Flavor Flav shares what it means to be Olympics water polo hype man
Flavor Flav is sporting a new look at the Olympics, opting for a custom Team USA water polo cap and matching clock necklace while wandering the streets of Paris rather than a traditional French beret.
The rapper, best known as a founding member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, recently regained the spotlight as the public hype man and official sponsor of the U.S. water polo teams.
"I'm known to be the greatest hype man in America, the first, the original," he told "Good Morning America" while attending the Games. "I said, let me take my expertise to the water polo team."
The former reality TV star admitted, "I never even thought that Flavor Flav and water polo would go together -- so I put it together."
Flavor Flav has been a hit at the Paris Games thus far, cheering on Team USA water polo and even getting an invitation to meet the U.S. ambassador to France and playing the piano at her residence.
He said his connection with the water polo teams started when he came across a social media post from U.S. women's water polo team captain Maggie Steffens, who took to Instagram on May 4 encouraging fans to support the team at the 2024 Olympics.
"Water polo, women's water polo specifically, may not be the most popular sport or on everyone's radar, but with women's sports even more on the rise -- I encourage everyone to give these women a try," she wrote.
Flavor Flav, 65, responded in the comments, writing, "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. That's a Flavor Flav promise."
Speaking with "GMA," Steffans said her original post was simply intended to promote the team and that she was taken by surprise at the offer.
"I was a little bit in shock," she said, adding that she at first wondered, "Is this the real Flavor Flav?"
Flavor Flav is now working with the team for five years and giving an undisclosed amount in financial support -- with unlimited hype.
"Women's sports I feel should be paid attention to more," he said.
Steffens, a three-time gold medalist, has since invited the rapper to test the waters himself, and he got in the pool to try his hand at their sport.
"I jumped in the water with the girls, and I ain't gonna lie, but I treaded water for seven straight minutes -- believe me, that was the hardest seven minutes of my life. This ain't easy," he recalled.
Steffens added, "It was great for people to see Flavor Flav in the water and see what he can do. I hope it opens up an avenue to other kids and people to believe in themselves to get in the pool and try water polo as well."
