It appears Ryan Reynolds isn’t the only celebrity who wants in on the Ottawa Senators.
The Athletic’s Ian Mendes reports iconic rapper Snoop Dogg has aligned himself with Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks to purchase the Ottawa Senators.
“He’s (Snoop Dogg) passionately involved," a close source to the Sparks bid who did not want to be named as they are not authorized to speak on the deal confirmed. "He’s coming up with ideas. And he’s legitimately excited. He wants this team.”
Sparks sets the ambition of leading the most diverse ownership group in NHL history. According to a source who spoke to Mendes, the consortium includes more than a dozen investors, with the majority of the ownership group comprised of people of color.
Snoop Dogg has an enormous following on social media, including 80.1 million followers on Instagram and 20.9 million followers on Twitter. Snoop also performed at the halftime show of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in 2022, alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
“He’s passionate about trying to make this game affordable for visible minorities and kids in low-income areas who haven’t been able to play hockey in the past," a source told The Athletic. "He wants to be community oriented.”
In addition to being an iconic hip-hop artist, Snoop is a cofounder of Case Verde Capital, a cannabis investment firm. In 2019, he purchased Death Row Records, and in 2020, he launched Snoop Cali Red Wine. Perhaps Snoop's most famous connection to hockey to this point was the Pittsburgh Penguins jersey he sported in the 1994 music video for the hit song “Gin and Juice."
Last week, it came to the front that Ryan Reynolds and The Remington Group have placed a $1 Billion bid to purchase the Senators. The next round of proposals will be set in two weeks.
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