In a country where association football fans make up 67% of the population, American football has lived its years playing second fiddle and it’s not even close. Between both namesakes lies a mileage, one so distant that the intervention of other sports, like basketball, athletics, tennis and boxing has done nothing in stimulating the competition. However, with reformers like Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive tackle, Moro Ojomo who, after his Super Bowl triumph, is set to headline a major veer in Nigeria, the course is set to be altered in favor of American football.
As the over 200 million global audience of Super Bowl LVIII came off the treat of a mind blowing halftime show performance by Usher, they were immediately teleported to Africa by a 146-second commercial, “Born to Play,” starred by two-time Super Bowl champion and leader of IPP Africa, Osi Umenyiora. The message of the commercial – the NFL International Player Pathway Program (IPP) – with much clarity, was summed up in Osi’s parting words to the youngster, Kwesi (Eldad Osime):
“It doesn’t matter where you’re born, as long as you’re born to play”
These words did more than the task of thrilling the audience with its poetic effect; it was the recommissioning of a 2017 pathway constructed by the NFL, from North America to Africa. At the time – 2023 leading to 2024 – the pathway had just guided six Nigerians to the NFL. And in all, there were about 11 players of Nigerian descent in the NFL, with Ravens’ wide receiver and former Eagles’ Super Bowl winner, Nelson Agholor, among the prominent ones.
The IPP class of 2025, mirroring the kind of giant strides the IPP has been making in Nigeria, had players of Nigerian descent make up over 25% of about two dozen talents from various regions of the world.
The clear strategy to market the game by adding more Nigerian players was blazed by soccer, where the presence of stars, like Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Bukayo Saka, Alex Iwobi; and legends, like Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Jayjay Okocha, John Obi Mikel and others in the sport, has successfully reinforced its influence in the nation.
Impressively, the NFL is charting a similar course. Led by Eagles’ defensive tackle, Moro Ojomo, more than ten Nigerians featured on NFL rosters in 2024.
In the long run, it’s a symbiotic relationship where the NFL heightens its influence in the region and drinks from the pool of African talents, while Africans also reap the dividends of the numerous opportunities presented by the sport. Since the commercial at Super Bowl LVIII, the outlook of American football in Nigeria has witnessed tremendous developments. Yet, even without an IPP commercial, the Eagles’ triumph at Super Bowl LIX is on its way to sparking more remarkable shifts in the country.
While the Eagles’ visit to President Donald Trump at the White House has been pending since their victory, home is truly where love resides for Moro Ojomo, who was welcomed with his parents by President Bola Tinubu to the Presidential Aso Rock Villa in Nigeria some days ago.
The Eagles’ defensive tackle proved himself worthy of honor when he announced that his home country was his next Caesars SuperDome, where he was set to exert himself fully and leave an indelible mark on the history books of American football – like he did at the Super Bowl.
Alongside his plans to establish a football academy, the athlete also spoke about his vision to create opportunities for Nigerian youth and nurture the next generation of athletes.
Speaking upon his arrival in the country, Ojomo emphasized his commitment to seeing the rapid development of American football in Nigeria.
“In the meeting yesterday, we proposed a plan to ultimately build an academy that not only promotes Nigerian-born athletes overseas or Nigerian descendants who come back and visit but also points to the youths and gives them abilities to grow in strength and grow into skill. That is what is in the pipeline,” he said.
“The goal is to see Nigerians doing well in American football. I believe the sport is not popular in Nigeria because people do not understand it.’’
“There is a lot of work being done with the flag football team. Some tryouts are happening in Lagos right now. I think they want to get them ready for the Olympics in 2028,” the footballer added.
He also highlighted the importance of providing young people with the necessary investments that can improve the face of Nigeria sports on the global stage.
“I would not be here without Nigeria. I think that there is a saying that the grass is not greener where you go, it’s greener when you water it. We have the opportunity to water it.”
“What we are working on now is just to provide more opportunities for the youths and ultimately make Nigeria the greatest country in the world. So that’s the goal,” Ojomo remarked.
Truly, it could be a lengthy journey for American football, but with footballers like Moro Ojomo, the pathway continues to flourish in Nigeria. And while the only referent of Eagles in the country has always been the country’s soccer national team: Super Eagles, with the continuous growth of American football, the goal is that soon enough, the Philadelphia Eagles will receive a share of that recognition.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
