INFLUENCE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA ON INFORMATION DISSEMINATION TO THE ATHLETES IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out the Influence of Electronic Media on information dissemination
to the athletes in Competitive Sports programmes in Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, the purposive
sampling technique was used to select the samples from the six Geo-political zones of Nigeria. The
respondents consisted of football, basketball, tennis players, athletes and sport managers. The Ex-post
facto research design was used in the study. In pursuance of the specific objectives, one research question
was formulated with one hypothesis. The population for the study was seven thousand, one hundred and
fifty-six (7,156) with a sample size of six hundred and ten (610) The data collected were statistically
analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency and percentages for bio-data of respondents, mean (x)
and standard deviation (SD) to answer the research question, while Inferential statistics of one-sample t-
test was used to test the null hypothesis. A researcher-made instrument with a reliability coefficient of
0.803. The result of the data analysis using the constant mean of 3.5 and t-test at 0.05 level of
significance showed that information dissemination with t-Cal of 4.6331 and P-Val of 0.001. Based on
this finding the hypothesis was rejected. The study drew its conclusion from the findings that Electronic
Media influence information dissemination to the athletes in competitive sports programmes in Nigeria.
Through information dissemination, athletes are informed ahead of planned sporting competitions, get
prepared, intensify their training, know venues of events, fixtures, officiating officials and others. The
researcher recommended the need for adequate information dissemination to athletes by sports
organisers/managers before, during and after competitive sports programmes in Nigeria.