The Role of National Daily Papers in Sports Development, a Nigerian Example

Abstract

The mass media is classified into various types such as the Television, Radio, Newspapers and New media (Internet). Each of these medium is believed to serve various purposes in every given society. The focus of this research is therefore on the role of National Daily papers in sports development.

The objective of this study is to understand what roles this newspapers play especially in the area of sport development and it is premised on two major theories which are the agenda setting and the development media theories. While the agenda setting theory explains the process whereby the media determine what we think and worry about, the development media theory requires the mass media to work in tandem with the government in the task of national development.

The study employed the survey method while the sampling design adopted in this study is the purposive sampling to select specific newspapers as well as specific developmental areas in sports. Some of the major arguments of the research are that the media is not just an entertainment tool but also an instrument for developing sports through its consistent coverage.

Majority of the respondents agreed that National dailies help to promote sport development at all levels and from 216 respondents representing 59.0 percent, it is believed that the National dailies should discuss issues that can help sport development more in their coverage.

It is recommended from the findings that the media (particularly newspapers) should be used as a tool to achieve sport development in the Nigerian society by consistently propagating sport stories. Also with the endless possibilities of the internet and how it is fast influencing and encouraging online patronage of newspapers it is recommended that newspapers (both traditional and online versions) increase their coverage and be used positively to impact sport development in the society.