Influence of Socio-Demographic Variables and Television Broadcast on European Football Leagues' Followership Among Football Fans in Ibadan

The industry of Sports, and in particular, football, has become a veritable avenue to keep societies alive especially in recent years around the world. The objective of this study was to examine the Influence of Socio-Demographic Variables and Television Broadcast on European Football followership among fans in Ibadan, South West Nigeria. The research design involved a mixed-method approach, with the use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques. In-depth interview and observation were employed, while survey method was also adopted. The Purposive and Snowball sampling techniques were used to select participants for the study. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive and inferential methods. Electronic Colonialism Theory (ECT) was used to frame discussion around the role of electronic media, especially Television, and its influence on global Football Followership. The study population comprised members of the public identified as fans of popular football teams in Europe.

Findings from the study revealed that majority of those who are active followers and fans of European football are young Nigerians between the ages of 18 to 30 years, which represents 89% of the study population. Also, it was discovered that many (48.2%) of these fans fall within the unemployment category, while different factors such as family influence, peer pressure (40.9%), and the appeal gotten by watching the game on television (71.5%), among others were motivating factors in European football followership, which represents a sharp contrast to the Nigerian domestic football league following. 

The study recommends that, due to the massive interest of Nigerian youths in European football, developmental initiatives and programmes can be built around this by relevant authorities and stakeholders thereby using it as an avenue for youth engagement, mobilization and social orientation. Furthermore, sports administrators in Nigeria should adopt a professional approach in managing the local league vis-a-vis the high level of European Football followership among Nigerians, while further research that seeks to analyze the ECT was encouraged.

Keywords: Socio-Demographics, European football followership, Television, Fanship