The Australian Football League (AFL) has defended its decision to choose American rapper Snoop Dogg as its headline musical act for Saturday’s grand final.
Snoop Dogg will appear at the match between Geelong and Brisbane at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can hold up to 100,000 fans.
The 53-year-old’s involvement has been criticised by some in Australia because of the rapper’s past use of misogynistic and offensive lyrics in some of his songs.
It follows Adelaide player Izak Rankine becoming the sixth AFL-listed player to be suspended for using a homophobic slur in the past two seasons.
AFL chief executive officer Andrew Dillon said he was “really confident” with Snoop Dogg’s inclusion.
“He’s performed at the [Paris] Olympics, he’s performed at a Super Bowl, and he’ll suit our stage,” Dillon said.
“I’ve always been confident that he’d put on a show, but even more confident now.”
An Australian politician, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, urged the AFL last month “to have the guts to dump” Snoop Dogg from its show, describing him in a statement to parliament as a “slur merchant”.
She questioned the rationale behind hiring him to perform at a time when the AFL is looking to drive discrimination out of its sport.
Rankine, 25, was banned after admitting a charge of using a slur against an unnamed Collingwood player during Adelaide’s three-point win in August.
Speaking last month, CEO Dillon said this weekend’s performance by Snoop Dogg would be “family-friendly”.
“We cannot vouch for every lyric in every song ever written or performed by any artist who has appeared on our stage – Australian or international,” Dillon said., external
“It is also important to remember that we engaged Snoop Dogg in 2025 as the person he is today.”
Snoop Dogg, real name Calvin Broadus, said he has fallen in “love” with Australian Rules football.
Speaking during a news conference on Thursday, where no questions were allowed, Snoop Dogg said: “I know that it’s not just a sport, it’s a way of life.
“I’ve been coming to this country for years and I understand what this game is and what it means. I just fell in love with the sport. I always would watch it, but never really understood it.
“It reminded me of American football, rugby and a couple of other things, but now that I understand it, I like it and want to know more about it before the grand finale.”
AFL, which is similar to Ireland’s Gaelic football, is Australia’s most popular spectator sport, and previous acts to headline the grand final include American pop star Katy Perry and British singer Robbie Williams.
