Flavor Flav, the iconic rapper known for his flamboyant style and infectious energy, has made an unexpected splash in the world of sports. After discovering that members of the U.S. women’s water polo team are holding down multiple jobs to support their Olympic dreams, the hip-hop legend has stepped up to become their sponsor. But how exactly did this unlikely partnership come about?
Flavor Flav x U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team
The partnership between Flavor Flav and the U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team all started in May 2024 when the 65-year-old founding member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy reached out to the team captain Maggie Steffens, after he read an Instagram post of hers highlighting the financial struggles of many of her team members, including herself.
View this post on Instagram
According to the Associated Press, Flav’s manager brought the issue to his attention, with the rapper ending up promising his assistance to the team in a comment on Steffens’ post.
“As a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports – imma personally sponsor you my girl,,, whatever you need. And imma sponsor the whole team,” Flav wrote at the time.
That online interaction eventually turned into a five-year sponsorship deal between Flav and the U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team. The hip-hop artist — whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr. —made an undisclosed financial contribution to the women’s program to help them chase their goal of a fourth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympics. This sponsorship deal marks a historic first, as Flav becomes the first celebrity to sponsor an entire U.S. national team.
Interestingly, Flav’s role extends beyond just financial support. He also serves as the team’s official hype man, attending games and events to cheer them on with his signature enthusiasm. Additionally, he agreed to collaborate on social media to help bring attention to the small sport.
“I’m so ready, man. … I’m so hype right now about this sport,” Flav told the Associated Press about water polo, as he made his way around the Team USA House at the Paris Games on Thursday. “I wish I was playing it. I’m hyping myself up right now to ask them to let me on the team.”
The Flavor Flav Magic
The partnership between Flavor Fav and the U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team has already generated significant buzz, attracting new fans to the sport of water polo. Flav’s involvement has opened doors to communities that may not have previously engaged with the sport, inspiring people of color to get involved.
For instance, a video of a practice match amongst the team members with Flav joining in the fun has made rounds on the Internet, giving much-deserved attention to the not-so-popular sports.
“I tried it. I got to try it to see what it feels like,” Flav told the Associated Press of his experience playing water polo with the U.S. women’s team. “And boy, I was in the water with the girls for like seven minutes. And I was treading water for seven minutes. And I’m not going to lie. But that was like the hardest seven minutes in my life.”
Flav shared that he “got lucky” for scoring two goals against Ashleigh Johnson, the first black woman to play water polo for the U.S. Olympic team and widely hailed as the best water polo goaltender in the world. Although, he admitted that he felt like Johnson might have let him score.
The practice match also meant big for Johnson. “We saw the video come out (on social media). … It was so cool to see it,” Johnson said in an interview with the Associated Press. “But I read through the comments and I see people asking questions about water polo and people of color wanting to start playing. And that’s a different community than I’ve seen talk about our sport in the way they were talking about it than I have like this whole time I’ve been on this team.”
Flav is hoping to see more of this as he continues to cheer on the U.S. women’s team. “When it comes down to water polo … it’s not really about people of color,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s about people that love to play it,” he said. “Water polo is for all races, all colors of people.”
U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics
The U.S. Women’s Water Polo team opened the 2024 Paris Olympics with a dominant 15-6 victory over Greece. Jenna Flynn led the offense with four goals as nine different players found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson recorded 10 saves for the Americans.
However, the team suffered a rare loss in their second match, falling 13-11 to Spain. Bea Ortiz scored five goals for Spain, who took advantage of the U.S. team’s youth at center position. Jordan Raney scored twice for the U.S., while Maggie Steffens, Jenna Flynn, and Jewel Roemer each added a goal.
Despite the setback, U.S. coach Adam Krikorian remained confident in his team’s ability to bounce back and defend their gold medal from Tokyo. The U.S. women are seeking their fourth consecutive Olympic title, a feat no other water polo team, men’s or women’s, has accomplished.
The Americans will look to get back on track when they face Italy on Wednesday. With the loss to Spain, the U.S. dropped to 18-2 on the year. As the tournament progresses, the team will aim to learn from this experience and regain their championship form.