Kansas’ Midnight Madness event includes pole dancers, Snoop Dogg, money gun - syracuse.com

Kansas University’s basketball program was recently caught up in FBI investigation, one in which the school was described by prosecutors as the victims when Adidas employees paid high-level recruits to play for the Jayhawks.

Now. the school is currently being investigated by the NCAA for that incident and others.

Still, none of that stopped Kansas from signing another big-money contract with the sneaker company in April.

And when Kansas held its version of Midnight Madness on Friday the school’s musical guest of choice was Snoop Dogg, a musician who has partnered with Adidas. As part of his performance, the rapper sprayed cash around Allen Fieldhouse with a money gun. His act featured pole dancers as background dancers.

Kansas coach Bill Self reportedly told local reporters afterward that he thought some of the choices could have been better. The school’s athletic director Jeff Long apologized to “anyone offended by the act.”

Still, when the school made the announcement that Snoop Dogg would appear at the event, Self appeared in a video with an Adidas T-shirt and a chain with an oversized dollar sign. Long posed for photos with Snoop Dogg. According to a report, Snoop Dogg was likely paid at least $100,000 in an effort to impress players, fans and, most importantly, recruits.

And all of that is occurred against a national backdrop in which a number of state legislatures have proposed legislation aimed at the increased commercialization of college sports, arguing that college athletes deserve a fair opportunity to join in the economy that surrounds the sport they play.

Legislators backing the proposal argue that colleges shouldn’t be able to restrict athletes from making money off their own name. Arguments against those proposals include worries about how it will change college sports and the belief that college athletes already benefit substantially.

Naturally, the contradictions drew the attention of national basketball writers, who shared surprise, frustration and plenty of jokes.

Share your view of Kansas’ festivities in the comments.

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: E-mail | Twitter | 315-412-1639

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https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2019/10/kansas-midnight-madness-event-includes-pole-dancers-snoop-dogg-money-gun.html

2019-10-05 13:07:30Z
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