TOPLINE
If destiny had followed its first draft, Mozez Praiz might have been remembered for his boots, not his voice. A gifted footballer who once commanded attention on campus pitches, he eventually became a household name on African television.
“My coach thought I would play professionally,” he recalls. “Football made me known.”
When that path stalled, there was no scramble for relevance. Broadcasting did not arrive as a dream but as an opening. He studied Mass Communication quietly, at a time when the course was dismissed as unserious. What mattered was not perception, but determination and passion.
Praiz did not enter SuperSport Nigeria through the camera lens. He began as a production coordinator, managing logistics for incoming crews, then worked as a floor manager. Presenting was never the goal. “I was comfortable behind the scenes.” That period built understanding rather than visibility. When he was suddenly asked to present, the transition was seamless because the groundwork was complete. Today, his calm, composed delivery reflects preparation, not temperament.
His method is meticulous. “I read by writing. I literally write things out and ask myself: if I were watching, what questions would I want answered?”
One misconception about sports broadcasting, Praiz notes, is that it is easy. “People see the talking. They do not see the work,” he says. In an era of informed and vocal audiences, presenters must contribute insight, not noise. “Your job is to add value. To make someone say, ‘I did not see it that way.’ That is journalism.” This philosophy shapes his future plans. Beyond football, he wants to invest in lesser-known sports and mentor young professionals. Accuracy, he insists, matters more than virality.
Praiz’s advice to young people is direct: “Do not run after money. Money runs after value.”
His career validates this point. He did not chase fame, income, or relevance. He built skill, embraced preparation, and stayed useful at every stage. In a culture obsessed with quick rewards, Mozez Praiz’s journey offers a counterweight: focus on building value first, and let the results follow.
