The phenomenology of Ghana football

Phenomenology can simply be defined as the science of phenomena as distinct from being.

Literally, phenomenology simply put, is the study of “phenomena.”

In philosophy, the word phenomenology is defined as the study of the structures of experience and consciousness.

It is worthy to note here, however, that phenomenologist does not only study the consciousness but the content of the conscious. That is, ingredients such as; judgments, emotions, and perceptions are all taken into consideration when carrying out a phenomenological research.

A thorough study of phenomenology will lead to the discovery of its uniqueness – its ability to go beyond what is commonly referred to as objective research.

According to the phenomenologist[s] – a person who studies phenomenology, one gets a greater understanding of nature by studying and analyzing daily human behavior and experiences. It places more currency on intuition, intention, empathy, evidence, noema, noesis, and inter-subjectivity.

The Ghana Premier League has been in section for decades and though its contribution to the overall economic impact of the nation can never be overemphasized, one can also argue vehemently that the local league is either stagnating or progressing at a ‘snail walking’ pace.

But haven’t said this, it’ll also be disingenuous and scandalous for any man born of woman to argue that the collapse of the local league will not have serious negative challenges on the economic purse of the nation and the following factors lends credence to that:

REDUCTION OF CRIME RATE

The collapse of football in Ghana has the tendency of bolstering criminal activities on our streets. For instance, buglers who would have been either busy playing football or meeting as supporters groups to plan on how to support their darling clubs ahead of a weekend or midweek fixture would return to the streets with the aim of robbing people.

The above point does not suggest that the game is for criminals because there are lots of good people in the industry, but it only suggests that football has the power to alienate criminals if there are any in our society and the country as a whole besides, the devil they say is in detail and finds job for the idle hands.

EMPLOYMENT

Whilst youth unemployment is a major concern to every government, football can be used as a major source to eradicate or reduce the rate of unemployment drastically. Through football, many people such as players, coaches, marketers amongst others are employed by football clubs.

Unlike politics where even the octogenarians can still hold political positions, the lifespan of a football player in terms of active service is limited. For instance, no team would be willing to sign a player who is above thirty-five (35) years old.

Again, players who get the opportunity to be scouted and eventually sign for foreign clubs earn foreign currency, thus contributing to the foreign exchange rate of the country.

Apart from the known evil (percentage of taxes on match tickets) that goes to the government coffers on match days, there are myriad of economic activities that goes on in and outside match centers.

For instance, the selling of khebabs, cold drinks, recharge cards, sweets, replica jerseys, pure water, yoghurts, wakye, rice, fufu and other local dishes is a source of employment to those who engage in such activities.

A very good example to cite in Ghana is a match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. Very often the food gets finished way before the match itself get started. Most women and men who engage in this activities feeds their families from the profit(s) they make on match days.

Have you ever thought of the litres of fuel that are consumed on every match day? This alone could blow your mind off.

PROMOTION OF TOURISM & ENTERTAINMENT

Most Ghanaians including myself fancy the entertainment aspect of football be it on or off the pitch, but one mining area which we are yet to consider is how to promote or project local tourism through football considering the number of supporters/visitors that travel from one region to the other on match days.

Haven’t elucidated the above reason(s), it’ll also be impervious to logical reasoning if this article is not concluded on the ‘devil’ which is hindering on the progress of the local league;

BRANDING

The way we brand football in Ghana leaves much to be desired. For instance, it is easy to count the number of madmen on the street of Accra than a single billboard which gives information about the Ghana Premier League.

I would like to sign off here for a cup of tea, but don’t forget to check on me for the next article.