Catherine Rusoff
The U.S. women’s water polo team is preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympics this summer — and has an unlikely fan rooting for them.
Earlier this week, Maggie Steffens, team captain, made a plea to the social media to your followers to build support for the team.
“There is no greater honor than representing Team USA on the Olympic stage side by side with strong, talented, driven women who make you stronger every day,” Steffens wrote in the May 4 post.
She added: “Water polo, specifically women’s water polo, 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 ladies a chance!”
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Steffens’ post caught the attention of an unlikely — and watch-wearing — character who has become the team’s official man.
Type Sabor Sabor.
The 65-year-old rapper stepped up to help the U.S. team in its quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
“As a girl, father and supporter of all women’s sports – I will personally sponsor you my girl…whatever you need,” he commented on Steffens’ post. “And I’m going to sponsor the whole team.”
He added: “That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.”
And it’s a promise he plans to keep.
Flav is finalizing a deal that will make him a sponsor of USA Water Polo and the official promoter of a program seeking greater prominence. He also jumped head first into his new roles, highlighting some of the team’s best players in social media. He is also planning to watch the women’s team play in Paris.
“When I go out and watch this water polo team… ‘USA! USA!’ Hey, I’m going to be the biggest cheerleader they’ve ever had in their life,” he told The Associated Press on Friday. “I’m going to be bigger than any cheerleader they’ve ever had in their life. I’m going to root for this team and I’m going to root for this team wins a gold medal.”
Jordan Strauss
Flav, who was inducted with the group Public Enemy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, said his manager brought the post to his attention.
“One thing about me is that I know what it’s like to want to see a dream come true,” Flav said. “I know what it’s like to want to achieve a goal and I’m the kind of person who, if I see you trying, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
Flav, whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr., said PESSOAS Magazine that, as a father of four girls, supporting women comes naturally.
“There are a lot of women, I’m saying all they want is just a chance,” he tells PEOPLE. “And all they want is to feel like they have a chance. So I just wanted to help out and help give women the chance they’re looking for.”
As for Steffens, 30, she said it was shocking when the rapper reached out to her.
“Is this real, this reality?” Steffens told People. “Water polo is my whole world. It’s a family sport. It’s not just my passion. It’s not just a hobby. It’s my life and it’s been my life and it’s been a gift to me.”
She added, “But for us, to have a Hall of Famer and someone like him notice us and be willing to share our story and strengthen our journey was spectacular.”
Steffens is one of the oldest players on the U.S. team, but she said Ryann Neushul, 24, had Public Enemy in her top five on the music streaming service Spotify. Some of the team’s coaches and Steffens’ family were also excited about the partnership.
“My whole family was like, ‘Is this real? Is Flav now part of the water polo world?'” Steffens told The Associated Press on Friday from Paris, where the team is on a training trip ahead of the Olympics. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but I want to wear a watch right now and that’s how I’m feeling.’”
Winning has been the usual outcome for the U.S. women’s national team since the 2012 Olympics. But it hasn’t attracted the same attention or support as similarly dominant American programs, largely because water polo remains a niche sport in most of the world. .
That — along with a bit of nostalgia — prompted Steffens, the last remaining member of the 2012 team, to post on Instagram. While she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play and her love for the sport, she also encouraged anyone who read the post to check out her team and highlighted the constant financial struggle of most Olympic athletes.
“We got a lot of comments you know about ‘Oh, it’s so cool what you did. What a shame, you’re not a football player or a basketball player, because your team would be getting a lot more publicity or a lot more support,'” Steffens said .
“And instead we’re still where we were 12 years ago, which to me is not my goal. I always wanted to boost the sport.”
Steffens and the US national team also have another prominent fan in Taylor Swift. They had plans to attend musician Eras Tour’s concert on Friday night at La Défense Arena – the venue for the women’s water polo final on August 10.
Women’s national team manager Ally Beck reached out to Swift’s team and surprised the team with the tickets. Flav said he also contacted Swift’s team, but the tickets had already been approved.
Flav, who is working on another tour with Public Enemy that may begin later this year, then held up a t-shirt with his photo on it that said “KING SWIFTIE.”
“I am proud to support Taylor. … Flavor Flav is a Swiftie, the king of all Swifties,” he said.
That’s another connection Flav has with his new favorite team.
