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Venture capitalist Henry L. McNamara reveals Snoop Dogg’s alleged Olympic profits

Posted on by darion

Snoop Dogg, US Olympic team, track and field

By Daniel Johnson

August 5, 2024

McNamara’s claim was met with disbelief from users who claimed he was citing a source he had provided, as well as disbelief that he apparently believed NBC was essentially allowing Snoop Dogg to serve as a correspondent at most major Olympic events for free.

When Snoop Dogg gained widespread popularity thanks to his presence at the Olympic Games in Paris, presented by NBC, Henry L. McNamara posted a shocking message on social media.

McNamara is a New York-based venture capitalist and member of Forbes MagazineThe 2020 venture capital class of 30 Under 30 posted a tweet on August 4 in which he claimed an NBC executive told him the rapper and music producer was being paid $500,000 per day plus expenses.

“Sitting next to an NBC executive at dinner, he said Snoop was getting $500,000 a day plus expenses to be here and promote the Olympics. From gin and juice to a few million to be a celebrity at the Olympics – what a world,” McNamara wrote.

McNamara’s claim was met with disbelief by the outlet that cited the source, who apparently believed that NBC would essentially allow Snoop Dogg to serve as a free correspondent during most major Olympic events.

Some have also compared Snoop’s alleged salary to that of American athletes who win medals, but there is no evidence that McNamara’s claims are substantiated, only an alleged conversation with an anonymous NBC executive.

Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg’s profile was presented by Washington Post as NBC’s “Ambassador of Happiness,” and like McNamara, they charted Snoop’s unexpected rise from Vice President Dr. Dre’s partner on “Gin & Juice” to stardom as a guest at the Paris Olympics.

Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African-American studies at Duke University, told the outlet: “I’m not sure who bet on Snoop becoming America’s sweetheart in the ’90s. Nobody expected it back then.”

In 2021, NBC hired Snoop to host a late-night highlight reel with Kevin Hart, and executives were so pleased with the results that they wanted more Snoop. NBC wanted the rapper to fill the role of “roaming correspondent” at that year’s Olympics, which the artist apparently agreed to, given his ubiquity at several events.

According to This FastingSnoop could help boost NBC’s coverage, with Molly Solomon, executive producer of NBC’s Olympic coverage, describing Snoop as an “ambassador of happiness” in an interview with the network.

Snoop discussed some of the reasons he believes he has been successful as an Olympic ambassador with The Associated Press, telling the agency, “When the lights are on, that’s when I shine the most. This opportunity for me was nothing more than a chance to show the world what it should look like when you put the right person in the right environment.”

Martha Stewart, who celebrated her 83rd birthday by competing in the Olympic equestrian competition with Snoop on Aug. 3, said in an interview that his real talent was his likability and ease of relating.

“I think he did an incredible job at the Olympics. It’s a celebration of the best athleticism in the world, and he made it so accessible to everyone. That’s his talent. Everyone loves him,” Stewart said.

Snoop believes the key to getting audiences to like him is that he just is himself and the audience feels it’s authentic and not just a performance.

“This is what I do. I do it every day. That’s why it’s not hard for me,” Snoop said. “It’s not like acting. These parts that we do. They’re comfortable. They’re not stretched or forced. It’s me, me.”

Snoop continued: “But remember, I’m a rapper. So no rapper has ever done what I do. It’s the limitations of the field that I come from,” Snoop told the AP. “Rappers shouldn’t do that. I tend to do the unthinkable.”

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