Who was the biggest star of the Olympics in Paris? Maybe the GOATs come to mind. Simone Biles certainly showed that she was back in the gym. Katie Ledecky walked away with three new gold medals in the pool. On the track, we learned new names like Noah Lyles and Quincy Hall. They were all great, but none of them made the impression that Snoop Dogg did.
I’m not the first one to point out how scary white parents used to think Snoop was. Hell, even Bob Dole, Joe Lieberman and other Senators called him out by name in 1995 when describing gangsta rap as a plague on the nation. Now your mom wants to watch Olympic equestrian events because he is going to be there!
If sports media can learn anything from this moment, it’s that fun matters. Why do we fall in love with sports in the first place? Whether watching them or playing them, sports are fun. We may be invested in the outcomes, but even when games or stories with deeper social implications pop up, they still offer us a chance to escape from our own worries.
Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s absurd to wonder if NBC may have more sports-related plans for Snoop Dogg. We know he’s an avid football fan. With his beloved USC Trojans moving to the Big Ten this year, why wouldn’t the network experiment with how he could be used during its coverage of that conference? Why not let him shoot some field pieces for Football Night in America ahead of the Sunday night game?
You can argue that the Olympics are not really sports coverage, and you’d have a fair point. They have never been about sports. In fact, Snoop was not chosen to be NBC’s celebrity correspondent because of his presence in football or history with hockey. He was chosen because he’s joined the cast of NBC’s hit The Voice and any time the camera was on him, it was a chance for the network to remind you that a new season of that show is just around the corner.
Whatever the motivation though, the network stumbled into gold. I don’t know anyone who thought Snoop was a bad addition.
This site was founded to discuss the nitty-gritty when it comes to the sports broadcasting industry. All of us who write here have opinions about who is great on a broadcast and who can be muted. We also all know a good thing when we see it. Even if Snoop isn’t your cup of tea, having him in the stands and the booth was enough of someone’s cup of tea to reportedly command $500,000 a day.
Call it a stunt if you want, but what that investment proved is that there are creative ways for a broadcast to connect with casual fans. NBC should be leaning into that, and football is the perfect next step.
The NFL is on top of the TV world. A product with that kind of reach can still grow, but it isn’t going to do that by leaning into hardcore football fans. Last year, we saw how powerful an injection of casual fans can be. Now, Snoop Dogg ain’t T Swift, but he is a catalyst that NBC can control. It’s got to be worth exploring.
NBC pays a lot of money to carry the Olympics. It’s the perfect promotional vehicle for the network’s upcoming season of shows. In 2024, it found a hip-hop legend that can draw eyeballs to places they normally won’t go. Imagine if NBC applied that power to a show that is already the most watched on television. It would be foolish not to try it.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
