Snoop Dogg and Swansea – the story behind football’s unlikeliest link-up

Microphone in hand, shades on despite the dimmed lights, Snoop Dogg is going through a back catalogue of hits that has made him one of the biggest hip hop stars in the world.

All while wearing a Swansea City beanie hat and hoodie.

If the social media videos from Monday night’s private party in an industrial estate on the outskirts of the city don’t seem surreal enough, Tuesday night will see Snoop take his seat at the Swansea.Com Stadium for his first game since becoming an investor in the Championship club.

After the introduction of Hollywood to EFL ownership at Wrexham with Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, here is Swansea City’s next episode.

“It’s a bit different, I think you can say that,” says Swans supporter and fanzine editor Steven Carroll, understatedly summing up the feeling of a fanbase.

It’s certainly done that.

Responsible for selling 35 million records worldwide, Snoop Dogg can now add record ticket sales to his resume.

The club have opened up sections of the away end because of the spike in interest, meaning not only have the ‘sold out’ signs gone up for the visit of Preston North End, the game is also set to see more Swansea fans in the ground than ever before.

It’s a short term hit of buzz for a club that lost its way after relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Eyes, however, are now on a return – with the involvement of Snoop part of a longer-term plan that Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe says has “no limits”.

Brought on board by the club’s US owners Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen in July, Snoop’s minority stake didn’t mean a large injection of cash.

But it did mean a huge boost to its ability to sell itself.

“The reality is that if we operated within our natural resources we couldn’t compete financially,” says Gorringe, speaking just after helping show Snoop around the club’s training base on Monday afternoon where he met players and staff.

“PSR (profit and sustainability rules) is our biggest constraint. We are up against sides with parachute payments and we have one of the lowest turnovers.

“We have to think of new ways to generate income. We are an underdog and part of the attraction for him is the difference he can make with the pull he naturally has.”

That pull includes more than 100 million social media followers – more than Wrexham’s ownership combined – that Swansea have already looked to make the most of.

Beyond growing the brand and the wider fan base, which Gorringe admits “takes time”, there have already been tangible benefits.

Income has seen tie-ins, including clothing collaborations with Snoop’s own publishing label, the iconic Death Row Records that was once the home of Dr Dre and Tupac Shakur.

Why Swansea would want to have Snoop on board – and in the stadium – is obvious. Why Snoop is at Swansea could seem less so.

His history, though, suggests he’s not short of entrepreneurialism, including investing in social news site Reddit in 2014.

The opportunity at Swansea combined that interest with his long-held association with sport, most recently seen during his role as Team USA’s ‘honorary coach’ at the Winter Olympics.

Whether cheering on competitors or trying out the sports themselves – including curling – he combined his role with work for US broadcasters, as he did at the Summer Games in Paris for which he won an Emmy. Views of his videos for NBC in Milan-Cortina are reported to have hit 73 million.

His love of NFL is well known too. A Pittsburgh fan, he’s arranged for every fan at tomorrow’s game to have a Snoop and Swansea branded towel to emulate the twirling performed by Steelers crowds.

Quite how the Preston fans respond to that sight is another thing.

Snoop’s friend and fellow minority investor, US TV personality and billionaire businesswoman Martha Stewart, has already sampled the EFL environment after attending the December win over Wrexham.

Given how long it has taken Snoop to experience such atmospheres for himself, there will be those who wonder if this is more gimmick that genuine.

Unlike at Wrexham, Snoop has no formal role, no decision-making power, just contributions and offers to help in the ways he can.

But similarly to how Reynolds and Mac have emotionally invested in north Wales, buying into something bigger is seen as part of the desire to get involved.

“There’s a definite excitement about being part of things and he was really engaged in it all – but it’s clear he’s aware there’s a responsibility,” adds Gorringe. “He wants to learn more about the city and the community because he sees that as an important role.

“It would be easy for this to be done as a PR stunt but understanding the city is the heart of who we are and who he is.”

In other words, someone who didn’t always find life easy has an affinity for the ‘underdog’, predominantly working class, city.

It’s why some of the first meetings at the training ground were with the kitmen and team chef, not only long-serving members of staff but very much of the local area and die-hard fans.

It is also why Snoop bought up a number of tickets for Tuesday’s game himself so he can donate to community groups.

“Who knows, the weather might be nice and he might think the Gower is better than LA,” laughs Steven Carroll of the SoS (Save our Swans) fanzine.

“We’ll see what happens, but he’s the biggest celebrity to ever step foot in Swansea and its an association we seem to be benefitting from.

Swansea’s third high-profile investor is more likely to have an influence on that front.

Former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric is also a minority shareholder – but is yet to make his first visit as he continues to perform at the top level with AC Milan.

The 40-year-old Croatia captain is described by Gorringe as “an unbelievable asset” who watches every game and is “really integrated” as he prepares for a life after playing.

He has spoken to Snoop on Swansea, just as Snoop met and spoke with manager Vitor Matos on Monday, with the Swans’ former Liverpool coach denying the spotlight is a distraction as they aim to keep the play-offs in range.

“It’s always good and exciting for the club, for the city, having someone like him with his profile,” said Matos, whose side are six points off the top six.

“When you have people who care about the club on the top of the organisation it’s always good.

“But what motivates us and what needs to motivate us is the fans, the noise of the people in the stands, it’s about a granddad taking his grandchild to the stadium, the legacy that you bring to the stadium from old times to now.

“I think that’s what we want to build from and Snoop is another person to help us do that.”