Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young Calls For AFL To Cancel Snoop Dogg

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has joined in the call to cancel the Snoop Dogg performance slated for the AFL Grand Final.

In the Senate on Monday, Hanson-Young said that Snoop Dogg’s misogyny and homophobia should have ruled him ineligible for a performance, and argued the AFL should look towards homegrown talent for the mid-show entertainment.

“Why is it that the AFL  is bringing in an international artist- a slur merchant- paying them $2 million, rather than backing Aussie talent?” she asked. “The AFL has decided for the grand final, rather than putting on an Australian artist, they’re going to pay Snoop Dogg $2 million to play at the Grand Final.

“The AFL is a cultural institution, and cultural institutions like this should be backing the rest of our cultural institutions. Our artists, our musicians, our music industry, right here at home.”

Hanson-Young also pointed out that while the AFL claim to be working hard to establish a culture of respect, it’s not something that appears to be reflected in its choice of entertainment.

The game is notorious for its deep-rooted homophobia, with players regularly called out for blatant acts of homophobia. Last week, Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine was issued a five game suspension over the use of a homophobic slur, although this was later downgraded to a four game suspension, allowing Rankine to participate in the Grand Final.

“The irony is not lost on many of us that while Izak Rankine gets dumped, Snoop Dogg gets $2 million to play his misogynistic, homophobic music on our turf,” Hanson-Young said.

“We need investment in Australian and Aussie talent. We need investment in our music industry, and we need to say that if it’s an Aussie game, it’s an Aussie artist playing.”

She concluded by urging the AFL to rethink their decision.

“Use last week’s outcry and outrage from the Australian community about homophobia and misogyny and dump Snoop Dogg and put in place an Aussie artist.”

Snoop: “I’m scared to go to the movies now”

The criticism around Snoop Dogg’s performance was compounded after comments he made last week on the It’s Giving podcast, while discussing a conversation he had with his grandson about a same-sex family in the Toy Story spin-off film Lightyear.

“I’m like oh shit, I didn’t come in for this shit, I just came to watch the goddamn movie,” he told the hosts.

Snoop claimed the exchange affected him so much, he no longer wanted to go to the movies for fear of being exposed to LGBTQIA+ culture that he might have to talk about.

“So that’s like this, fuck me. I’m scared to go to the movies now, like y’all throwing me in the middle of shit that I don’t have an answer for.”

“It threw me for a loop, I’m like, what part of the movie was this, these are kids that we have to show that at this age, like that?

“They’re going to ask questions, yeah. They’re going to ask, I don’t have the answer.”

In the wake of Rankine’s suspension, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon defended the decision to continue with Snoop Dogg’s performance, but has not issued comments in the wake of recent developments.

“We cannot vouch for every lyric, in every song, ever written or performed by any artist who has or will appear on our stage, Australian or international,” he said.

“But what I can say is our pre-match entertainment on grand final day will be family-friendly and consistent with the audience at the MCG and those watching the broadcast.”