Is anyone having more fun watching the 2024 Summer Olympics than Snoop Dogg? The 52-year-old rapper-turned-NBC’s special correspondent is in Paris for the network and he’s delighting the internet with his enthusiasm for Team USA.
Snoop kicked things off on July 31 under the Eiffel Tower where he helped “coach” beach volleyball stars Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng to a victory over France.
In what’s become Snoop’s trademark, he rolled up to the stadium with a T-shirt featuring the Olympic athletes. “This is big Snoop Dogg, I represent USA all day,” he declared.
Snoop has been a pop culture mainstay for decades, but he’s reaching new popularity — even for him — with this gig.
Public relations expert Eric Schiffer tells Yahoo Entertainment it’s a mix between the musician’s “authentic, lovable, cool charisma” and “humorous, in-the-moment style” commentary.
“[Snoop’s] eye candy for Olympic audiences,” he says.
Here’s how the “Gin & Juice” rapper is creating the perfect online storm as he broadcasts from the Games.
Snoop is Team USA’s No. 1 fan
The entrepreneur has become a fixture in the stands to cheer on America’s top athletes and he’s been sporting custom T-shirts (and an infectious positive attitude) at each event.
Hughes, Cheng, Coco Gauff and Simone Biles have all been spotted on Snoop’s chest.
Gauff was even the lucky recipient of Snoop’s buzzy pin, which depicts the singer blowing Olympic-style smoke rings. Pin trading has been a sport, in and of itself, at the Games, and the rapper’s was one of the most coveted.
Olympic athletes love him right back
Leave it to Snoop to get Biles and Jordan Chiles pumped up during Sunday’s women’s gymnastics qualification. The gold medal winners started dancing when they saw the West Coast rapper in the stands.
The G.O.A.T. Michael Phelps wanted to team up with Snoop to give him some swimming tips. Phelps said it takes wingspan and lung power to make a successful swimmer, which gave the musician some false hope.
“You just described me: wingspan, lung power — I definitely have great lung power — and I do have a swimmer’s body. Our bodies are similar Mike, we could be twins,” Snoop, who said “hell no” to goggles, replied. (Turns out, it takes a little more than that.)
Even tennis legend Billie Jean King couldn’t resist a photo with the “incomparable Snoop Dogg.”
Let us not forget, Snoop has a job to do too. Whenever the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” singer takes the NBC mic, viewers are in for a good time. Case in point: his analysis of the USA men’s doubles badminton match against China.
“As you see, it don’t stop ’til the casket drop. They rocking and rolling, back and forth,” he said watching the tape. “Give me that, no I need that. Nope, over here, nope, over there, what about over there? Nope. What about there? Nope … Get out the way. Move. I told you, we need that.”
During the primetime segment, Snoop also addressed a video of him crying during the national anthem when swimmer Caeleb Dressel won his eighth gold. The entertainer was in the stands with Dressel’s family.
“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ — there’s something emotional about that song and being there with all those Americans,” Snoop explained to NBC’s primetime host Mike Tirico. “And being with the family, I felt like part of the family.”
Snoop’s commentary quickly went viral.
“It’s amazing how everything Snoop touches somehow becomes more enjoyable,” one person wrote. “I mean, how does that even work? I don’t know, but it does.”
Added another user on X: “Pure gold! Love Snoop!!!”
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