Snoop Dogg may be looking to take his interest in professional hockey to the next level with an ownership opportunity.
In May 2022, the rapper and serial entrepreneur had purchased a minority stake in Bivouac, a team that’s part of Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league, as previously reported by AfroTech.
Now, Snoop Dogg is said to have joined the bidding war for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, according to The Athletic. He, along with Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, are hoping to become part owners of the team.
“[Snoop Dogg is] passionately involved,” the outlet’s source shared. “He’s coming up with ideas. And he’s legitimately excited. He wants this team.”
The source added: “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. He wants to be community oriented.”
In addition to creating more accessibility for underserved communities, Sparks’ group aims to be one of the most diverse ownership groups, the outlet notes.
While Snoop Dogg may have joined in on the bid, there are other offers on the table as well.
According to the Ottawa Sun, actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group are reportedly preparing a $1 billion bid to buy the Ottawa Senators. What’s more, the group is said to have agreed to build a new arena for the team if they win the bid.
And this isn’t the first time Reynolds has purchased a sports team. Back in 2020, he bought Welsh soccer club Wrexham FC with actor Rob McElhenney.
There are six other major bidding groups that are interested in the Senators’ sale, including a bid from Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé. The deadline for groups to place their final bids on the team is on May 15 and will be overseen by Galatioto Sports Partners.
If successful in their bid, Sparks, Snoop Dogg, and the rest of their group could make history.
“Sparks, who owns a tech firm and a media production company as part of his portfolio, has the ambition of becoming the first Black owner of an NHL franchise. Sparks would be the front person for a consortium that would include between 13 and 15 investors from the United States and Canada. Roughly 75 percent of the ownership group would be comprised of people of colour,” The Athletic previously reported in January 2023.
According to Ottawa Sun, “Sparks was reportedly the highest bidder in the first round at more than $900 million.”