Michelle Alozie: Football no longer for those who didn’t ‘break chalk’
By Chima Azubuike
For many years African parents have seen the choice by their children to opt for football or any other sports as an escape route to surviving from the rigours of academic challenges.
Today’s parents seem to have forgotten the Late Sam Oparaji, he held a bachelor and masters degree in International Law from the University of Rome, it’s widely believed Oparaji is fluent in five languages which include English, German, Spanish, Italian and Igbo, and was about to complete his Ph.D before he died playing for Nigeria against Angola in a World Cup qualifier.
Someone in modern times who has remained a role model that footballers and indeed sportsmen and women can aspire to any level is ‘mathematical’ Olusegun Odegbami.
He graduated from The Polytechnic Ibadan, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. Odegbami has been distinctive in the world of football from the pitch of play to sports administration, to sports entrepreneurship as he owns an academy that nurtures talents.
Education overtime, has shown that its not a yardstick to prowess but, it usually distinguishes an individual from the others. No matter how successful you are when you lack education it simply reflects. It’s most glaring, visible that you always need the one who has broken the chalk to fill the void. Many have jokingly, described it as money buying the brain but not all the time.
In recent time, Michelle Chinwendu Alozie, who was born in America to Nigerian parents from Imo State, flys the flag of scholarship on the pitch of play in the current 2023 women’s world cup.
Alozie plays for the Super Falcons of Nigeria, she is a graduate of Molecular Biology from Yale University, Michelle plays for Houston Dash and also works as a part-time cancer research technician at the Texas Children’s Hospital Houston.
Some may argue that Alozie’s story is different because of her exposure, the fact that she was born in the United States makes it more striking.
Education as fallback
The fact that footballer are prone to sustaining injuries, is a major reason why talents should be encouraged as a backup plan. Aside having investment there is a need to get that certificate.
A sports Pundit, Okafor Emmanuel, harped on the need for parents, academies to encourage talents to pursue education alongside talent enhancement.
Emmanuel in an interview with PERISCOPE NIGERIA added that, “right now footballers break chalk. The break it across different facets; yes sports it about talent and performance but policy makers should encourage the need for education across all spheres. It usually makes the difference.”
