ANALYSIS OF COMPLETE SPORTS AND SPORTING LIFE'S COVERAGE OF NIGERIAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.
BY: OLAMIDE AKINWUMI JAMES
Sport is
all forms of
physical activities which,
through casual or
organized participation, aim
to use, maintain,
or improve physical
fitness and provide entertainment to participants
(Oloyede, Akinsanmi, & Fajembola,, 2012). Historically, sports have been
with man as he advanced with time. It may not be wrong to
say that every
sport exhibited in
a society reflects
the way of
living of that society (Okpala-Okaka & Mabel,
2014).
Thus, each
society has its traditional sports through which they communicate to anyone who
wishes to see their culture. Hundreds
of sports exist,
including those for a
single participant, through
to those with
dual participants and either in team
participants. Some non-physical
activities, such as
board games and
card games are
sometimes referred to
as sports, but a sport is
generally recognized as being based in
physical athleticism (Laoye
& Ackland, 1981).
Sports are usually
governed by a set of rules, or customs. Physical events such as scoring goals
or crossing a line, first often define the result of a sport. However,
the degree of
skill and performance in
some sports such
as diving, dressage and figure
skating is judged according to well-defined
criteria. This is
in contrast with other
judged activities such
as beauty pageants and body building, where skill does
not have to be shown and the
criteria are not
as well defined (Adedeji, 1981).
Records are
kept and updated
for most sports
at the highest
levels, while failures
and accomplishments are widely
announced in sport news. Sports are most often played just
for fun or for the simple
fact that people
need exercise to stay
in good physical
condition. However, professional
sport is a major source of entertainment. While
practices may vary,
participants in many sports
are expected to
display good sportsmanship, and
observe standards of
conduct such as being
respectful of opponents
and officials, and congratulating the
winner after having lost
(Onifade, 2001).
Sport is more
than ever before, commanding global attention. Its influence on world peace,
economy, and the development of social relationships cannot be underestimated
(Aluko & Adodo, 2011). Sport has the power of influencing peoples mind than
any other activities, be it religion or politics. The utility that fans obtain from these can
be considered to derive from identification with a team in the sporting contest
and the quality of the contest, on the first point it is generally accepted
that fan interest is enhanced by an association to a specific team or its
competitors (Mason, 1999).
According to
Victor (2015), even though Nigeria
has a thriving
football league (the
Nigerian Premier League, NPL)
with 20 full-fledged teams,
a growing number of its citizens are
devoted fans of teams and players in
European leagues and championships. On this note, Newspapers have a vital role
to play in the promotion of sport. Through newspapers sports can be marketed
and given wider publicity.
Based on the
aforementioned statement this raised a question on the functions of the mass
media in promoting Nigerian Professional Football League. One of the major
primary functions of a newspaper is to inform its readers, provide
interpretation to news, as well as provision of entertainment to its
readership. These functions explain what the newspaper does, and why people
read it. Newspapers help readers become informed citizens and make better
decisions by providing lots of facts. Hard news stories, vital statistics,
weather, sports stories and scores, and event calendars are examples of items
that help inform readers.
Some newspaper articles
help interpret, or explain, the meaning of news to readers. These stories often
include the opinion of the writer or newspaper management, such as editorials,
opinion columns, news analysis, and reviews are some examples. Newspaper
stories provide information that helps readers solve their business, home,
recreation, and daily living problems.
Moreover,
National Sports Policy of Nigeria philosophy encourages participation in sport
as avenue for enhancement of health, exhibition of innate physical attribute,
expression of talents, skills and alleviation of poverty; its vision includes
to establish a technically efficient institution equipped with the desired
professional manpower, resources, right equipment and well maintained
facilities for sports development and participation; and it’s to develop the
sports sector to a world class level where it would provide continuous
improvement of quality of life for the entire citizenry to the extent that
Nigeria would be recognized as one of the leading sporting countries in the
world. Importantly, news coverage and
reports of Nigerian Professional Football League are essentially focused on the
spectacular carnage they involve; frequency, prominence and direction of the
events reportage.
This study seeks to
analyses the extent to which the two major sports newspapers in the country
(i.e. The Complete Sport and Sporting
Life Newspapers) are promoting the Nigerian Professional Football League in
their news stories, features, articles and commentary.
Background to the Study:
Daramola (2011)
explains that comparative research is a kind of research that deals with how a
group of subjects who differ in some important characteristics is compared and
contrasted so as to identify possible or probable causes for the phenomenon in
which we are interested. Daramola (2011, p.37), stresses further: Suppose we are interested in the possible
causes of causal comparative research products, one mode of products that
succeed and the other consisting of products that fail. Data will be gathered
and test carried out on the subjects to compare two groups or variables. In
comparing the two groups, those variables might help us identify possible
causes for product failure
The comparative
study of sports involves comparing and contrasting aspects of media coverage of
sporting activities, coupled with some aspects of sports, especially football,
and more importantly men’s football.
Concerning the
effect of football as a medium of change, ex-Super Eagles player and football
pundit, Odegbami (2016) in his article titled: Use Football to Change the World says: This is a game that had transcended all
manner of human frailties and failures – politics, power, religion, race,
ethnicity, class, colour and creed... this is the sport that evokes passion,
that creates bridges across lines, promotes national unity and patriotism, yet
cements friendship across nations, submit everyone to common rules and laws,
and ensures healthy competition amongst the different peoples of the world like
no other activity in history. (Odegbami, 2016)
The relationship
between the print media and sports has become of particular interest to media
scholars over the last decade. As the significance of sport itself has grown in
a variety of other disciplines, the study of the ways in which media and sport
interact across boundaries can be found in the literature on the sociology of
sport, history of sports, gender studies, cultural studies, journalism, as well
as globalization. The above view is further elaborated by Schweitzer, (2012,
p.15): The print media have recognized the power of
sport; particularly football for a long time now, as it is regarded as one of
the cornerstones of content that is consumed better than anything else. Newspapers
are read on a daily basis and this means people are up to date with all the
football news, they will also read anything that is written about a player, and
be influenced as well.
The mass-media in
every society have not only occupied the role of image makers, they
are fast assuming the
position of a mirror that can reflect accurately the image
of the society and development there-in. Ferguson (1981),
described mass-media as means through
which information is made available to a larger population. He further described
sports development as innovations and changes in status of sports over
time.
Enyeribe (1993),
noted that one area in which the press has gingered a lot of interest,
participation and love for Nigeria is in the field of football. Many believed
that the press contributed negatively to the development of football in
Nigeria, while others believe otherwise.
Prior to the
known media of today, people had to rely on word of mouth and the limited
number of literate people to tell them when sports fixtures would take place.
With the introduction of compulsory education and the subsequent increases in
literacy, newspapers and sports journals became more popular as a way of
reporting about sport and notifying the population about an event (Saini,
2015). Alongside this, came shorter
working hours and better transportation to allow people to attend events, which
is the introduction of the media into sport in the year 1820.
Also, research
reveals that healthy competition exists among the different media of
communication, as Television, Radio, Newspaper and the Internet struggle for
audiences. The studies conducted by Home (2005); Kane and Buysse (2005) and Lee
(2005) cited in Mohibullah, (2014) have confirmed the impact of mass media upon
sport. In the field of sport,
competitions are conducted in different parts of the world. It has always been
the innate desire of the sport loving people to be among viewers of the live
activity or, at least to be timely informed about the progress and result of
the activity.
Therefore, information
is the life wire of every society. It is the bedrock upon which development are
built upon. Ogundowole et al., (2006, p.2) “information brings light to the
darkness (ignorance) in the minds of the people in the society.” The society
depends largely on the media (newspaper, Magazine, Radio and Television and
lately the Internet) for information consumption, people want to be informed
about various events and happenings in every sector of the society and they
depend on the media to feed them with useful information. Information is
conveyed either as the content of a message or through direct or indirect
observation of something.
Newspaper
contribution to the development and promotion of sport all over the world is
very vital especially in developing countries most especially Nigeria where
football is creating waves. According to Andanje et al. (2013), newspapers are
important tools for marketing, publicizing and popularizing sports. The primary
roles of newspapers can be summarized to include dissemination of information
on sports and educating people on matters of sports. Andanje et al, (2013),
believed that the media can be relied upon to develop sports by bringing
talents into the limelight, giving recognition to outstanding sports
personalities who can serve as role models to the young athletes, highlight
problematic and weak areas in sports programmes so that efforts can be directed
towards addressing them and attracting corporate sponsorship in sports through
positive reporting on spots issues.
Sport reportage
requires expertise and skills because it appeals to the behaviour of the
audiences and it also relates with the management and structure of sport
development in Nigeria. The selection of sports participant or athletes should
be from various states in the country. Thus, competitive sports serve as an
integrating force and source of socio-political relationships.
The mass media
fill this responsibility gap as they report sporting activities and provide the
necessary information needed to all interested parties far and wide.
Newspapers, because of its wider reach, have become the surest, though the
costliest means of advertising products, services and programmes. (Obayelu,
2015).
This
responsibility puts them on the move all the time, hunting for facts that will
be of immense value to their consumers. Sports journalism in the view of Steen
(2007) cited in (Obayelu, 2015) covers writing and reports about materials of
professional sports. Sport journalism in print medium provides detailed
previews of upcoming events and post-game analyses in addition to extensive
update of game scores, player statistics and teams standings.
Every society has
a history and origin. The history of sports in Nigeria cannot be pin-point to a
particular date as sport’s is as old as man. In the assertion of Aluko, et al
(2011, p.1) sport is more than ever before, commanding global attention. Its
influence on world peace, economy, and the development of social relationships
cannot be underestimated. It is against this background that most nations have
come to appreciate the need to invest heavily on it. Based on this aforementioned,
National Sports Policy of Nigeria described sports as physical and social
activities done according to rules for exercise, competition or recreation.
Saini (2015) identified the classification of sports as follows, Informal
sports and formal sports. Informal
competitive sports have their origin in villages and their ethnic groups. This
humble beginning as entertainment and recreational past-time subsequently
developed into prominent phenomenon that could no longer be ignored in the
socio-political and economic life of the nation.
Missionaries
introduced formal sports in Nigeria and in the course of history both formal
and traditional sports have evolved to be administered by management structures
such as Sports Federations, Sports Councils and at the apex, the National
Sports Commission. Formal sports organization started in Nigeria at about 1910
with the introduction of Empire Day competitions, which were organized on
inter-schools basis.
The establishment
of mission schools in different parts of Nigeria assisted in the development of
sports and the introduction of new ones. Though most of the sports were alien
to Nigerians, they were welcomed because they served the common goal of
recreation, entertainment, social mobilization and promotion of unity in
diversity.
Nigeria’s first
participation in an international competition was in 1934, when the late
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe represented Nigeria in the 440 yards (400m) at the
Commonwealth Games and Empire day competitions in London. Nigeria presented
teams for the first time during the 1950 Commonwealth Games in Hamilton,
Canada, the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and the first edition of the
All Africa Games in 1965, Libreville, Congo.
Nigeria has since
then continued to participate in these games except the 1976 Olympics in Montreal,
Canada, and the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as the
1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia because of political reasons
that were largely influenced by the Apartheid Regime in South Africa at that
time. Nigeria did not participate in the 1976 Olympics and the 1986
Commonwealth Games because of the African boycott of the Games.
Nigeria could not
participate in the 1998 Commonwealth Games because she was under suspension by
the Commonwealth. Sports administration and practice in Nigeria have taken a
new and great dimension, thereby becoming a big commercial venture and employer
of labour.
The domination of
the sporting world by the Russians and their allies coupled with their unique
organizational structure of sports influenced the Federal government of Nigeria
to directly involve herself in the control, regulation and promotion of sports.
The outcome of this decision was the establishment of the National Sports
Council in 1962. Administratively, sports is administered at the State level
through sports councils and at the National level through the National Sports
Commission.
However, Sports
administration and practice in Nigeria have taken a new and great dimension,
thereby becoming a big commercial venture and employer of labour. The
domination of the sporting world by the Russians and their allies coupled with
their unique organizational structure of sports influenced the Federal
Government of Nigeria to directly involve herself in the control, regulation
and promotion of sports. The outcome of this decision was the establishment of
the National Sports Council in 1962.
Historical
evolution of the National Sports Commission is as stated hereunder. The
promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 formalized and legalized the National Sports
Commission (NSC) as the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and
organize sports in Nigeria.
The oscillation
of the administration of sports between the Federal Ministry of Sports and the
National Sports Commission was a major factor militating against the desired
growth and development of Sports in Nigeria. Sports management structure
suffered some setbacks as a result of poor or non-implementation of the 1989
National Sports Policy. The promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 formalized and
legalized the National Sports Commission (NSC) as the apex Federal Government
agency to control, regulate and organize sports in Nigeria.
However, the
promulgation of Decree 7 of 1991 saw the reemergence of the National Sports
Commission as a Parastatal under the Ministry of Youth and Sport. In 1995, the
National Sports Commission was scrapped and the administration of sports was
once again transferred to the Ministry. By December 2006, the Obasanjo
Administration reverted the then Federal Ministry of Sports and Social
Development (FMSSD) to the National Sports Commission. Prior to this
development, the then Ministry had recognized 34 Nations as Sports Federations,
Sports Councils and at the apex, the National Sports Commission.
The emergence of
football professional league in Nigeria came as a result of bad performance of
Nigeria footballers at international level. (Rahaman, 2012) cited in Okpala, (2014).
After the introduction
of the professional
league, many clubs
showed interest to participate in the league and the then
board decided to introduce division two of the league in 1991. The league kept
going until 2003 when the Premier League was introduced. However, commercialization
was introduced to football which brought in the media into peaceful
co-existence with modern sports. Sports are more or less like a business which
main goal is to make profit or acquire wealth unlike traditional games which
were connected to festival or other events.
The press
(newspaper in this
context) has also
played a significant
role in sport promotion. Having the advantage over
other media as the oldest medium in the world at large and Nigeria (Iwe Irohin,
1859 by Rev. Townsend),
audiences depend on it for information of coming events and results of past
events. Onwumechili (2009) in Okpala et.al (2014, p.14) noted that:
In late 1930’s and early 1940’s when football
emerged in popularity, our local newspapers such as West African Pilot and
Daily Service dedicated their interest to local football. This action according
to him gave rise to nationalistic spirit and the struggle for national
independence. Furthering his point, he opined that their nationalistic spirit
was short-lived as a result of economic depression that besieged the country.
Thus, the media were financially handicapped and they resorted to wire reports
from news agencies and transnational media to fill their slots and pages as there
was no money for live coverage of outdoor events including soccer.
Complete Sports
(CS) is Nigeria’s number one all-sports daily newspaper. It was first published
in December, 1995. It is the most-widely-read sports publication in Nigeria.
(All Media and Product Survey (AMPS) research, 2008 and 2009).
Complete Sports
(CS) is published by Complete Communications Limited (CCL). CCL is the oldest
and longest-running sports publishing group in Nigeria. It was established in
1984 but incorporated as CCL in 1987. Other publications in the CCL stable are
Complete Football (CF) magazine (established in 1985) and International Soccer
(i-Soccer) which was originally established as International Soccer Review
(ISR) in 1990. The group had also previously published Sports Souvenir,
Nigeria’s first weekly sports newspaper (1984), Climax magazine (1988),
Complete Football International (1994) and Complete Football Extra (1995).
Complete Sports (CS) is currently the flagship publication in the CCL Group.
Complete Sports Saturday (CSS) is the Saturday edition.
The primary focus
of CS and CSS is sports news about Nigeria and the exploits of Nigerian
sportsmen and women both at home and abroad, particularly the footballers. CS
and CSS are circulated nationwide in Nigeria and partly in neighboring
countries like Benin Republic and Cameroun. Complete Sports newspapers have the
largest circulation figures in Nigeria in the sports category and the second
largest circulation in the general newspaper category (AMPS research, 2008 and
2009). CS and CSS are read mostly by young and middle aged males between 13 and
55years of age (75%). Older male and women make up the rest (25%).
Dr. Sunny
Obazu-Ojeagbase is the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the newspaper
and it has its headquarters in Isolo, a local government area in Lagos State.
Meanwhile,
Sporting Life is one of the publications of Vintage Press Limited; publishers
of The Nation newspaper. It is a daily sports newspaper established on August
30, 2009. But prior to the afore-mentioned date, Sporting Life used to be an
eight page pull-out report in The Nation newspaper. According to the Sports
Editor, Mr. Ade Ojerika, the initiative to start up another independent
newspaper was as a result of the dubious activities of newspaper vendors who
used to remove the eight page pull out from The Nation and sell it separately
to unsuspecting readers in order to make double profit.
Consequently, the
management of Vintage Press Limited decided to re-introduce Sporting Life
newspaper as a daily sports newspaper. Sporting Life newspaper covers both
local and international sporting events and competitions. The sports events it
reports include Nigeria Professional Football League, English Premier League,
UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, CAF Champions League, Olympics Games,
African Cup of Nations, Para-Olympics Games, Nigerian Premier Basketball League
and many more.
In the same token,
some sports commentators, researchers and administrators in Nigeria have
attributed that Nigeria media gives more coverage to English Premier League
(EPL), matches than the Nigeria Professional Football League matches in terms
of quality and quantity. Hence, this study aim to analyse and assess the
coverage of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), by this two major
sport newspapers- Complete Sports and Sporting Life Newspapers and their
contribution to Sports development in Nigeria.
Significance of the Study
There is no doubt
about the fact that sports have become part and parcel of our modern society.
Therefore, this research study is of great importance to the generality of
Nigerians who want to venture into the practice of sports journalism, or own,
and operate media houses that are purely to develop the nation’s sporting
sector.
Similarly, this
research study also serves as a means of finding out the level of coverage
given to sporting events in Nigeria sports newspapers, with a view to
establishing sport journalism as an important genre of journalism giving the
increasing value of sport in our society.
Furthermore, this
study will be relevant to other researchers as it will be providing the
opportunity to know more on the benefits or otherwise of sports journalism and
media coverage of sporting events as well as local talent promotion and
exposure through sports in Nigeria.
Policy makers in
the sporting sector will find the outcome of this research work useful for
future sports planning policies. The possible recommendations made will be very
useful to sports administrators and management of the various sporting associations
or bodies in the country.
It will bring to
the consciousness of the governments at all levels, the reasons for developing
local sports instead of paying more attention on the foreign leagues.
