Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
The water polo teams that represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France ended up with an unexpected supporter in their corner in the form of Flavor Flav. The women’s squad ended up losing in the bronze medal game as the men came away with a victory in their consolation contests, and the rapper is hoping he can help propel some other teams to the podium when the Winter Olympics arrive in Italy.
The Olympics provide thousands of athletes who’ve devoted their lives to competing in a relatively obscure sport with the chance to get a taste of the fame and glory that’s usually reserved for people who decided to play basketball or hockey instead of fencing or squash.
You can usually rely on a few competitors who specialize in one of those largely overlooked disciplines getting thrust into the spotlight, like the multiple shooters who went viral when the Summer Olympics were held in Paris in 2024 and, of course, the breakdancing sensation known as “Raygun.”
Training and qualifying for the Olympics is not a cheap endeavor, and most people who end up getting the chance to compete get some financial assistance from athletic organizations, benevolent benefactors, or wealthy family members willing to support their dreams.
The water polo players who headed to France in 2024 got a boost from the one and only Flavor Flav, and he’s turned his attention to two more as they gear up to compete at the Winter Olympics next year.
Flavor Flav is sponsoring the bobsled and skeleton teams that the United States is sending to the 2026 Winter Olympics
In 2024, Team USA women’s water polo captain Maggie Steffens publicly solicited donations to facilitate the journey from the United States to Paris, which led to Flavor Flav stepping up by giving her team and the men’s squad a five-year sponsorship deal.
The Public Enemy hype man was front and center at their showdowns, and while Steffens and Co. lost to the Netherlands in the bronze medal game, the men’s team earned the third spot on the podium with a win over Hungary (he also gifted Jordan Chiles a bronze clock after she got robbed of a medal).
It appears Flavor Flav caught an Olympics fever that won’t go away, as the bobsled and skeleton teams that the United States will be sending to The Games in Milan and Cortina in 2026 announced it has also linked up with him, who finalized a deal to serve as their sponsor and Official Hype Man on Monday.
The 66-year-old member of hip-hop royalty got the chance to experience those disciplines himself while visiting the teams’ training facility in Park City, Utah and reached speeds of close to 70 MPH while doing a solo skeleton run.
Germany has been the team to beat in the bobsled at the past few iterations of the Olympics, and that was also the case in skeleton when they were held in Beijing in 2022.
Here’s to hoping Flavor Flav can help change that.