Thirty years ago, Snoop Dogg was sipping on gin and juice, with his mind on his money and his money on his mind.
These days, the Long Beach-based rapper and business man is running a company that sells gin and juice products, with his mind apparently on college football.
Introducing the newly renamed “Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop,” which will take place Dec. 28 in Tucson, Ariz.
“College football fans are exhausted by the constant talk around NIL, conference realignment, coach movement, transfer portal and super conferences,” Snoop Dogg said in a video posted Monday on his social media accounts. “So it’s time we get back to the roots of college football, what it was focused on — the colleges, the players, the competition, the community, the fan experience and the pageantry.”
Held at Arizona Stadium, home of the Arizona Wildcats, the bowl started in 2015 and has been tied to the Mountain West and Mid-American conferences since 2020. Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop is a ready-to-drink, gin-based canned product from the new premium spirits company launched earlier this year by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, a rapper, producer and business mogul.
With a name inspired by “Gin & Juice,” the 1994 single by Snoop Dogg and produced by Dr. Dre, the company is the first alcohol brand to serve as a title sponsor for an NCAA bowl game.
“We’re thrilled about our groundbreaking partnership with Snoop and Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop,” Arizona Bowl executive director Kym Adair said in a press release. “This year, the Arizona Bowl is bringing sports, libations, and entertainment into a singular bowl game, and we are changing the definition of what a brand partnership is in the NCAA.”
Barstool Sports has had the naming rights to the previous three Arizona Bowl games. The partnership was a controversial one, as Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has made numerous comments considered to be misogynistic or racist. Portnoy has also been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women; he has denied all of those allegations.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to withdraw its $40,000 funding for the Arizona Bowl in 2021.
Snoop Dogg isn’t exactly the most clean-cut guy either.
Much of his music contains offensive language. He has admitted to a past as a pimp and having gang ties. In 1996, he was acquitted of first- and second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of a gang member three years earlier.
But Snoop’s image has taken a softer turn over the years. He’s funny, friendly and extremely easy going. He’s known as Coach Snoop to the hundreds of inner-city kids who have participated in his nonprofit Snoop Youth Football League since 2005.
And he’s seemingly everywhere.
“He’s the voice and face of the NBC Olympics coverage this summer. He’s doing the opening and closing ceremonies, he’s doing all of the athlete interviews,” Adair said during a news conference Monday, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “He’s a spokesperson for major brands, he’s on a lot of television shows, he’s in movies, he’s a personality of pop culture, he’s ubiquitous. Snoop is the man. I’m excited to have him on board.”
The Arizona Bowl did not immediately respond to questions from The Times.
A number of events will take place tied to the event, including a Snooper Bowl featuring youth teams from Arizona and California. Snoop Dogg also is expected to be in the booth for the Arizona Bowl providing color commentary.
“Being a fan, coach, supporter of all levels of the game, I’ve sent many players through my SYFL to colleges and the NFL, so it’s only fitting that I step up and help get this thing right,” Snoop Dogg said in the video. “I’m ready to bring the juice back to college football.”
