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Articles

CJOC: Vol. 5 No. 2, Dec. 2018

Local Versus Foreign: How Audience Preference and Media Coverage Shape Soccer in Nigeria

  • Mumini Alao
Submitted
January 3, 2019
Published
2019-02-03

Abstract

This study juxtaposes foreign and domestic soccer narratives in the media to determine the level of influence each exerts on Nigerian fans. Respondents from four stadiums in Nigeria responded to questionnaire items while soccer administrators and sports media practitioners answered in-depth interview questions on this juxtaposition and the criterion of influence. Findings show the dominance of foreign content; jointly influenced by both the media and audience. Foreign soccer stories with a mean score of 4.63 featured prominently on the cover pages of sports newspapers compared to 3.29 for local stories while most fans (88.9%; n=1878) preferred foreign content. Results also show that commercial considerations influenced the agenda setting credential of sports media practitioners. Recommendations on how domestic soccer could attract more followership in Nigeria were made.