{"id":202153,"date":"2021-09-15T23:24:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T21:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/five-steps-for-nigerias-athletes-to-build-personal-brands\/"},"modified":"2021-09-15T23:24:40","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T21:24:40","slug":"five-steps-for-nigerias-athletes-to-build-personal-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/five-steps-for-nigerias-athletes-to-build-personal-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Five steps for Nigeria’s athletes to build personal brands"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have come and gone. The games always motivate some young people to get into sports. But while there is glamour<\/a> attached to sports participation, there are also well documented challenges<\/a> with regard to administration<\/a> and funding<\/a> in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Many of the athletes representing Nigeria in Tokyo experienced funding problems as a result of bad administration. The organisation in charge of athletics in Nigeria was enmeshed in a leadership crisis<\/a> which had a negative impact on preparations for the Olympics. Ten Nigerians were disqualified<\/a> because the sports federation didn\u2019t conduct sufficient drug testing. <\/p>\n

Indicating the poor funding, news emerged that Nigerian shotputter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, an Olympics finalist, had only one jersey<\/a>. The crowning embarrassment was when sports goods company Puma ended its US$2.7m sponsorship and licensing agreement with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria because of a breach of contract<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Clearly there are challenges with sports management in Nigeria. But athletes can explore alternative sources of financial support. Seeking sponsorship and support is not new in sports. Nigerian bobsledder Seun Adigun launched a GoFundMe page in 2016<\/a> to help get the national team to the Winter Olympics. More recently, there\u2019s been a GoFundMe page<\/a> to support the national women\u2019s basketball team preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And the Friends of Nigerian Basketball Foundation<\/a> raised funds for the men\u2019s basketball team.<\/p>\n

Individual athletes, too, have opportunities to benefit from selling the rights to their names, images and likenesses<\/a>. This allows athletes to earn money through monetising their social media accounts, media appearances and endorsements. For example, Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial artist, is one of the highest-paid<\/a> athletes in the world in 2021. He made 87.7% ($158 million) of his earnings outside his fighting career over the last 12 months. Many athletes are, however, not aware of the possibilities. <\/p>\n

I have written on brand management<\/a> and conducted research on bank brands<\/a>, university brands<\/a>, human brands<\/a> and Africa as a brand<\/a>. Based on over ten years of work around the issue of brands, which includes a study<\/a> on the failure of sportswomen to develop their own brands, I suggest five steps for athletes to consider. <\/p>\n

How to build a brand<\/h2>\n

Brands are features that make a product, service or concept distinguishable from another. But humans can be brands too \u2013 examples are Pastor Enoch Adeboye, actress Sola Sobowale and music producer Don Jazzy. These people actively work to create a larger-than-life identity for themselves. They do this by engaging with their fans on social media, signing autographs and getting involved in charity activities, for example. <\/p>\n

Usain Bolt, the retired Jamaican sprinter, built his brand using his \u201clightning\u201d pose. The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s \u201cSii\u201d celebration is well recognised around the world. The Williams sisters are known for fashion as well as tennis. These examples show how athletes can build and extend their brand into other industries.<\/p>\n

The five crucial steps to getting this far are:<\/p>\n