MELBOURNE, Sept 25: American rapper Snoop Dogg said he was "in love" with Australian Rules football Thursday, ahead of a controversial performance at the sport's grand final.
The 53-year-old will take to the stage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, which will be jammed with up to 100,000 fans watching as Geelong face Brisbane.
"I've been coming to this country for years and I understand what this game is and what it means," he told Australian media at a function where no questions were permitted.
"I know that it's not just a sport, it's a way of life. I just fell in love with the sport," he added.
"I always would watch it, but never really understood it.
"It reminded me of American football, rugby and a couple of other things, but now that I understand it, I like it and want to know more about it before the grand finale."
AFL, which is similar to Ireland's Gaelic football, traces its roots back to 1858 and is Australia's most popular spectator sport.
Snoop Dogg was a controversial pick for the grand final entertainment, given his past use of misogynistic and offensive lyrics in some of his songs.
The AFL was accused of hypocrisy for hiring him in August while at the same time banning Adelaide star Izak Rankine for four games over a homophobic slur against an opponent.
AFL chief Andrew Dillon defended the decision to hire the American, whose real name is Calvin Broadus.
"I've been really confident with the choice of Snoop," he said.
"He's performed at the Olympics, he's performed at a Super Bowl, and he'll suit our stage."
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