With high octane sports like snowboarding and skiing on the docket for the Winter Games, sometimes curling goes overlooked. But Danny Casper, the American curler and skip of Team Casper, knows exactly how to pull attention toward the ice. That’s why the captain reached out to a global hip hop icon and NBC’s Olympic correspondent, Snoop Dogg, and invited him to attend the curling event just weeks before the 2026 Winter Olympics begin.

On Instagram, Casper posted a video message to Snoop, saying, “Hey Snoop, Danny Casper here, Skip of Team USA Curling coming up at the Olympics in Cortina. Heard you were the honorary captain of Team USA. I’m here at the Grand Slam of Curling and wanted to invite you to the Crown Royal Players Championship… to be our coach….Need your help? We gotta get ready for the Olympics and get a gold.”

He captioned the post, “This Olympic curling team needs you on the bench.”

Casper and his teammates, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg, and Rich Ruohonen, punched their ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics by winning the Olympic Qualification Event in Kelowna, Canada.

And just before heading to Milano Cortina, they’ll compete at the final Grand Slam of Curling Event, the Crown Royal Players’ Championship, scheduled for January 6-11, 2026, in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada.

This event gives them a tough field and strong competition to prepare for the Olympics. And for this challenge, they want Snoop, who was Team USA’s biggest hype man at the Paris Olympics, to join them as their coach to give them a boost.

Casper’s message to Snoop came soon after the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee named Snoop Dogg as Team USA’s first-ever honorary coach for the 2026 Winter Olympics. It is a volunteer position designed to support athletes, raise awareness and generate enthusiasm through the Team USA Fund after the success he enjoyed in his role in Paris.

But the question remains: will the musician take up Casper’s invitation? It seems so. For years, Snoop has been leveraging sports to provide opportunities and open doors. His Snoop Youth Football League has assisted more than 15,000 young players, including youth with disabilities, to develop through sport.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he lit up the Games by carrying the Olympic torch, appearing as a correspondent on NBC’s coverage, and showing his support for Team USA athletes. His presence could not be overlooked, and it left the door slightly open for possible surprises elsewhere. Could curling be next?

Team USA’s calm force on the path to Olympic gold

Danny Casper may only be 24, but his cool head on the ice can be the difference between the narrowing margins and Team USA triumphs. Currently, he skips his own team in Chaska, and he has a decorated past: U.S. junior champion, silver medalist at the 2023 Winter World University Games, and now proven winner at the U.S. Olympic Trials and World Olympic Qualifier.

Curling is in his blood. His great aunt also competed in 1988 with Team USA and his great uncle was a coach in these Games. His family legacy, coupled with his natural composure, provides Casper with an advantage in knowing the ice and guiding his teammates in stressful situations.

To further add to his story, Casper is also in the process of recovering after being hit by the nerve damaging disease known as Guillain Barré syndrome. “I could barely stand and get through a game and slide but still won. It really fired me up and just kept thinking to myself dang, when I am able to be fully present and play my best we are going to be unstoppable,” he said.

As the curling competition gets underway on 11 February in Cortina, Italy, all will be watching Danny Casper and Team USA. If he brings that same intensity, cool and resilience that he has displayed his entire career, he could be the one to turn dreams into gold.