The University of Kansas is catching some flack after the school invited rapper Snoop Dogg to perform during the school’s "Late Night at the Phog" annual basketball practice, which is generally thought of as a family event.
Snoop’s act included a “stripper pole act” that featured half-dressed women to complement Snoop’s performance. The choice of Snoop for the night’s entertainment didn’t sit well with Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I know our standards for language and attire has changed over the years, but this practice is a free event, aimed mostly at families who can bring their kids to watch Kansas basketball on a Friday night,” Engel wrote in an op-ed.
Engel went on to slam his former alma mater for a spate of bad choices over the years.
“Not only is your basketball program caught up in the FBI wiretap scandal and is now the subject of an investigation by the NCAA, the athletic department decided inviting Snoop to perform for the kids was a good idea,” he wrote, noting that given the ongoing investigation into its basketball program, now was perhaps the worst time to invite Snoop to this kind of event.
KU athletic director Jeff Long issued an apology:
"We apologize to anyone who was offended by the Snoop Dogg performance at Late Night. We made it clear to the entertainers' manager that we expected a clean version of the show and took additional steps to communicate to our fans, including moving the artist to the final act of the evening, to ensure that no basketball activities would be missed if anyone did not want to stay for his show.
"I take full responsibility for not thoroughly vetting all details of the performance and offer my personal apology to those who were offended. We strive to create a family atmosphere at Kansas and fell short of that this evening.
“Inviting Snoop to a kids party is a terrible idea,” Engel concluded, “and in doing so, Kansas turned one of basketball's most hallowed arenas into just another strip club.”
