Flavor Flav on bringing energy, support and an unexpected surprise to the USA Water Polo women's Olympic team

Legendary rapper Flavor Flav is now officially the new hype man for the USA Water Polo Women's and Men's National Teams. He has signed a five-year sponsorship deal that includes multiple poolside appearances at competitions, social media collaboration, and he is making a financial contribution to the 2024 Women's Water Polo Olympic Team.

Back in May, Flavor Flav answered the call by U.S. women's water polo team captain Maggie Steffens to support the team ahead of its attempt at an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.

"These women are out here busting their butts, making the United States look good, chasing gold," Flavor Flav said on "CBS Mornings" on Monday. "They've won three back-to-back gold medals. My manager showed me their story, and my heart went out to these hardworking women."

Flavor Flav admitted that he hadn't been that familiar with water polo and only watched it on TV during the Olympics. But as he learned more about the sport, he felt for the women.

"They're not just athletes; they're regular people working two or three jobs and not making much money in the Olympics," said Flav, born William Drayton Jr.

Steffens, who joined the rapper on "CBS Mornings" said she shared the team's story back in May because she wanted to raise awareness and hoped their efforts would be recognized. She said she was very surprised and excited when she heard Flavor Flav wanted to get involved and that the partnership has made a positive impact on the team.

"It's been a beautiful, beautiful expectation and relationship that has changed, and he's really opened up a lot of doors, and truly been a hype man for us. It's been amazing," she said.

Steffens said the rapper brings positivity to the team, especially with the Olympics fewer than 30 days away.

"His energy helps relieve the pressure, stress, and anxiety," said Steffens.

During the appearance on "CBS Mornings," Flavor Flav also announced a surprise for the Women's Water Polo Olympic team, revealing that each player would receive a Virgin Voyage cruise and a $1,000 donation. He plans to attend the Olympics opening games and cheer them on, with the aspiration that they would secure a fourth gold medal, and also hopes his involvement will inspire more celebrities to support Olympic teams.

Red Lobster collaboration

In addition to his involvement with the water polo teams, Flavor Flav shared his recent collaboration with Red Lobster. When he found out the restaurant would be closing some locations, he rallied some support by posting on social media. This led to another unexpected collaboration as he became their ambassador for their Crabfest special, along with a commercial appearance.

"When I saw that they were closing a lot of their doors… one thing about me, I always loved Red Lobster since 1987, 1988, I've been taking my family, that's always been one of my favorite family places, and I said I wanted to help them out," he said. "We got to save the biscuits."

In:
• Olympics

Analisa Novak

Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy Award-winning "CBS Mornings." Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master's degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.

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