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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 3

Publication Date: March 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/assrj.103.14149.

Alaubi, S. C., & Nwankwo, G. O (2023). Knowledge of Legal Liability in Sports Among Sports Council Personnel in South-South,

Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(3). 300-306.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Knowledge of Legal Liability in Sports Among Sports Council

Personnel in South-South, Nigeria.

Dr. Stanley C. Alaubi

Department of Sports and Exercise Science,

Faculty of Education, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt.

Dr. G.O. Nwankwo

Department of Sports and Exercise Science,

Faculty of Education, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt.

ABSTRACT

A study on knowledge of legal liability in sports, among male athletes in sport

councils in South-South Nigeria. Nine research questions and six null hypotheses

were tested at 0.05 alpha levels. The population for this study comprised of all the

3,321 athletes and coaches in south south Nigeria with a sample size of 645

respondents (140 coaches and 505 athletes). The study adopted the cross-sectional

survey design. The sampling technique used was multi stage sampling procedure.

The research instrument was subject to both face and content validation by the

researcher’s supervisor and two experts in the field of measurement and

evaluation. The reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained using the Pearson

Product Moment Correlation statistical analysis. The collected data were analyzed

using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation for the research

questions, while multiple regression was used for the testing of the null hypotheses

at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The findings established that: 401 (62.2%) Sport

personnel in South-South Nigeria possessed good knowledge of legal liability in

sports while 244 (37.8%) do not. Based on these findings, it was recommended

among others that: Ministry of sport should introduce sporting activities, training

and retraining from time to time in order to improve the knowledge of Sports

personnel with issues relating to legal liability in sport.

Knowledge of legal liability in sports among sports council personnel is very important to sport

development. Consequently, coaches should be involved in studying laws that relates to sports

in the course of their professional preparation. (Babalola and Alayode, 2012) stated that, it is

worth noting today that, people are becoming more aware of their rights under the law. This

has awakened the need to ensure that coaches are made to know the legal implications of

negligent caused injuries in class or field of play. It is imperative that, when dealing with various

types of physical education programmes, coaches must learn to protect themselves from any

tortuous liability. To be able to do this, they must have knowledge on matters that can make

them vulnerable to legal liability in sports. Knowledge of legal liability in sports possessed by

Sport personnel has become imperative with the rate of development and mass participation

in sports by all and sundry. This can be seen in the Olympic and the Paralympic games of

London 2012.

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Alaubi, S. C., & Nwankwo, G. O (2023). Knowledge of Legal Liability in Sports Among Sports Council Personnel in South-South, Nigeria. Advances in

Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(3). 300-306.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.103.14149

Therefore, knowledge of legal liability in sports among sports council personnel in south-south,

Nigeria will enhance the proper handling of athletes to prevent minor or major injuries or even

death which may bring about law suit against the offender or the council as a whole. Due to this,

coaches should see himself or herself as the most important manager in conducting programs

within the standard of cares as required in sports profession.

The standard of care of sports personnel would be enhanced if the limit is known to which

position allows them to operate and occupy their place of status as sports managers with their

knowledge in legal suit and possess enough knowledge about it to avoid litigation for

negligence. According to (Kodilinye and Aluko, 2003) they stated that negligence is the breach

of legal duty to take care which results in damage, undesired by the defendant, to the plaintiff

because negligence as a theory is established on the principle that any harm inflicted as a result

of a breach of legal duty of care and damage must be compensated for, by the erring persons.

while Kodilinye and Aluko, (2003) claim that it is a civil wrong involving a breach of duty fixed

by the law, such duties being owed to persons generally and its breach being redressible

primarily by an action for damages.

The exceptional magnitude and growth of almost every aspect of the sports industry today is

undeniable. Ezedum, (2019) stated that sports facilitate economic development. Asagba,

(2004) pointed out that sports have under gone transformation from ancient Olympic games to

notable features in modern sports which inculdes link to technology, professional

administration, athlete’s socialization and sports being a business venture. Chappelet, (2008)

identified several ways sports have been of economic value to developed nations. These areas

were sports activities, sport events and sports eqipment. Such development has not come

without its share of growing pains. One such dilemma that has accompanied the growth of the

sports industry has been the dramatic increase in sports related litigation over the past 30 years

(Hronek and Spengler’s 2000). Trojian, (2017) indicated that the average injury award is now

over $1.5 million There is considerable disagreement regarding litigation in sports and the

effect it has on the sport industry. Critics of sport-related litigation condemn the continuous rise

in the number of law suits filed and the enormous amounts of monetary damages that have

become commonplace today. They claim that lawsuits are out of control, and if allowed to

continue, will inevitably change the nature of sports as we know it, and eventually destroy

sports. (Appenzeller and Lewis, 2000).

Studies have revealed that various sporting activities and recreation programme are prone to

injuries. During a sixth school year period in Wloclawek region in Poland, in the year 2003, the

study revealed accidents during break were 36.6% and out of that percentage physical

education activity had 33.2%. 20.2% of the accidents were at the gymnasium (Sosnowska and

Kostka, 2003). So many cases are coming out of sports due to mass participation, and hence, the

need for the knowledge of legal liability in sport. Legal liability therefore, is the legal bond

obligation to pay debts Mannig (2019), the researcher also added “to pay damages”. He further

stated that legal liability could be imposed by law on individuals or corporation to pay for harm

done to others. Such laws may be common laws, statute law or customs which over a period of

time have taken on the same status as law. There are basically two major categories of laws:

criminal laws and civil laws. Criminal laws regulate public conduct and are enforced by the

government body that enacted them. Violation of criminal laws result in action by the

government aimed at imposing some form of punishment. Various responsibilities are placed