Why are Our Brands Fixated on “International” Coloration of Local Sports Events?

I am yet to meet a brand handler in this country who does not think there has to be an international element to a domestic sports event before it would appeal to fans. It is a supposition not based on any proper research findings, but one these business e

Fans follow stars, the more local the better. This has been proven in Nigeria a number of times, but since we are a people with little faith in proper research, we are none the wiser. Take the entertainment industry for example and see the strides made by the local stars in music, movie and comedy. Not only do Nigerian fans adore these local stars, their popularity has spread from Nigeria to the rest of Africa, and even beyond. Some guy recently tried to advance the argument that the popularity of our entertainment stars exploded because of their links to international stars. However we all know the Wizkids and Olamides could not just woken up one morning in Lagos and proceeded to strike deals with the Drakes and Kanye Wests of the world. They were already household names in Nigeria otherwise they would have held no attraction for the international stars.

Let us for a moment even consider what many brand and sports handlers consider “international” stars by looking at tennis and the Lagos Governor’s Cup. That tournament has been played for about 17 years and barring one Nigerian victory over a decade ago, the trend has largely been Nigerians crashing out in the opening rounds. Still, apart from the feel-goodness of having a few international players, the tournament has not managed a following from fans. Despite the millions of dollars that have been spent so far, no one really knows who the champions are, no one really cares. Think about it, who do you know that won the last Lagos Marathon, or the Okpekpe Race or the Obudu Mountain Race? Who cares?

There is a simple explanation for this. The winners may be international by country of origin but they are not international stars. International stars are the likes of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, the Williams sisters etc, and those will not be coming to compete in Nigeria at this time. So the athletes that come here, simply blast away our poorly-funded local stars, and disappear from whence they came with our dollars. No one invites them to Nigerian red carpet events, no one knows or cares about who they date or who their families are, no one knows or cares what controversies they get into, etc. Were they Nigerian stars winning such relatively large purses for instance, the fans would closely follow their careers and lives as they do the guys in the entertainment industry. That is what results in fandom.

By focusing on these C-rated international stars who no one knows anything about except after a Google search, money that should go into sponsoring domestic tournaments and investing in the careers of local athletes is basically ‘dashed’ away. If these monies are spent on domestic tournaments, it will lead to the creation of multiple local stars who then pack the following to drive what would be an explosion of investments in the sporting industry. This way, as the most populous country in Africa and with solid economic potential, overseas sports interests will be attracted to investing in Nigerian sports and creating real value here, rather than the other way round.

Domestic sports may not have caught on at this time, but do not forget that it was once the same for our music, movies and comedy. The difference when you think about it is that entertainment stars found a way to become highly paid and as such lived the lifestyles that appealed to fans. It is my belief that once this model is applied to sports, it would revolutionise the industry and even the Nigerian economy.

In every progressive society domestic sports dwarfs entertainment and other attractions because of its power to influence society in a positive way. A sporting country is a healthy and productive one. Sports stars are just the right role models for society. They teach us the importance of being physically and mentally sound, and the discipline and personal exertion it takes to succeed at whatever we do in life. Local sports stars can inspire this in us, not some nameless, faceless guys who fly in for a few days, collect our dollars, and disappear.