Ipolowo oja l’agunmu owo is a Yoruba adage that translates to; promotion is the magic potion for business, and this is true for the sports business. Sporting events are organized throughout the year in Nigeria and West Africa, yet, these events are held with little or no relevance; stadiums are nearly empty, there is insufficient finance for the games, some owners are in debt, and athletes are due for wages but they are owed. These negative impacts are a reflection of how poorly sporting activities are organized and have been corrupted.
Corruption as a major factor in the poor coordination of African athletic events is mostly due to the ineffective presence of the African media. When an athlete or sports official realizes that journalists will be present to observe and report on any events /tournaments, they develop a sense of duty and caution. This was made evident by media effects created when Anas Aremeyaw did a documentary on the corruption in Ghana football, under the auspices of the BBC African Eye. Several corrupt officials were exposed on the global stage. The net effect of this is that many more of the referees sat up because they knew that there is a media eye watching.
According to a press release from The NFF corporate communications department, there have been reports of effective sanctions following events of domestic abuse in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), with effective sanctions handed out.
If more of such events are,, if documented, analyzed, and made public, more attention will be drawn attention to the league. The increased visibility of the league is not the only advantage, but when sanctions are implemented in the open front of the entire nation’s eyes, every athlete, fan, and club side will be on edge.
Despite the illuminating effect of media coverage on sports corruption and decay, corruption in West African sports will continue to grow if management is not held accountable. It is tragic that, although many individuals realize the media’s impact, they choose to actively discourage sports journalism. One may easily argue that the media cannot perpetually broadcast things that do not generate revenue – because they are also business. Yes! They are, but what happens to the media’s core mission around news gathering and coverage? The media is the gatekeeper of public discourse, and if journalists do not speak up about what is happening in the world of sports no one else will.
Despite the illuminating effect of media coverage on sports corruption and decay, corruption in West African sports will continue to grow if management is not held accountable. It is tragic that, although many individuals realize the media’s impact, they choose to actively discourage sports journalism. One may easily argue that the media cannot perpetually broadcast things that do not generate revenue – because they are also business. Yes! They are, but what happens to the media’s core mission around news gathering and coverage? The media is the gatekeeper of public discourse, and if journalists do not speak up about what is happening in the world of sports no one else will.
There are over 50 different sports in Nigeria that have the potential to develop and generate revenue, if there is good coordination and adequate “media hype. Yes! The praise from media organizations. Many observers and football lovers believe that the African games are uninteresting. The AFCON 2021 hosted by Samuel Eto’o’s Cameroun FA was a perfect illustration of this. The custom coordination from the opening games to the closing ceremonies, as well as the VAR’s introduction and the contests itself, was a beauty to behold. Western sports media paid little attention to the tournament at first, but the spirit of patriotism swayed many Africans into supporting their respective countries, and this, in turn, made the AFCON trend on social media. B. At the end of the first 12 games, many cared less about what was going on in European football, and analyses were seen on Indigenous television as more people realized that the games were interesting.
As more people watched the AFCON games, western sports media realized that they had no choice but to join in the trend as they’d lost a significant percentage of African viewers. As a result, it became a topic of discussion on a global scale, bringing African players into the awards and merit discussion. That is the media’s power! It will only become better when w choose to purposefully spread our own gospel when we discuss our athletes, our games, poor officiating decisions, poor crowd behavior, sporting policies, our players’ accomplishments, and analytics.
The perception that African athletic activities are dull stems from our indifference and ignorance.
Family is supposed to be society’s smallest unit, and members of a family owe one another support and encouragement. African parents did not see athletics as a profession until about 5-8 years ago, and as a result, they do not provide the necessary support to young athletes. Consider how many people would watch if 20 athletes competed and all of their families were present as spectators. If this was extended to the community level, then to Local Government Areas, each state, and finally to the national level, consider how many people would watch.
Because of their loved ones, these spectators spread the word, and the games become more interesting as a result. The objective is to pique your interest.
It could be due to chance or nurture, but not every fan lives in the same city as the team they wish to support; some live at home, while others live overseas. It is once again the responsibility of the media to make games, competitions, and tournaments accessible and available to them.
The link is crucial, and it should feel like a home away from home. Because of their loved ones, these spectators spread the word, and the games become more interesting as a result. Interest is intentional. It could be due to chance or nurture, but not every fan lives in the same city as the team they wish to support; some live at home, while others live overseas.
It is once again the responsibility of the media to make games, competitions, and tournaments accessible and available to them.
The relationship is crucial, and it should feel like a home away from home.
Nigerians spend at least N150 billion every year on overseas football matches, according to my calculations. If the eventual effect of this is compared to other sports, the turnover would be huge if the entire population focused their energies on this.
While there are a few publications, blogs, and newspapers dedicated to reporting sports stories in Nigeria, South Africa, and other African countries, Nigeria’s NTA Sports is the sole television station dedicated to local sports.
The media is used not just to communicate your story, but also to promote it. One can wonder why there aren’t more local sponsors in the tournaments, and why these athletes aren’t getting endorsement deals.
It’s mainly because no one knows who they are! This is also because the media neglected to promote them. It’s a two-way street: African media outlets must
spend their airtime on the player, the team, and the sports federation, and the rewards for investment will come over time. As a result, everyone benefits.
Because Nigerian fans spend so much money on viewing only, and the earnings are transferred into ticketing and media advertising of games, athletes would receive increasing and consistent income.
Solo athletes, on the other hand (tennis players, swimmers, boxers, wrestlers, and so on) require awareness of their tournaments to market themselves to the rest of the world. If African grassroots athletes were bad, European scouts and academies would not be flocking to the region.
Although most African countries’ systems do not always favor the growth of sports, there is still a growing desire to make African governance work. The mindset of a typical individual reared in a corrupt environment is to steal, not because they were born to steal or have been mentored in thievery, but because stealing appears lucrative.
In an interview with Abiodun Adebayo a football coach and football academy owner, he said “Like any other career, you need an iota of exposure for you to positively explore , and as such any career-oriented media house should extend their coverage to rural areas.
Media is an avenue where people hope to get information about everything concerning life’s truth or lies, and if you don’t widen your search you can only disseminate news to people within the urban areas. Let every media house/ firm make it a must to sponsor at least a primary school inter-house sport annually with just a token as the prize for the winner, you will discover more than needed talent Nigeria need to rule the world.
Take a trip to Ilaje in Ondo State, and see how a boy or girl of 11 years will swim covering almost a kilometre nonstop without any protective gear. Go to Argungu and experience the skills displayed on water or you travel to Orji River to see how boys and girls swim across daily, yet Nigeria has never won a gold medal in the Olympics. I have traveled all over the states in Nigeria on several occasions and I discovered that raw talents are in abundance in the rural areas. Go there, they are waiting to be discovered, all they need from the media is to be discovered, I once recruited a Nigerian player that has never use a soccer booth in his life at the age of 16, while his mates in Europe are getting set for their professional contract, that guy is now in Cyprus to the Glory of God. Media should be the finder; a Media house discovered Lagbaja after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics final and Boom! he is at the top”
Corruption has been rendered profitable, which is why it has expanded from top government officials to state governments, civil service, commercial groups, schools, and any other sector you can think of. Speaking to a random person some time ago, she said “I’m considering stealing from the government,” she told a
coworker recently. “At this point, it appears that stealing from the government is excellent business.” Imagine a man who stole $60,000 and was sentenced to jail for about 5 years?” Isn’t it depressing? What are your expectations if someone who is willing to spend ten years in prison for money gains control of funds?
You may choose to believe that politics and governance are distinct from sports, but keep in mind that athletes are products of the system and policies established by the former. The media, and the media checks and balances, are largely responsible for the little sanity you see in governance. In Nigeria, for example, a minister of sports is appointed by the government. There aren’t many decisions that can be made without his awareness. He is a prominent player in sports politics, with a say over how much money the government spends on any sport.
The government, on the other hand, may not be able to do much about how sports are perceived by the general public, because even if the processes are in place if the media does not promote it, or if fans and admirers refuse to distribute it, it will remain dormant.
The Nigerian Basketball Federation has endured a difficult four years of leadership confusion; there is little or no concern for the Nigerian basketball league, and players are rarely considered in decision-making.
Without the required leadership and authority, no organization can progress. Nigeria’s D’Tigers and D’Tigresses qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but quickly slipped out, not because the players were incompetent or because they performed poorly, but because there wasn’t quite enough leadership in place. The sports ministry may serve as a backbone, but it is insufficient because the NBBF is intended to better understand and relate to them. Throughout the event, participants in various sports complained about how the Nigerian authorities treated them.
While in Tokyo, Nigerian Sprint queen Blessing Okagbare took to Twitter to say “I have said it before and I will say it again. If you do not know the sport, not passionate about it/us [the athletes], then you have no business there as an administrator. The sport system in Nigeria is so flawed and we athletes are always at the receiving end of the damages. They were busy fighting over power, exercising their pride over Puma contracts/ kits forgetting their major responsibility “THE ATHLETES”. Sadly, this cycle keeps repeating itself and some people will come out to say I am arrogant for speaking my truth. It is my CAREER”
The post from Blessing Okagbare changed a few things at the competitions because the Nigerian and international media took it upon themselves to investigate and verify the information. This made the officials of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria sit tight but only for a short while because other things quickly covered it up and the nation moved on to another story.
In a conversation with a local basketball coach and a football coach, at least a thousand athletes from the grassroots who have built themselves up on their own want to join their camps, these athletes have a burning love for it, these athletes want a place in these activities, and they call in every day to get in position for mentorship, tutorship, training and career advancement.
It is the responsibility of individuals, organizations/regulatory agencies, and the media to ensure that there is fairness and that corruption is discouraged.
Thousands of graduates from various fields in Nigeria alone would be removed from the unemployment market if the sports industry is effectively managed. Sports would produce at least 20 professional routes, with over 500 job groups in football alone, thereby growing the economy.
Jurgen Klopp’s “little tournament” comment may have been avoided if the media invested seriously in the sporting business. The major mistake I perceive from African media (especially in Nigeria) is that they’re waiting for the games to get interesting and then sell it but it’s the media, the gatekeepers of information, the storytellers, the story sellers, the masters and mistresses of words. The media owes it to the citizens to make the sport attractive.
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