Olamiji: Nigeria Sports Analysis Needs Data-driven Storytelling to Transform, Maximise Potentials

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Chief Executive Officer of CRSPredictions, Mr. Osifeso Olamiji Itunu, has harped on the need to use data-driven storytelling to transform Nigerian sports reporting ana analysis.

Olamiji said that data-driven storytelling has the capacity to deliver exclusive insights on games and maximise the economic potential of digital sports platforms through ads, subscriptions, and partnerships.

He added that it would meet the needs of betting companies who, for better or worse, crave accurate predictive models, and broadcasters who could enrich live coverage with interactive dashboards.

According to him, youth with coding or mathematics backgrounds can turn a hobby into a career that blends creativity with technical chops, if we provide training and infrastructure.

Olamiji said: “To get there, three things must happen. First, universities and polytechnics should integrate sports analytics into computer science and statistics curricula, giving students real-world projects on local leagues.

“Second, media houses need to invest in upskilling their reporters. Sending a correspondent to cover a match is good; enabling them to run a Python script that reveals advanced metrics is better.

“Third, leagues and clubs must release richer data tracking passes, distances, and speeds; so that analysts are not forced to rely solely on overseas feeds.”

He remarked that sports have always been about emotion: the roar of the crowd, the agony of defeat, the unifying national moment but stated that emotion and evidence are not enemies.

“Data can amplify drama by explaining it. When we pair mathematical rigor with vivid storytelling, we give fans a deeper, more satisfying connection to the games they love.

“For Nigeria, where sports is a cultural heartbeat and a growing industry, embracing data-driven analysis isn’t a luxury.

“It is the next evolution of how we celebrate our athletes, engage our youth, and participate in a global sports economy.

“The future belongs to those who can make numbers sing and tell the stories hidden inside them,” he said.

Olamiji said that when he choose to study Computer and Mathematical Science, he “imagined a future filled with algorithms, code, and complex models; but I never pictured football matches and NBA box scores as my laboratory.

“Yet today, as a sports analyst and website owner, I find myself at the intersection of sport and science, convinced that data is no longer a sideshow in sports journalism. It is the story itself.

“The sports world already generates a torrent of numbers: passes completed, expected goals, sprint speed, defensive pressures, win probability.

“Globally, elite clubs and franchises rely on these metrics to scout talent, set tactics, and prevent injuries.

“Fans in Europe and North America are accustomed to heat maps, possession networks, and predictive charts woven seamlessly into TV broadcasts and articles.

“In Nigeria, however, much of our reporting still relies on anecdote and gut feel. We celebrate the highlight reel without interrogating the patterns behind it.”

He explained that he started sports analysis in 2022, born of a lifelong love for athletics and a professional comfort with data.

“By 2023, I had built a website to share my breakdowns; player efficiency ratings, match-by-match trends, and predictive models of league outcomes.

“Quickly, I noticed a paradox: Nigerian fans are passionate and eager for insight, but the available analysis is thin.

“Most sites recap events; few reveal why a match unfolded the way it did,” Olamiji said.
He, however, noted that numbers alone do not win hearts and stressed that “what matters is data-driven storytelling: turning a matrix of figures into a narrative a casual fan can grasp.
“For example, a simple “possession 65–35” stat means little until you show that the underdog team deliberately surrendered possession to exploit counterattacks and that their fullbacks covered an extra 1.5 kilometres each to make it work. Data gives you the pieces, but a compelling story connects them.
“This approach requires a unique skill set. A sports data analyst must be part statistician, part journalist, part software engineer.

“They need to scrape and clean messy datasets, build visualisations that pop on a smartphone, and write with flair so readers stay hooked.
“In Nigeria, we are barely scratching the surface of this opportunity,” Olamiji said.