Snoop’s Game: Snoop Dogg wows the crowd in the bowl that bears his name

Snoop Dogg climbed to the top step of the bandstand and raised his arms, eliciting a roar from the crowd. The marching bands played a version of “Who Am I,” with the prominent drum major grooving to the beat of his own tune.

Forget your mayo dips, edible Pop-Tarts, or even a national championship.

There’s nothing quite like Snoop Dogg directing the halftime show of the game named after him.

“What an incredible experience,” Miami of Ohio coach Chuck Martin said.

Snoop Dogg seems to have become ubiquitous in recent years thanks to a massive entertainment empire.

He is primarily a rapper, but also a film and television actor, video game character, pitcher, record label owner, winemaker and gin & juice salesman.

Snoop Dogg has also been involved in football for years; as a youth coach, guest analyst, with his own Snoop League for inner-city youth in Southern California. He followed Jimmy Kimmel and Rob Gronkowski into the Celebrity Bowl sponsorship arena and, true to his brand, provided quite a spectacle – along with ZERO opportunities for – at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop the players.

Martin’s RedHawks defeated Colorado State 43-17 in that game, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction.

The field at Arizona Stadium lit up with Snoop’s signature hiss, with an image of a black low rider in front of a desert scene painted in one end zone and the Snoop Dog logo in the other.

Once game day was over, it seemed like it was just Snoop the whole time.

Snoop Dogg caught a few passes from Miami’s equipment manager during warmups and stopped outside at a tailgate to take a few sips of Gin & Juice. When he came out of the tunnel for the coin toss, he released a huge roar. He wore a green and gold Arizona Bowl tracksuit, sunglasses, gray Snoop Dogg sneakers, a black Gin & Juice hat and of course some bling draped around his neck.

Snoop Dogg shook hands with both teams’ captains, flipped the coin – with a bit of tact – and posed for a photo with two of the officials before jogging to the Colorado State sideline, where he put on a headset to play a little.

Between quarters, Snoop Dogg tried to fire the t-shirt cannon – the t-shirts only flew a few feet, so he waved them off – and stopped by to nod his head in front of a circle of Native American artists before heading to the Booth left to join the television broadcast.

“It’s seven days a week for me, man,” Snoop Dogg said during the show. “I guess I’m the people’s champion because I love the people as much as they love me.”

That’s for sure.

Snoop Dogg went back onto the field for the halftime interview with Martin, then climbed onto the bandstand to lead both schools’ bands and played the high notes in a medley of his songs. After a stay in a suite, Snoop Dogg was back in the booth for the fourth quarter, a small Snoop camera in the corner of the screen to capture his reactions as the action unfolded.

Snoop saved the best for last.

As Miami’s players gathered around a makeshift stage, Snoop Dogg rolled out in a lime green lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in hand as fans screamed his name. After the ceremony, Snoop Dogg handed out gold chains to the players and took a few photos before a wave of security escorted him out of the stadium like the rock star he is.

“Thanks, Tucson,” Snoop said. “Thank you for welcoming me.”

The joy was all theirs.

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