Freeport-raised Flavor Flav promises to help sponsor U.S. Olympic women's water polo team
Long Island native Flavor Flav, seen at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March, has pledged financial support for the U.S. women's water polo team in the athletes' journey to this summer's Paris Olympic Games. Credit: Getty Images / Amy Sussman
Roosevelt-born and Freeport-raised hip-hop star Flavor Flav says he will help sponsor the U.S. women’s water polo team in this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris.
Team captain Maggie Steffens, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, had written on Instagram that “most Olympians need a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!) and most teams rely on sponsors for travel, accommodations, nutritional support, rent/lodging, and simply affording to live in this day and age. Especially ... female athletes.”
Acknowledging the support of the official bodies USA Water Polo and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Steffens, 30, added that “we always need more help.”
Help came in a comment by Flav, 65, born William Drayton Jr., a founding member of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop group Public Enemy. “AYYY YOOO,” he wrote, “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. My manager is in touch with your agent and imma use all my relationships and resources to help all y’all even more. That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.”
Steffens responded, “OMG THANK YOU!!! That means the world! You will love water polo! [T]eam behind the team!”
In a post on his own Instagram account, Flav added, “I don’t know Maggie,,, but I hope to meet her one day. I know what it’s like to work 2-3 hard labor jobs at time to try and make your dreams come true. Someone who reps our country and has 3 Olympic gold medals shouldn’t have to worry about that.”
Steffens’ agent, Brant Feldman of American Group Management, told Newsday Wednesday, “Flavor Flav is going to be doing stuff for the team. After speaking to his people, I can confirm he is serious — I expect USA Water Polo will make an announcement. And certainly the attention the sport is getting right now because of him is well-deserved — look at the successes [the team has] had since [the] London 2012” Summer Olympics.
Representatives for Flav and USA Water Polo did not respond to Newsday requests for comment. The Paris Olympic Games take place July 26 to Aug. 11.
Flav, per multiple reports, is “a girl dad” whose eight children include daughters Shanique, Karren and Karla Drayton, from his relationship with Karen Ross, and Da'Zyna Drayton, from his relationship with Angie Parker.
In the days since making his online announcement, the rapper and hype man has posted multiple times about the team on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The US Women’s Waterpolo [sic] team has won the GOLD MEDAL THREE OLYMPICS IN A ROW,,, these women should not have to be working 2-3 side jobs to be able to compete. FLAVOR FLAV promises to sponsor/support captain Maggie Steffens the US Women’s Waterpolo [sic] team,” reads his first such tweet.
And he posted an excerpt from a San Francisco Chronicle article Sunday, relating how Steffens a few years ago met with an agency with an eye toward gaining sponsorships. The Olympic champion told the newspaper, “They were like, ‘Awesome, we love meeting you, everything you’ve done is amazing. It’s just too bad you didn’t pick another sport.’ ”
“THIS IS CRAZY,” Flav retorted. “[T]his women’s water polo team has THREE GOLD MEDALS and is gunna make Olympic history this year ,,, and they be told stuff like this,” he wrote, adding an emoji of a head exploding in disbelief.
The hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan tweeted in support, “Flavor Flav for the win … but seriously,” the tweet added, addressing the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, “@TeamUSA do better!”
