Nigerian football: a case of social media and sport insider information

Abstract

The increasing use of information and communication technology, particularly social media, has extended the reach of football discourse beyond traditional boundaries determined by in-groups of administrators, other football stakeholders and legacy media gatekeepers. Privileged football information refers to football information that would otherwise be restricted to insiders and may include ongoing, real-time or proposed decisions or events by football administrators, players, and other key football stakeholders. The relative anonymity of social media provides football administrators, insider journalists, player agents and others who have access to privileged information, with a communication channel to clandestinely disseminate the information. The paper explores possible motivation of an insider, Muyiwalawal, who posted insider information on Eagles Nest, a discussion board for Nigerian football fans, before and during the 2014 World Cup. We also report on the impact of the information on members of Eagles Nest. We find that the insider in this case is motivated by identity as an insider, prestige and member appreciation. Additionally, we find that persuasive impact of the information narrative is dependent on recipient's interpretation of narrative fidelity.