Viva football!

The death of football cannot lead to the development of other sports

It's been one of those weeks, facing health issues, trying to meet deadlines from all angles, family commitments threatening to overwhelm me, generator breakdown and then my Internet Service Provider deciding to go on sabbatical. So I was feeling somewhat frustrated and more than a little sorry for myself. What exactly is the link between this and a sports column, one might ask? Do readers care whether or not I've had a bad week or two? Bear with me and all will be revealed.

Misdirected anger

One of the things that I take great pleasure in is reading - in various genres and all manner of literature. The more troubled I am, the more I turn to reading as a diversion. So picking up NEXT on Sunday, I expected to unwind while reading the sports section. Alas, it was not to be. A screaming headline lamented football's dominance in Nigerian sports. I could just about swallow that but interviewees went on to talk about being sad that our U-17 boys (post-MRI scan) won their opening match in the ongoing World Cup and also about wanting football to die. Die, I tell you! The argument being that unless the sport of football in Nigeria dies, no other sport will ever get the support it needs from our sports ministry. Without going further into the full content of their vitriol, I'm sure other people must have been as horrified as I was.

It's not just because I love the Beautiful Game, but because I am amazed at the lack of loyalty to their fellow sportsmen and women. A good number of people are advocating for a clean up in the system in order to build all that will be beneficial to our development as a nation. Sports development can play a key role in that development - teaching discipline, teamwork and in this internet and gaming age, keeping our children healthy and active among other benefits. And on this last point, I have had many a battle with my boys over how many hours they spend playing electronic games. I have been unashamedly autocratic in refusing to buy their argument that playstation pro evolution soccer is a good enough substitute (perhaps they might have swayed me by telling me how well it builds hand-eye coordination) and insisting on some form of sporting activity. At least until they reach voting age.

Football is king

For some to perceive that the emergence of one sport can only come about by the demise of another is flawed. They are thus celebrating the fact that something went terribly wrong with the ‘dead' sport's administration. Is it not to our collective benefit that sports administration as a whole works well? If there's a chink in the armour, surely it affects the other parts. This is a dangerous and selfish way of thinking. Besides, blaming football for everything is not a solution to building another sport. Love of soccer is a global phenomenon. It's not exclusive to Nigeria. Reported statistics say that TV audiences of over a billion, about a sixth of world population, tuned in to watch the last World Cup finals. Were football ever to cease to exist (heaven forbid!) in Nigeria, it wouldn't automatically mean more interest being generated in other sports. Ask ten random people on the street to choose their favourite football player and write down their answers. Now ask another ten people to choose their favourite rhythmic gymnast. I rest my case.

The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez might have said it best when he declared "there are sports and there are sports." And then he promptly made a decision to close down some golf courses in his country. As I have spent a few paragraphs talking about the benefits of working together for the larger good, I am certainly not advertising the closures of the less popular sporting facilities - but like it or love it, of all sports, football probably has the greatest followership in this country. How the hopefuls within other sports deal with it, will determine how well their sport can grow. There's room for everyone.

Viva football!