Send Snoop to the Convention: What Political Media Can Learn From the Olympics

The Olympics are always a blast, but they’ve seldom seemed as fun and engaging for as many people as they’ve been this year. And as great as the athletes are, pommel-horse guy, Turkish air-pistol guy and Simone Biles are only part of the reason why. The other reason is the non-sports celebs who have been popping up all over viewers’ screens. Comedians Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart, cracking up their offstage crew as they recap Olympic highlights. Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost, doing wry surfing commentary from Tahiti (until he was sidelined by a stepping-on-coral injury). Podcasting star Alex Cooper, watching women’s gymnastics in an Uncle Sam top hat. Snoop Dogg, who is everywhere — in the soccer stands, taking in dressage with Martha Stewart, swimming laps with Michael Phelps.

Celebrities have been central to NBC’s 2024 Olympics programming strategy, in part to beat the dismal viewership of the pandemic-delayed, eerily crowdless Tokyo games, and in part because of the cross-promotional possibilities. (In the fall, Snoop joins the cast of The Voice.) But their presence, supplementing NBC’s traditional sports coverage, has turned out to be more than just a ratings play. It’s also a vibe play. An alternate entry point. A way to sidestep the conventions of sports reporting — the clinical critiques from technical experts, the “how does it feel” questions from sideline reporters — and channel the odd exuberance of fandom. And there’s a lesson here for the networks as they cover the next big endurance event: the presidential campaign.