PARIS – The MVP of Team USA is Snoop Dogg, the new lord of the Olympic rings. “I’m the biggest kid in the crowd,” Snoop has declared to his adoring television audience on NBC. Not to overstate it, but the TV network’s decision to send a skinny 52-year-old rapper to emcee this five-ring circus in France is its most inspired programming idea since Kramer burst through Jerry’s apartment door on “Seinfeld.
” With all due respect to solid-gold gymnast Simone Biles and French swimming sensation Leon Marchand, these are the Snooplympics, where the biggest star is a reefer-smoking OG. No, I’m not high. But thanks for asking.
After flamboyant sprinter Noah Lyles won gold Sunday and claimed the title planet earth’s fastest human by winning the 100 meters in a dramatic photo finish over Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, I asked America’s newest Olympic hero about a pay TV opportunity: So when’s the match race at 100 meters against Snoop going to be? “Shoot, if Snoop wants to set it up,” responded Lyles, laughing, “set me up a race.” Why not? From crip-walking the Olympic torch to feeding a horse while wearing an equestrian cap and breeches, Snoop has been everywhere at the Summer Games. And wherever he goes, the Doggfather steals the show.
I’ve witnessed the power of Snoop with my own eyes. And it’s nothing short of miraculous. Moses, as you might recall, parted the Red Sea.
But Snoop can stop The Wave. Early in a tense soccer match between the U.S.
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