Flavor Flav and Olympic women’s water polo – was not on our bingo card, but the notion is making waves at the Games. The 65-year-old rapper from Public Enemy fame, has taken on the role of official hype man for the U.S. water polo teams after three-time gold medalist Maggie Steffens reached out on social media seeking financial support, highlighting the fact that many Olympians self-fund their journeys.
The press conference moderator introduced Flav with, “Welcome to an Olympics first: A Flavor Flav press conference.” If you’re not laughing at that, then something’s wrong.
But more importantly, Steffens reflected on her decision to seek public support:
“I’ve been really empowered by other women in sports to use your voice, which can be a little scary at times,” she said. “I was calling for people to know my teammates and encouraging them to follow some of the more niche sports this Olympics, especially women’s sports. And if it’s not water polo, rugby or fencing, just to give those women, those teams, a chance.”
“Flavor Flav saw that and something about it sparked his interest,” Steffens went on to say. “He has really opened the door for people to learn about our team and different communities, different people who would have never heard of water polo. And that’s exactly what sports like us need. He’s been really great at shining any light back on us, and we look forward to having him here in Paris and just keeping that positive energy going.”
Get this intro, on Friday morning, Flav—born William Jonathan Drayton Jr.—introduced himself to reporters with his usual flair, saying, “This is an honor, and this is a pleasure and a perfect measure − and I’m gonna keep this memory as a perfect treasure.”
As you might think, Flav has no prior connection to water polo, but he expressed his athletic background: “Back in the day, growing up, I was one hell of an athlete,” he claimed, having played neighborhood baseball, basketball, and football. Fact-checking for this statement was unavailable. Okay, hmm, we will take his word for it.
“I recently got in the pool and got to learn how difficult that water polo is,” said Flav, who donned a Team USA jersey, water polo cap, and his signature clock necklace (in a waterproof version). “I was in the water for seven minutes, treading water for seven minutes, boy that was the hardest seven minutes of my life! But the girls said I did good.”
Listen, he even scored a goal on Ashleigh Johnson, widely regarded as the best water polo goalie in the world. I mean one, that’s crazy and you gotta love it.
Admitting he knew little about water polo before becoming a sponsor, Flav has since signed a five-year contract with U.S. water polo. Although details of the agreement remain undisclosed, he is fully committed. Flav is dedicated to promoting the team beyond the Olympics. “Right now I count three stars on my cap,” he said, referencing the U.S. women’s last three gold medals. “I want to see a fourth.”
The post Flavor Flav Hypes Up US Women’s Water Polo Hopes at Fourth Gold Medal first appeared on The Source.
The post Flavor Flav Hypes Up US Women’s Water Polo Hopes at Fourth Gold Medal appeared first on The Source.