A heartfelt Instagram post became a sponsorship deal between Flava Flav and the U.S. women’s water polo team.
“This is quite an experience for me right now, you know, because the only time I’ve ever seen the Olympics was on T.V.,” Flav said as he toured the Team USA House at the Paris Games on Thursday, taking time to hug, shake hands, and give high-fives, KSBW reports.
Flav — whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr. — had always wanted to experience the Olympics in person. Now that he finally could, he felt it was the best.
Public Enemy’s Flav is in Paris, cheering on the U.S. women’s water polo team. After connecting with team captain Maggie Steffens on Instagram, he became their hype man in May.
The 65-year-old artist brings energy to his new role as hype man for the U.S. water polo team.
Excited about the sport, he wishes he could play and is even considering asking to join the team.
Flav’s journey to the 2024 Olympics started with an Instagram post by Steffens, praising her team’s three gold medals, her love for the sport, and the financial struggles of Olympic athletes.
Seeing this, Flav’s manager suggested he help, leading to 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.
The conversation resulted in a unique sponsorship deal between Flava Flav and the U.S. women’s water polo team.
As part of the five-year agreement, Flav provided financial support and agreed to use social media to help promote the sport.
Public Enemy’s Flav joined the Hearst Olympic Team in Paris this week. Hearst Olympic Correspondent Deirdre Fitzpatrick presented him with an official team pin.
Surprised, Flav accepted the honor. To prepare for his new role, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer attended two women’s water polo games and even joined the team in the pool during a T.V. broadcast.
Flav shared that he tried treading water with the team for seven minutes, calling it the hardest seven minutes of his life.
Flav claimed “luck” for scoring two goals against top goalie Ashleigh Johnson, hinting she might have let him score.
Johnson, a trailblazing Black woman on the U.S. Olympic water polo team, acknowledged the moment’s importance.
“We saw the video come out (on social media). … It was so cool to see it,” Johnson said, adding that she was thrilled to see a new community discussing water polo and how people of color can start playing, which was something she hadn’t seen before.
Flav hopes to see more of this as he supports the U.S. teams. He believes water polo is for everyone who loves the game, regardless of race or color.
Water polo
Water polo debuted at the 1900 Olympics, with women joining the competition in 2000, according to The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
Originating in England, the sport has evolved significantly. Early American water polo resembled rugby, focusing on strength and aggressive play, often leading to injuries.
Meanwhile, the infamous “Blood in the Water” match between the Soviet Union and Hungary in 1956 is the most famous Olympic water polo game.
The violent match ended in a Hungarian victory. Hungary remains the most decorated water polo nation in Olympic history.
The United States is the only non-European nation to win Olympic water polo medals.
The U.S. women’s team dominated the sport from 2012 to 2020, capturing three consecutive gold medals. This historic streak made them the first women’s water polo dynasty.
Watch Flava Flav and the U.S. women’s water polo team take the action to the pool:
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