Snoop Dogg set to perform at the AFL Grand Final 2025: Genius move or a huge oversight?
Is locking in Snoop Dogg to perform at the AFL Grand Final the next step toward getting our great game recognised on the world stage? Or just the latest rejection of Australian talent? Have your say.
Two Herald Sun journalists share their views on the AFL locking in Snoop Dogg as the 2025 Grand Final entertainment act. Have your say in the comments below.
Snoop’s headline spot speaks to the AFL’s desire to go global: Nui Te Koha
S-N-double-O-P is solid G-O-L-D.
By throwing Snoop Dogg the biggest bone of them all — an invitation to play on Australia’s biggest sporting stage, at the MCG, on the last Saturday in September, the AFL knows it has hit absolute paydirt.
Or, in Snoop-speak, bling-bling meets ka-ching.
Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Broadus, is a hip hop superstar and figurehead of so-called gangsta rap.
He’s had legal issues in the past, including three years jail time for drug possession.
In 1993, he was arrested and charged over the murder of a gang member. Broadus was later acquitted.
Those incidents almost scotched Snoop’s tour plans Down Under.
Former immigration minister Kevin Andrews once said: “He doesn’t seem the sort of bloke we want in this country.”
But, big dogs in the form of Russell Crowe and Eddie McGuire petitioned authorities to let Snoop into Australia.
Meanwhile, the passage of time, decades of hits, a mountain of weed, and Snoop’s slow but sure transformation into the coolest-ever uncle, has elevated him to the top of the invite list.
His posting to Paris, as US television network NBC’s special correspondent at the 2024 Olympics, sealed the deal, and cast Snoop in a new light to a global audience.
Snoop, Forbes Magazine wrote, proved to be a “cultural powerhouse who transformed the Games into a marketing case study for the ages.”
With Snoop on its side, NBC’s average viewership surged to 34 million per day in the first week alone, a 79 per boost over Tokyo’s numbers.
TV audiences couldn’t get enough of Snoop’s Parisian adventures, including testing his “lung power” with swimming champion Michael Phelps, and dubbing the Mona Lisa his “twin.”
Forbes added: “His presence captured the essence of modern marketing, directly appealing to younger Millennials and Gen Z by blending humour, style, and cultural insight — all while staying true to his unmistakeable brand.”
Snoop has already set the tone for his Melbourne with his famous laid-back flair.
“Your boy big Snoop D-O-double-G at the MCG,” he said.
“I can’t wait to see y’all in September.”
With Visit Victoria prodding, and TV cameras rolling, who knows what magic Snoop will bring in September?
“My preparation for prime time is being me. Google me. Look me up, dog,” Snoop said before the Paris assignment. I know the angle, I know the conversations.”
Snoop Dogg — obviously — is not a traditional choice for grand final entertainment.
He is another lifetime away from past performers like Barry Crocker, Slim Dusty and, gulp, Rolf Harris.
But Snoop’s headline spot speaks to the AFL’s desire to go global, and have the great game recognised on the world stage.
Indeed, the AFL must be licking its lips, and other doggy bits, in anticipation.
Recruiting Snoop is a massive blow for Australian musicians: Grace Frost
The AFL opting to recruit Snoop Dogg for its pre-show entertainment is worse than a slap in the face for Aussie artists — it’s like being dropped from the team on grand final day.
Hiring a controversial American rapper whose lyricism and lifestyle is at stark odds with the family-friendly scene the AFL is constantly trying to promote is questionable at best.
But there it was something else that stirred an even deeper sense of upset within me when I heard the news.
This is a resounding declaration to Australian musicians that the AFL believes the talent we have here in this country just isn’t good enough for the big stage.
Katy Perry, Robbie Williams, The Killers: There’s no debating international acts are incredible performers who bring their all for the crowd.
But this constant overseas recruitment of performers is doing more damage to the local scene than the AFL has dared to consider.
Here in Australia, we have talent in abundance, and a grit that sees hundreds of aspiring artists dig their boots in unwavering belief one day they’ll get their chance.
Visibility is what sparks their hope to keep going.
Seeing talent from AC/DC, Vance Joy and Delta Goodrem to more recent Eurovision entry Go-Jo reach the stars is proof it can be done.
But this decision is yet another message to Australian musicians that we aren’t welcome in our own backyards anymore.
Any Australian will tell you the grand final is more than just a sports game.
It’s where we find our sense of community and a showcase of true, fair and fierce Australian culture.
This ain’t the Superbowl. We don’t want it to be.
This is a chance for discovery, a chance for championing incredible Australian talent, and a chance to take hold of every aspect of the game — from the songs to the final siren — as our own.
The league has once again told us celebrity status and global appeal is more important than that and completely neglected true Aussie values by doing so.
At the end of the day, it’s Aussie musicians who are paying the price on the sidelines.
NGV Gala spectacular: See all the style from the navy carpet
