The Snoop Dogg Bowl

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born in 1971, to Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado. They were not married, and Mr. Varnado left three months after Calvin was born. His mother then married Calvin Broadus Sr., and they remained married until Calvin Jr. was three years old. Calvin’s mother nicknamed him “Snoopy” due to his fascination with the cartoon character, which led to Calvin Jr.’s various names over the years, such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, Bigg Snoop Dogg, Dogg Father, Snoop Rock, DJ Snoopadelic, Snoopzilla, FaZe Snoop, and Niggarachi. I suppose we should be thankful that young Calvin Jr. was not fascinated by Tweety Bird or Minnie Mouse. On the other hand, if he had been a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, that would have saved some time.

In elementary school, Snoop was known as a dedicated student and enthusiastic churchgoer, singing in a choir at his Baptist Church. In sixth grade, he began rapping. By high school, he was active in the drug trade, gangs (he was a member of the Crips), and other criminal activities. He was arrested multiple times for drug-related offenses, and spent time in jail on and off. He was later accused of the murder of a rival gang member but was acquitted. He has often said that his religion has remained important to him. His Baptist upbringing led him to release a gospel album. He has also claimed to be a member of the Rastafari religion, as well as The Nation of Islam.

He has often spoken of the importance of living the lifestyle that he raps about. He worked as a pimp in the early 2000s, saying, “That s*** was my natural calling and once I got involved with it, it became fun. It was like shootin’ layups for me. I was makin’ ‘em every time.” He founded a record label called “Death Row Records,” and his artistic projects include “Murder was the Case,” “Gangsta Walk,” “F*** the Police,” and so on. To get a feel for Snoop’s music, consider the lyrics to his most famous hit, “Gin and Juice”:

ha-ha-ha, I'm serious, nigga
One of y'all niggas got some bad mother***in' breath
(Uh, ayy, [REDACTED]) ayy baby, ayy baby
Ayy baby, get some bubblegum in this muhf***er or somethin'
Ayy, nigga, get somethin' to eat, dog
Study long, study wrong, nigga

With so much drama in the L-B-C
It's kinda hard bein' Snoop D-O-double-G
But I, somehow, some way
Keep comin' up with funky a** s*** like every single day
May I kick a little something for the G's (yeah)
And make a few ends as I breeze through (yeah)
Two in the mornin' and the party's still jumpin' 'cause my mama ain't home
I got b****es in the livin' room gettin' it on
And they ain't leavin' 'til six in the mornin' (six in the mornin')
So what you wanna do? S***
I got a pocket full of rubbers and my homeboys do too
So turn off the lights and close the doors
But (but what?) We don't love them hoes, yeah
So we gon' smoke a ounce to this
Gs up, hoes down, while you mother***ers bounce to this

Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)
Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)

Now that I got me some Seagram's gin
Everybody got they cups, but they ain't chipped in
Now this types of s*** happens all the time
You gotta get yours, but fool, I gotta get mine
Everything is fine when you listenin' to the D-O-G
I got the cultivatin' music that be captivating he
Who listens to the words that I speak
As I take me a drink to the middle of the street
And get to mackin' to this b**** named Sadie (Sadie?)
She used to be the homeboy's lady (oh, that b****?)
Eighty degrees when I tell that b**** please
Raise up off these N-U-T's, 'cause you gets none of these
At ease, as I mob with the Dogg Pound, feel the breeze
Beyotch, I'm just

Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)
Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)

Later on that day
My homie Dr. Dre came through with a gang of Tanqueray
And a fat a** J of some bubonic chronic that made me choke
S***, this ain't no joke
I had to back up off of it and sit my cup down
Tanqueray and chronic, yeah, I'm f***ed up now
But it ain't no stoppin', I'm still poppin'
Dre got some b****es from the city of Compton
To serve me, not with a cherry on top
'Cause when I bust my nut, I'm raisin' up off the cot
Don't get upset girl, that's just how it goes
I don't love you hoes, I'm out the door
And I'll be

Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)
Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)
Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Beyotch (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)
Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice
Beyotch (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind)

Snoop is widely praised for his artistry in the hip-hop space:

How to Rap also notes that Snoop is known to use syncopation in his flow to give it a laidback quality,^[158] as well as 'linking with rhythm' in his compound rhymes,^[159] using alliteration,^[160] and employing a "sparse" flow with good use of pauses.

Beyond his obvious affection for alcohol, prostitutes, cocaine, and the “gangsta” lifestyle, Snoop is well known for his love of marijuana. In 2013, he claimed to be smoking around 80 joints per day. He has also funded many business ventures in this space, including one that promises to deliver “medical marijuana” to clients’ doorsteps in less than ten minutes.

His many business ventures, combined with his successful music career, have led Snoop to become quite wealthy. He is now worth around $160 million. And he has sought more mainstream attention, in many different ways.

Which leads me to the point of this article: In NCAA Division I football postseason, there is now an annual “Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice.” This is remarkable. In many different ways.

For decades, the NCAA has required that bowl game sponsorships reflect “the collegiate model,” banning any sponsorships that involved alcoholic beverages or other negative influences. They even banned “pool halls” with billiards, and even nutritional supplements with ginseng or creatinine. They refused a sponsorship with "5 Hour Energy Drink" because it was laden with caffeine and amino acids. The NCAA refused to even consider bowl sponsorships that had associations with anything remotely illegal or unethical.

But now they have a bowl game named after a serial criminal, gang member, pimp, drug dealer, and rapper who promotes marijuana, blatant misogyny, and anti-police sentiments in his art. Despite their previous strict limitations, the NCAA has accepted this sponsorship.

Why is that, I wonder?

It can’t be for the money. This is a small bowl, with teams from two small conferences (the MAC and the Mountain West conferences). The total revenue is likely to be less than a few million dollars, total. To the NCAA, this is chump change.

So why?

I really don’t know. Perhaps there are certain social blights that the NCAA has decided are virtuous? That seems unlikely. I really don’t know. But this sudden about-face seems really, really bizarre. Why on earth?

Are there any theories out there? What do you think?