowd containing a large North Korean delegation including the sports minister.

A few minutes earlier, South Korea’s Mun Min-hee had screamed with delight after personal bests of 106kg in the snatch and 130kg in the clean and jerk had propelled her into the silver medal position on 236kg.

But Uzbekistan’s Omadoy Otakuziyeva, who had one lift remaining, increased her clean and jerk lifetime best by 6kg to leapfrog Mun and snatch the silver by just 1kg.

Later another Uzbek, Rio Olympic champion Ruslan Nuridinov, went one better and smashed two Asian Games records on his way to gold in the men’s heavyweight 105kg class.

The Olympic record holder broke the long-standing clean and jerk mark of Qatar’s Assad Saif Assad set at the 2002 Asiad in Busan by 5kg with his second lift of 230kg.

That also gave him an Asian Games record total of 421kg, eclipsing Assad’s old mark by 4kg.

Salwan Al-Aifuri sparked wild scenes of celebrations when he successfully hoisted 224kg to grab silver, war-ravaged Iraq’s second medal in the weightlifting after Safaa Al-Jumaili’s gold in the 85kg on Friday.

He dropped to his knees and hugged the weights on one end of the barbell as an Iraqi team official leapt onto the stage and kissed the bar.

Bronze went to Iran’s Hashemi Ali with a total of 403kg, 2kg behind Al-Aifuri.

Su’s 10.27sec was enough to win his heat but only the seventh-fastest time overall, and way off the 9.91 he clocked in June to equal Femi Ogunode’s Asian record.

Su admitted he had made a slow start to the meet in Jakarta, but said he was relaxed about finding an extra burst of pace in Sunday’s semis and final.

“There are many races later, so for me, this one does not need to be the best,” he said.

“For me, I just need to have my normal performance, should not think too much,” Su added.

Su’s 9.91 is the fourth quickest worldwide this year, but the 28-year-old’s coach says he has the potential to go under 9.80.

The biggest reception of athletics’ opening night was for homegrown teenage sprinter Lalu Zohri, whose name was chanted by thousands of boisterous Indonesians packing one end of the stadium.

Zohri’s rags-to-riches story has melted hearts in Indonesia after he stormed to a shock victory at last month’s world junior championships — becoming Indonesia’s first ever medallist at the tournament.

Zohri was raised in a bamboo shack in the northern part of Lombok island, the area most severely hit by recent earthquakes that have killed 555 people.

The 18-year-old also clocked 10.27 to reach Sunday’s semi-finals. Taiwan’s Yang Chunhan was the fastest overall at 10.13.

Su shares the Asian record with Nigerian-born Ogunode, who represents Qatar and pipped him to gold in the last Asian Games 100m final.

Ogunode is not competing in Jakarta, but his younger brother Tosin fired a warning shot with an impressive 10.16 to top his heat, ahead of Rio 2016 semi-finalist Ryota Yamagata of Japan.

Djokovic became the first man to win all nine Masters titles with victory over Roger Federer at Cincinnati on Sunday.

Having captured, against all the odds, a fourth Wimbledon in July, the 31-year-old Serb suddenly finds himself as joint-favourite with world number one Rafael Nadal to triumph at Flushing Meadows.

Champion in 2011 and 2015, and a five-time runner-up, Djokovic sat out the 2017 US Open to nurse an elbow injury.

His physical limitations were still evident when he slumped away from Roland Garros in June after a shock quarter-final loss to journeyman Marco Cecchinato, threatening to skip Wimbledon to mend his shattered self-confidence.

Fast forward three months and Djokovic is once again the man to beat.

“It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s been a couple of tough months for me with an injury but then winning Wimbledon and Cincinnati,” said Djokovic who opens his US Open campaign against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

Djokovic’s Wimbledon triumph took his Grand Slam title collection to 13, just one behind Pete Sampras.

He also has 31 Masters, two back from Nadal but four more than Federer.

He will head for New York buoyed by his dominance over his three major rivals as well — he leads Nadal 27-25, Federer 24-22 and Andy Murray 25-11.

“He’s a great champion,” said Federer in praise of Djokovic in Cincinnati.

World number one Nadal, who won the US Open last year to add to his 2010 and 2013 victories, skipped Cincinnati after triumphing in Toronto the week before.

The Spaniard clinched an 11th French Open in June to take his majors tally to 17 before falling to Djokovic in a five-set, 5-hour 15-minute semi-final loss at Wimbledon.

“Tennis is a high-demanding sport in terms of physical effort,” said 32-year-old Nadal who faces an emotional first round against compatriot David Ferrer who will be playing his last Slam before retirement.

“I cannot forget that I am older every year.”

Federer also knows that the clock is ticking.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner won the last of his five US Opens in 2008.

Now 37, Federer would become the oldest New York champion in the Open era should he lift the trophy again on September 9 and second oldest of all time.

– Federer to end 10-year wait? –

But he was knocked out by 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals last year having had to negotiate two five-setters in the opening rounds.

Despite defending his Australian Open title in January, Federer’s hopes of a ninth Wimbledon were blown apart in a five-set loss to Kevin Anderson in the quarter-finals.

It was his earliest exit at the All England Club in five years.

“I won the US Open five times. So I stand here pretty happy, to be quite honest. It’s not like, God, the US Open never worked out for me. It hasn’t the last couple years, but it’s all good,” said the Swiss legend who begins against injury-plagued Japanese left-hander Yoshihito Nishioka.

Murray, the 2012 champion, is set to play his first Slam since a hip injury suffered at Wimbledon last year.

His comeback has been far from smooth after spending almost a year on the sidelines and has played only seven matches since his return.

The former world number one has even seen his ranking nosedive to 378 in the world — making him Britain’s eighth-best player!

Outside of the ‘Big Four’, Del Potro, at a career-high three in the world, remains a dangerman.

Amongst the widely-hyped ‘Next Gen’, world number four Alexander Zverev is still a work in progress.

The German’s run to the last-eight at the French Open this year remains his best performance at the majors while his last two visits to New York ended in a pair of second-round losses.

He has hired Ivan Lendl — who took Murray to the 2012 title — as his new coach.

Greek 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, at 15 in the world from 161 this time last year, is the in-form youngster.

He was runner-up to Nadal in Toronto, beating four top-10 players on the way including Djokovic and Zverev.

But a loss in his opener in Cincinnati proved a sobering reminder that most probably it will be either Nadal, Djokovic or Federer who will be a New York champion again this year.

Ginting, 21, beat the Japanese world number four 21-18, 21-18, afterwards collapsing on the court in disbelief before shaking hands with his shocked opponent.

“Thank God I could win today’s match and win against Momota,” the world number 12 told reporters.

“I was trying a new strategy with my coach and thankfully it worked. Nothing special, but was just more focused on today’s game,” said Ginting.

The win comes only two days after Ginting had to retire with severe cramps during Indonesia’s team final defeat to China. He said he will be fully fit to face China’s Chen Long in the quarter-finals.

South Korea’s Son Wan Ho, who is now the highest ranked men’s player after China’s Shi Yuqi bowed out on Friday, and Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen both advanced to the quarters.

Son beat Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in straight games and Chou was a two-games-to-one winner against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen.

In the women’s singles, India’s Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu had easy outings against their Indonesian opponents to subdue a raucous home crowd.

Nehwal got past Indonesian teenager Fitriani 21-6, 21-14 in just 31 minutes, while Sindhu defeated Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-12, 21-15.

Ratchanok Intanon who defeated Sung Jihyun of Japan 21-15, 21-24.

– ‘Crazy’ atmosphere –

The 28-year-old Nehwal, who won her second Commonwealth gold in April, said the intimidating crowd had made life difficult.

“It’s crazy. It’s how football or cricket matches are. You have to play against so many of them. Sometimes it plays in your head,” said Nehwal.

Sindhu has eclipsed Nehwal as India’s biggest badminton star after winning silver at the 2016 Olympics.

But former world number one Nehwal, who has won over 23 international titles, said tournaments like the Asian Games and Olympics are always unpredictable.

China’s Shi and India’s Kidambi Srikanth both crashed out on a day of men’s upsets on Friday, before Momota followed them a day later.

“Playing (in these big tournaments) is not easy because there’s a lot of expectation, especially from yourself. Whoever comes out with that pressure is champion,” Saina said.

Nehwal will now face Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon who defeated Sung Jihyun of Japan 21-15, 21-24.

World number one Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan and Japan’s Akane Yagamuchi also sailed into the last eight after comfortable wins.

While Mourinho appears at odds with the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and key players like Paul Pogba, Mauricio Pochettino has kept Tottenham on track to travel north with a 100 percent record in the Premier League.

The Argentine is likely to have little sympathy for Mourinho’s complaints about not being backed enough by Woodward in the transfer market after spending over £70 million ($90 million) in the off season on Brazilian international Fred and teenage full-back Diogo Dalot.

Tottenham became the first Premier League side since the introduction of the summer transfer window to fail to sign a single player despite Pochettino delivering a third season of Champions League football on a significantly smaller budget than his competitors.

Pochettino has also had to cope with delays to the club’s new 62,000 capacity stadium that will see Spurs play at least their first four games of the season at Wembley.

Yet, unlike Mourinho’s consistent outbursts against his superiors and expensively assembled squad, Pochettino’s pleas for a united front have so far been rewarded in victories over Newcastle and Fulham.

How Woodward may now regret not testing Tottenham’s resolve by trying to poach him instead of hiring the combustible former Chelsea boss two years ago.

– Pochettino staying put –

Speculation a move to Manchester was in the pipeline for Pochettino before Mourinho’s arrival was heightened when legendary former United boss Alex Ferguson met with the Spurs manager for lunch in March 2016.

Pochettino described the meeting as a “dream come true”, but now seems to have tied himself to the project of converting the abundant talent in Spurs’ young squad into trophies at the new White Hart Lane after penning a five-year contract extension in May.

For all the progress made by Spurs in the past four years under Pochettino, success at Old Trafford has alluded them.

Tottenham have lost all four of their last visits there without even scoring a goal.

“That’s not perception. It’s reality. We lost four games, we didn’t score a goal, we didn’t win a point,” said Pochettino.

“There are many negative things but you need to believe and I believe more than ever that we can win. We’re winners.”

That positivity contrasts sharply with the dark clouds lingering over the red half of Manchester.

Disastrous defending in defeat at Brighton last weekend illustrated why Mourinho demanded more money in the transfer market to improve his central defensive options.

Yet, it was two centre-backs bought during his tenure, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof, who were at fault.

A sullen Mourinho tried to duck a press inquisition by turning up 30 minutes early and giving monosyllabic answers in a four-minute long pre-match press conference on Friday.

However, there will be no hiding place if he fails to prevent United falling six points behind bitter rivals Liverpool and Tottenham just three games into what is characteristically a troublesome third season in charge for Mourinho.

Henderson, trying to become only the second Canadian to win her homeland event after Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973, fired a two-under par 70 to stand on 14-under 202 after 54 holes at Wascana Country Club.

After answering a bogey at the fifth with a birdie on the next hole, 20-year-old Henderson ran off birdies at the par-5 12th and 14th holes sandwiched around another at the par-4 13th.

It was enough of a cushion to keep Henderson on top as she and her nearest rivals stummbled on the final holes.

Henderson sank a clutch 20-foot par putt at 16 but missed a two-footer for par at the par-5 17th, trimming her lead to a single stroke.

Japanese 19-year-old Hataoka, who began the back nine with five birdies in seven holes, missed a five-foot par putt at 18 to settle for a 69 to stand on 203 with Yin, who could have led.

Yin, with a bogey and double bogey in the first three holes, birdied the first three par-5 holes and had an eagle chance from eight feet at 17 before lipping out twice and settling for par.

Yin stumbled again at 18, missing a six-foot birdie putt at the last to again settle for par and remain with Hataoka one adrift of Henderson.

Defending champion Park Sung-hyun of South Korea was fourth on 204, one stroke ahead of Australian Su Oh and American Austin Ernst.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko was in a pack on 206 with Aussie Minjee Lee, South Korean Amy Yang and Americans Mariah Stackhouse and Jennifer Song.