The world is shutting down but the AFL and NRL are among the very small handful of sports carrying on. The risks are real, writes David Mark, but their presence should be treasured for now.

The undefeated Melbourne City missed its supporters in the grandstand as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, but the W-League giant is celebrating another championship after beating Sydney FC 1-0 in the season decider.

As the AFL's ban on spectators continues because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Giants and Power impress in their season openers, while the Bombers and Swans also enjoy victories.

Fremantle shows why it is tipped to win its first AFLW flag with a 70-point thrashing of Gold Coast, as the Kangaroos and Demons also progress to the preliminary finals.

As the AFL feels the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, its players reject suggestions they are being greedy as they negotiate a pay cut with the league.

The ugly stand-off between the AFL and its players is finally over, with the two parties agreeing to a pay deal while the men's 2020 premiership season is suspended because of coronavirus.

Coronavirus has changed sport forever. But what will it look like when it comes back?

Steve Smith is now free to captain Australia again if called upon, with the leadership ban arising from the ball-tampering scandal expiring quietly over the weekend.

For boxer, brand ambassador and sports personality Renee Gartner, a trip to Centrelink was her only option after the sports industry's shutdown.

Jo Brigden-Jones was planning to retire after the Tokyo Games, but with her Olympic farewell delayed, she is back on the frontline as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance.

Rugby Union is facing a deepening financial crisis in Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the governing body announcing it is standing down 75 per cent of its staff in an attempt to stay afloat.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan confirms club members can get their money back if they face financial hardship, but implores those who can afford it to stick with their clubs through the coronavirus pandemic.

With sporting competitions almost entirely shut down, fans who want to follow the Premier League can still do it — the Belarus Premier League, that is.

Up to 15 former Wallabies captains unite to raise questions about the leadership of the current administration, with some predicting new management within a fortnight.

As cricket's coronavirus shutdown continues, Australian coach Justin Langer suggests resuming games in empty stadiums when possible, saying he will never take for granted how lucky he and the team are again.

While the focus is on the suspended AFL season, the coronavirus outbreak is also having a big impact on state-based leagues like the SANFL and the WAFL.

Rugby league's governing body says a letter sent by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller shows there is nothing to "preclude the commencement of the modified NRL competition" in May, despite health authorities being wary about relaxing restrictions too soon.

The winner of 16 grands prix and a four-time world championship runner-up, Sir Stirling is widely regarded as the greatest Formula 1 driver never to win a title.

Former Richmond Tigers premiership player Michael Bowden is remembered as a fierce footballer, inspiring educator and compassionate family man after his death from motor neurone disease at the age of 73.

When Georgie Rowe hopped on her indoor rowing machine, she had no intention of breaking a world record. But she has just overtaken an Olympic gold medallist.

With major sporting competitions on hold because of coronavirus, now is the time to reassess how we approach the sport-lifestyle balance of professional athletes and even how they are recruited, writes Richard Hinds.

The blare of the footy siren on Friday nights brings a thrill at the end of the working week for AFL fans. But many supporters and players alike are struggling in its absence and finding there's no cure for the Friday night footy blues.

One of the AFL's rising stars wants the league to ignore calls to raise the minimum draft age from 18, as he worries young players may "lose their way" if it is changed.

Lachie Hunter is suspended for four games, gives up his vice-captaincy of the Western Bulldogs and is fined by the club over a drink-driving incident that saw four parked cars damaged in Melbourne last week.

Raelene Castle says "the sport is bigger than any one individual", resigning after the Rugby Australia board told her it wanted "clear air" without her as chief executive.

Despairing the lack of sport around the globe, Adelaide man Shane Robinson and his mates stumbled upon a Belarus football team, FK Slutsk. Little did they know that just weeks later they would be helping the struggling club to survive.

Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean defends Raelene Castle's tenure as chief executive, as he calls out the bullying she received from "faceless people" during her time in the job.

AFL players are stunned by the league's worst-case scenario for completing the season — that they could have to spend up to 20 weeks in isolation without their families.

He has claimed almost every individual honour there is in the AFL, but the highest goal continues to drive the Geelong star even during this uncertain 2020 season — a maiden premiership victory.

The cries of football fans demanding players return to the field under any circumstances have become shrill as the craving for lockdown distraction turns from stoical whimsy to rank desperation, writes Richard Hinds.

Melbourne Storm players prepare to hit the road for Albury, where training will recommence on Wednesday at their new temporary base.

With many families getting priced out of junior football, one club in Perth is waiving fees, and it could signal a new direction for grassroots sport in Australia, writes Samantha Lewis.

The NRL ticks another box ahead of its planned restart later this month, as the players officially sign off on a new pay agreement ahead of a return to training this week.

Albury City Council's decision to block the NRL's Melbourne Storm from using public facilities for training divides both the council and the community.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says NRL players like the Gold Coast's Bryce Cartwright who refuse to be vaccinated ahead of the May 28 restart should be banned from competing.

With coronavirus putting a pause on the AFL season, Melbourne's Marty Hore and Collingwood's Flynn Appleby return to their family dairy farms.

The NRL announces players who choose not to have the flu vaccination on religious, medical or conscientious grounds will be allowed to train and play, but they must sign a revised waiver.

Questions have been raised around the making of the new Michael Jordan documentary, or why it even exists. But maybe we should just enjoy the show, writes Paul Kennedy.

This swimmer spent years battling endometriosis, an insidious enemy within her own body that consumed her with crippling pain. The fact that most coaches in women's sport are men also didn't help, she says.

Queensland bicycle shops say they're having to turn customers away because of two-month delays on new stock, while overwhelming demand for repairs has them working 12-hour days.

The AFL will not implement a mandatory league-wide policy regarding the flu shot and will leave decisions on the vaccination up to players and club doctors.

The coronavirus crisis upended the star-studded Met Gala, so late-night TV host James Corden put on the Pet Gala. Yes, it was as cute as it sounds.

Pop star Selena Gomez will executive produce and star in a quarantine cooking show on HBO Max, alongside master chefs who will join remotely.

Times critics Justin Chang and Glenn Whipp discuss Marvel's "The Avengers," winner of the #UltimateSummerMovie Showdown, Week 1.

Sculptures commemorating plagues were common in Europe. Our art critic suggests America could build its own, and Trump provides inspiration for where.

"I am recovering from surgery and barely alive so may my typos b forgiven," Grimes replied to boyfriend Elon Musk after tweeting the inspiration for baby name X Æ A-12.

Dancer Amanda Kloots offered a hopeful update Wednesday on her husband, Nick Cordero, who has been in a medically induced coma after contracting COVID-19.

Justin Chang's Ultimate Summer Movie Showdown votes on films for 16 weeks to reveal an all-time line-up for the season starting with "The Avengers."

Milo Ventimiglia, who plays beloved dad Jack Pearson on the NBC drama "This Is Us," discusses life and work in — and after — the coronavirus outbreak.

Billie Eilish will co-host an Apple Music radio program with her father, Patrick O'Connell, called "me & dad radio."