I was recently pondering why AFCON is a top tournament on the continent, but it’s still struggling beyond just the issue addressed in this article. Particularly, I am puzzled when most Africans ask questions like, “Is AFCON a qualification tournament for the World Cup?” Or when an African diehard for the English Premier League states, “I don’t even know anything about AFCON apart from the fact that one or two of our players won’t be playing the next couple of EPL games.” 

Big Foot Athletes wouldn't have been able to achieve this without your 1000 UGX or 500 UGX coins. Tap yourself on your back, and remind yourself that you achieved something this year. It may not necessarily have been supporting Big Foot Athlete's causes, but that street beggar you gave your pocket change to, that mother you bought avocado from without bargaining, that house help you paid a 13th check (even if she stresses you with Okello escapades), or that friend who you showed up for at their lowest.

A couple of years back, I reached out to my Class Old Girls’ WhatsApp group and suggested that we form a savings group. There was a lot of reluctance, and in fact, it was a total failure. Part of the reason is, we are young adults, and everyone understands how the economy is hot for our age bracket. Most of us are/were unemployed, most had just completed university, and of course, we survive big on the hustle culture.

Remember, there will never be another you. Read that again. There will never be another you. Similarly, in terms of sports, there will never be another LeBron, Messi, Ronaldo, Wilt Chamberlain, Jordan, Candace Parker, Aja Wilson, Jimmy Enabu, Okello Allan, or Siya Kolisi, name them all.

This brings me back to where we started with this series, the abject poverty most Ugandan athletes live in. These players all look great suited up in club jerseys, but their shoulders are heavily laden with questions and doubts about what they will have to show once they are done playing. Beyond the good-looking pictures in jerseys, and smiling by the airplane in yellow and black track suits, these athletes have grievances and most hold onto the hope that maybe a miracle like an European or Arabian team or “any other developed” country will pick them.

Not so long ago, a basketball personality in Uganda got married, and incidentally, he married an old girl (OG) of mine from high school. Definitely, in our old girls’ groups, despite failing to be productive, “tea” will never miss. Someone shared pictures of the happy couple, and this gave us an adrenaline rush of something to blabber about for as long as anyone had something to say. The biggest question in the group was, “Do basketball players in Uganda earn enough?” Everyone questioned the man’s financial ability to marry a woman of her stature.