The landscape of college football is everchanging, but sometimes change can be for the better. Some of the sport's newest bowl sponsors have seen that firsthand in recent years.
Pop-Tarts and Duke's Mayo gained a massive amount of exposure by sponsoring bowls this decade. The annual mayo bath after the Duke's Mayo Bowl is already etched among college football's top traditions after only three years, while the Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot's ultimate sacrifice in the first edition of the game set the internet ablaze in December.
There's nothing college football fans enjoy more than the wild and wacky, even if that means Rob Gronkowski sponsoring a bowl or a coach getting doused in mayo. Snoop Dogg is next to get in on the fun.
Here's a look at Snoop Dogg's new bowl game and how it's connected to a line of drinks produced by the rapper and Dr. Dre.
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Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, explained
Alcoholic drink brand Gin and Juice by Dre and Snoop was unveiled as the new sponsor for the Arizona Bowl on Monday. The bowl is officially named the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin and Juice by Dre and Snoop. While it's a bit wordy, the game's new logo emphasizes "Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl."
The Arizona Bowl isn't a stranger to eccentric sponsors. Barstool Sports sponsored the game for the last three years, but Barstool personality Dan Katz said in December that the partnership was likely to end after 2023.
"Was a lot of fun doing it but unless the financials drastically change on doing it that’s probably it," Katz tweeted.
The Arizona Bowl is played at Arizona Stadium in Tuscon, Ariz., home of the Arizona Wildcats. The conference tie-ins for the game are the Mountain West and MAC. Wyoming defeated Toledo in the 2023 Arizona Bowl, winning 16-15.
The game already attracted more attention than most bowl games involving smaller conferences thanks to Barstool Sports' large platform, but Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have a chance to bring even more juice to the event with their large followings.
Snoop Dogg isn't the first celebrity to have his name in a bowl game's logo. The LA Bowl was briefly known as the "Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl" in recent years before it became the "LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk" after former NFL star Rob Gronkowski took over as a sponsor.
The LA Bowl might have been the perfect fit for Snoop Dogg, given his connections to Southern California, but Gronkowski's sponsorship deal signed in 2023 is reported to extend multiple years.
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What is Gin and Juice?
Gin and Juice has a triple meaning, thanks to Snoop Dogg. In the context of the Arizona Bowl, Gin and Juice refers to a line of alcoholic drinks started by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. The company is sponsoring the game, giving the rappers a chance to build its brand in front of a large audience of football fans.
The company got its name from Snoop Dogg's 1993 song "Gin and Juice," which became one of the legendary artist's biggest hits. Dr. Dre produced the song, which was written by Snoop Dogg.
It's no surprise the pair adopted the name for their beverage brand. The song gets its name from the gin and juice cocktail, a combination of gin and any form of fruit juice. The song describes "sippin' on gin and juice," which became an iconic line associated with Snoop Dogg despite Snoop not actually singing it in the chorus.
How old is Snoop Dogg?
Snoop Dogg is 52 years old. He's set to turn 53 in October.
"Gin and Juice" was released more than 30 years ago, but the song became such a hit that the reference still resonates with some younger generations. It's prominent enough that Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre named their line of alcoholic drinks in reference to the song, and now the brand will take center-stage at the Arizona Bowl in Tuscon.
