Jide-Ojo Jide Olusola, veteran Nigerian sports media executive and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 247SportsNetwork Limited, has urged African sports stakeholders to pursue greater ownership of sporting businesses, leagues and media rights, presenting Nigeria’s Showtime Flag Football as a potential model for commercial growth during the Year of Return Africa (YORA) Summit and Expo 2026 at Broadwalk Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, 14 October.
Speaking during discussions on the business of sport, Jide-Ojo argued that Africa must move beyond producing talented athletes for the global sporting market and focus on building commercially sustainable sports properties capable of generating revenue, creating jobs and retaining greater economic value on the continent.
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“Africa must stop being only the supplier of sporting talent and become the owner of sporting businesses,” he declared in his prepared remarks.
The intervention placed sports ownership, media monetisation and intellectual property at the centre of a wider conversation about Africa’s economic potential.
The YORA Summit, which brings together entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and industry leaders, has positioned sports and entertainment among the sectors through which African opportunities can be converted into sustainable enterprises.
Jide-Ojo, who also serves as Media Aide to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeboye Anthony Adeyinka, drew on more than three decades of sports media experience to make the case for stronger commercial structures around African competitions.
He identified league ownership, broadcasting rights, digital distribution, merchandising and fan engagement as important areas in which African entrepreneurs and sports administrators could build long-term value.
At the heart of his presentation was Showtime Flag Football, a Nigerian competition that has sought to establish an audience for flag football through organised matches, entertainment and digital storytelling.
Flag football is a non-contact variation of American football in which defenders stop a play by removing a flag attached to an opponent rather than tackling the player.
The sport’s accessible format and potential for mixed-gender participation have helped it attract interest beyond traditional American football audiences.
Showtime Flag Football has developed its Nigerian presence around structured league competition and championship events, including the Showtime Bowl.
Its approach combines the sporting contest with audience engagement, social media content and commercial partnerships, offering an example of how a relatively unfamiliar sport can work to establish its own identity and following.
For Jide-Ojo, the significance of the competition extends beyond introducing another sport to Nigerian audiences.
He argued that emerging leagues must be developed as recognisable commercial properties, with consistent competitions, distinctive branding and compelling narratives that give supporters reasons to follow teams and athletes over time.
“Storytelling creates emotional investment. Emotional investment creates audience. Audience creates commercial value,” he explained.
The argument reflects an increasingly important consideration for sports businesses: competitions need more than athletes and match schedules to build lasting commercial appeal.
They also need content that makes the sport accessible, gives competitors recognisable identities and encourages fans to return between match days.
In Showtime’s case, published industry coverage has highlighted the use of live events, digital videos, player-focused narratives and sponsorship activations to grow interest in flag football.
Such activities can create opportunities for broadcasters, content creators, event organisers, technology providers and brands seeking to reach engaged audiences.
Jide-Ojo maintained that African sports organisations should therefore look beyond conventional sponsorship arrangements and consider a broader range of income sources.
These include broadcast and streaming agreements, merchandise sales, branded digital content, ticketing, licensing and the commercial use of sporting intellectual property.
“Every match is a story, every athlete is a brand, and every league is a potential media company,” he stressed.
The message is particularly relevant to African sports markets, where considerable athletic talent coexists with uneven access to infrastructure, professional management, investment and commercial distribution.
Producing elite athletes does not automatically ensure that local leagues, clubs or communities capture the financial benefits generated by sporting success.
Building stronger sports businesses requires sustained investment in facilities, administration, coaching, athlete welfare, marketing and audience development.
It also requires transparent governance and commercially credible structures that can give investors and sponsors confidence in the long-term prospects of a competition.
Showtime Flag Football provides one illustration of the opportunity, although its wider commercial potential will depend on its ability to sustain audience growth, strengthen its revenue streams and develop the infrastructure needed for continued expansion.
The model is an example of an emerging sports property rather than proof that every new competition will achieve similar results.
Jide-Ojo’s emphasis on grassroots development also points to the importance of connecting commercial ambitions with broader participation.
Developing new sporting properties can create pathways for athletes and coaches while opening opportunities for young people working in media production, event management, marketing and sports technology.
The challenge for African sports stakeholders, he suggested, is to create structures in which talent development and business growth reinforce one another instead of treating them as separate objectives.
His contribution aligned with the YORA Summit’s broader focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and partnerships as drivers of economic development.
By placing sports alongside other commercial sectors, the gathering provided a platform for examining how African businesses can build value from the continent’s creative and human resources.
For Jide-Ojo, the next stage of African sporting progress should be measured not only by medals, trophies or the number of athletes competing internationally, but also by the strength of the businesses built around them.
“Africa has already proved that it can produce the talent. The next frontier is ownership,” he concluded.
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His message offers a compelling challenge to sports administrators, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers: to ensure that Africa’s sporting ambitions translate into locally owned enterprises, stronger media ecosystems and sustainable opportunities for the next generation.
