2022 has begun with a rise in violence towards police. Many police officers have been killed or severely injured. This has led to an outbreak of feelings of anger, sadness, and even frustration throughout the American people. Many family members have had to be told that their loved one will not be coming home, or that their loved one is severely injured in the hospital with possibly fatal injuries because they were shot while on duty. Now, these individuals will have to watch a Super Bowl halftime show starring a person who does not support the police.
Snoop Dogg. Many know him because of his global fame, his millions of record sales, and now he might be known as the star of Super Bowl LVI halftime show. Did the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, make the right choice? If you ever listen to Snoop Dogg’s songs, there are many anti-police ideas embedded throughout his lyrics. With the current situation with the violence towards police, it is not a smart idea to have someone that has many anti-police ideas star in something millions of Americans watch. Maybe Roger Goodell wants to rap along to one of Snoop’s songs called “Police” where he raps about killing police and other violent things.
Continuing, Goodell made it clear that he is all for ending racism and stopping hate by putting “end racism” and “inspire change” on players helmets, uniforms, and along the back of endzones, yet he then brings Snoop Dogg in to be the star of the halftime show. Snoop Dogg is the opposite of what Goodell is trying to stand for. Snoop Dogg raps about killing people- the opposite of stopping hate.
During an interview on Eli and Payton Manning’s podcast, Goodell was asked what his favorite song by Snoop was. His answer to this was “I don’t think I could tell you a single title without violating your rules on using language on air, so I think I’m going to have to pass on that one.” Goodell can not even repeat the name of a song, yet he picked Snoop to be the star of the halftime show. Maybe having Snoop Dogg be the star of the halftime show is for the fans, but wait until one of the fans is a family member of a dead officer.
The halftime show is meant for people to enjoy, and is a good way for the NFL to make money. However, the opposite may happen this year. Many people have already said that they will be boycotting the halftime show this year because of the fact Snoop Dogg is the main singer. Who would want to listen to somebody who raps about killing people anyway.
It is interesting how “To Kill a Mockingbird” and some Dr. Suess books have been removed from libraries all over America because of racial slurs and insensitive things, but a guy who has repeatedly included lyrics about violent actions can perform at the Super Bowl halftime show with no problem, and the worst thing is people are totally fine with it. Are both not equally bad? If children’s books are taken off of shelves, then songs about killing people should not be put on platforms where anyone can listen to them no matter how famous the artist of the song may be.
The worst thing is that Snoop Dogg has not only rapped about violence towards police once, but has done it multiple times even after being called out for it. Having Snoop Dogg be the star of the halftime show is wrong on Roger Goodell’s part and reflects badly on the NFL as a whole.
