AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF THE ROLE OF SPORT JOURNALISM IN SPORT DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
If there is anything that has given Nigeria the brightest positive image in the eyes of the international community within the past five decades, it is sports. Of all the sports that the nation has participated in on the global scene, three tower high above all others in terms of the glory they have brought the country. They are football, athletics and boxing, in that order. In athletics, Nigeria has participated in such competitions as the Olympics, the World Athletics Championships, the Common wealth Games, the all Africa Game and others. The sprints, jumps and relays have earned us more respect than other events. The sporting press is the fastest means to sell the sports economy agenda of any nation without necessarily distorting the message which is to create wealth through the enhancement of sport economy in Nigeria. Looking at the sport economic indices the sporting press has been able to cut a niche for itself as we now have sports papers, sports radio, sports television programmes, even now we have a sport online real-time website in Nigeria, just to mention a few.
