Snoop Dogg will serve as a face for Team USA, cheering on the athletes during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
That's Coach Snoop, to you.
Legendary rapper and business mogul Snoop Dogg will serve as Team USA's first-ever honorary coach for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced Wednesday, Dec. 10. Snoop kept athletes, coaches and fans at home entertained throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics with his witty commentary.
"Team USA athletes are the real stars – I’m just here to cheer, uplift and maybe drop a little wisdom from the sidelines," Snoop said in a news release. "This team represents the best of what sport can be: Talent, heart and hustle. If I can bring a little more love and motivation to that, that’s a win for me."
Snoop is already getting to work in his new role ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off Feb. 6. The rapper will serve as a voice for the Team USA Fund, the primary way fans can directly support their favorite athletes, according to a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee news release. The committee said 100% of monetary gifts given to the fund go back to the athletes and Team USA programs.
Fanatics is also celebrating the news with a Coach Snoop x Team USA collection, which will drop in December. Details, as of Dec. 12, remained limited.
Supporting sports with a purpose
Serving as a face for Team USA isn't the first time Snoop has been involved in the sporting world for a good cause.
In 2005, Snoop launched the Snoop Youth Football League, a nonprofit that provides resources and programming for inner-city children to participate in youth football and cheerleading. The organization serves children ages 5 to 13, "teaching them the values of teamwork, good sportsmanship, discipline, and self-respect, while also stressing the importance of academics," according to the league's website.
In 2017, the league added the Snoop Special Stars Football and Cheer division, which serves children 5 through 18+ with special needs.
C.J. Stroud, the Houston Texans quarterback, is a notable success story of the Snoop Youth Football League. Starting in 2014, Stroud played two seasons with the league and has since developed a mentor-mentee relationship with Snoop, as reported by ESPN.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snoop Dogg named Team USA honorary coach for 2026 Winter Olympics
Category: General Sports
