Snoop Dogg chat it up with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on joining bid to buy Ottawa Senators.
Snoop vows to create youth hockey league if he buys Ottawa Senators
Snoop Dogg discusses joining Sens bid on ESPN’s ‘First Take’
The Long Beach native announced that he aligned himself with Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks to purchase the Ottawa Senators, Snoop Dogg told ESPN’s First Take that he had even more in store if he was to purchase the club.
Joining hosts Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday morning, May 2, 2023, the longtime hockey fan said he wants to help build a youth hockey program to help young kids get into the game.
“I’ve been watching hockey for about 25 years now. And I’m watching more and more kids that look like me play the game,” Snoop said. “But I’m not seeing it being offered to the kids over here in America. I know how big it is in Canada. So this opportunity came in order for me to like be a part of the ownership of Ottawa Senators. So I jumped on it.
“The plan that we have is to also go and build a snoop Youth Hockey League outside of Canada,” he continued. “So kids in urban communities can learn about hockey, can play the sport and find ways to get into this great thing that’s called hockey. Because right now the NBA, and the NHL is having some great playoff games, and the kids need to know that there is an option to play hockey.”
On the opposing side sits actor Ryan Reynolds’ group, which boasts an alleged bid north of $1 billion and includes The Weeknd as part of the team as well.
Snoop confirmed the news on Monday (May 1), and voiced his hope to grow the game of hockey within the Black community.
“Amazing what @neko_sparks is trying to do in Ottawa & I’m looking forward to being apart of that ownership team,” he wrote to Instagram. I WANNA BRING HOCKEY TO OUR COMMUNITY.”
“I have relationships with people who’ve done things like this,” he said. “But never like this. Never like to say we can actually own a franchise and change the face of hockey.”
Snoop also operates a youth football league, an organization Snoop considers to be a massive success.
“When I started the Snoop Youth Football League in 2005, moving the clock up to today, we’ve sent over 20,000 kids to Division 1 (NCAA) programs,” Snoop said. “We got so many graduates. And just recently CJ Stroud, the No. 2 draft pick, is a kid out of our football league. So we’re watching the great works that is done in these communities that were gang-ridden, that had single parents that were sort of kind of like poverty-stricken. But now through football and sports, we find a way to become more family and more organized and to find ways to do things.”