Sports historian and statistician Freeman shares his story: I have not regretted choosing sports journalism over lucrative mining job (Video)

Pulse Staff

May 13, 2019 9:06 AM

Ghanaian Sports historian and statistician Thomas Freeman Yeboah has revealed that he chose sports journalism over a lucrative mining job at AngloGold Ashanti, a decision he has not regretted when he appeared on 'The Story Teller’s Story' on Kwese Free Sports

Freeman

The Story Teller’s Story programme offers a platform for sports journalists to narrate how their journey as the men and women behind the juicy sports news has been thus far.

Freeman Pulse Ghana

“After KNUST there was an offer for me to work at AngloGold Ashanti, yet I chose sports over it. It was a lucrative offer. Something that when I tell friends, they say why did you go for sports,”

“At that time, I was coming into the limelight, the hype was emerging, so it was something scintillating. I was enjoying the fame, so I didn’t want it to go off.

“I foresaw there was a future, so I chose sports journalism over the AGA job.

“Sometimes I contemplate I should have taken that offer. But when I sit down and look back being in sports journalism, because it was after that I rose very high, because at the moment I can take about certain things that I have done, I have travelled to places like Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Togo, Benin through that. I have made my mark in the industry, so I won’t say if I look back, I would say that decision was. Wasn’t because it has put me up there," he said this on Kwese TV Sports Xtra’s Story Teller’s Story Show last week Wednesday as the ninth guest on the show.

Freeman Pulse Ghana

Thomas Freeman Yeboah in one of his ground-breaking research revealed in 2012 that Asante Kotoko had 21 league titles instead of the widely published 22 titles.

The historian said that it brought much animosity from Asante Kotoko fans, yet he stood his grounds.

“Kotoko fans came for me. But I am a man with tough skin, so I managed to deal with it.

“The debate was settled when the managing editor for Kotoko Express at the time Ken Bediako came out and accepted the fact that there was an error in the compilation of Ghana’s football history regarding Kotoko’s league titles and credited me for that," Freeman added.

Freeman Yeboah added that Joe Aggrey, former deputy Minister for Youth and Sports and a veteran journalist’s piece titled ‘Gargantuan error in honour of his work’ really inspired him.

“He is someone I admire so much. His write-ups and other stuff, reports, I have reviewed. A man of this calibre, writing a piece about you. This is what gives me the fulfilment when I look back. All these commendations from people make me proud for turning down the AngloGold offer. For you to get this piece from a man of his calibre is something huge.

“Joe Aggrey’s piece inspired me in course of my sports journalism,” he said

Freeman Pulse Ghana

Thomas Freeman has set many Ghanaian football records straight aside the Asante Kotoko’s league title namely the debate on Ghana’s 100th goal in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the debate on Ghana’s all-time top scorer, the debate on former winners of Ghana’s FA Cup.

In November 2012, he was appointed on Ghana Football Association (GFA) Research and Information Management Committee.

He is currently a senior sports writer at Pulse Ghana and a regular guest on Citi FM’s Scoreline.

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Pulse Staff