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The Crenshaw High Cougars made it all the way to the California state bowl, and they may owe some of their success to rapper Snoop Dogg, according to an AP report published on cbs2. In a part of town where there isn't often a lot of extra money for extracurricular activities, this undefeated team includes nine players who went through Snoop's (nee Calvin Broadus) Youth Football League, and are "the first crop of varsity players to cut their teeth in the program."
Giving kids in Crenshaw the chance to play football is one way to keep them out of gangs, but it's also a way to give area fathers who have criminal records for non-violent or non-sexual offenses the opportunity to coach, which is something most other youth sports organizations don't allow.
Another advantage of Snoop's program is that it gives kids the chance to spend positive time with their parents and other adults: "The coaching exception has also reconnected boys with their dads, or at least with positive male role models in neighborhoods where fathers are often behind bars or otherwise absent." Bonus: Snoop attends many of the games and is approachable for the kids.
Snoop's program kicked off in 2005, when the rapper and ex-con got things started with $1 million of his own money, and has continued to invest over the years. Now there are 2,500 kids enrolled in the league, and nine of its alumni are part of the Crenshaw High team vying for the top spot in the state.
