Sport is a key part of society and provides dramatic action which people the world over love to see. A good example of this is the recent football match which saw Switzerland beat Turkey 3-1 in Euro 2020. Nigeria is not only the country in Africa with the largest population but also one of the countries on the continent which is sport crazy.
The amount of people in the country combined with this love for sport has seen it enjoy a rich sporting history over time. But is the Nigerian sports scene currently on the rise again? Many believe this to be true and the below reasons certainly seem to back it up.
Sports betting industry on the move in Nigeria
Although much of Nigeria’s current sporting rise is based on the players and games themselves, the whole industry in the country is on the up. This can be seen in how popular sports betting is around Nigeria now. A large part of this is the range of big-name, safe online sportsbooks now available for people to use.
Many will know 22bet and placing a bet with 22bet is something people around the country are able to do now. This rising sports betting scene in Nigeria helps sports in general to become even more popular and makesthem more exciting to get involved with. It also brings extra tax revenue into Government coffers from sportsbooks, which they can then spend on sport in the country.
Basketball seeing increasing numbers of Nigerian talent
The previous 2020 BA Draft saw a record number of 8 young prospects involved with Nigerian ancestry. Even more impressive was that this figure was up from 5 in 2016. A look around current NBA players in 2020 also saw around 19 with Nigerian origins – from Victor Oladipo to the Antetokounmpo brothers. This rising number of Nigerian talent in the world’s top basketball league is hard proof that sport in Nigeria is moving ahead and becoming more successful with each passing year.
Strength of national football side
Football is
also a sport which gives further credence to the notion of Nigerian sport being
on the rise. From Kelechi Iheanacho at Leicester City to Samuel Chukwueze at Villareal, Nigerian
players are certainly making their mark on the biggest stages in global
football.
A brief look at
the national men’s side also shows just how strong Nigerian football is. With
an average squad size of just over 25 and a FIFA World Ranking of 32 currently,
the future is clearly bright. This is also proved by their semi-final
appearance at the 2019 African Cup of Nations and their current strong start to
qualifying for the next AFCON finals.
Nigerian sport is moving on up
There is no doubt that Nigeria not only has a proud sporting history but is home to a sport scene which is currently doing well. When you also take in to account the vibrant nature of other sports in the country (such as a flourishing Ruby League set-up), then it looks like exciting times are ahead.
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