NPR’s Juana Summers talks to rapper Flavor Flav about the decision to sponsor the U.S. women’s water polo team at the 2024 Olympics.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
There are always big surprises at the Olympics, and one of the biggest this year was an unlikely pairing—the U.S. women’s water polo team and Flavor Flav. That’s right. The founding member of the rap group Public Enemy is now the official sponsor and hype man for the water polo team, which is chasing a historic fourth gold medal in Paris. My co-host Juana Summers caught up with Flavor Flav and joined us right in the middle of the Olympic excitement, right next to the water polo venue. Hey, Juana.
JUANA SUMMERS, BYLINE: Hello, Scott.
DETROW: I think when you and I talked about you going to the Olympics, Flavor Flav wasn’t on the list of things you were going to mention, but here we are.
SUMMERS: (Laughter) There it is, actually. I sat down with him not far from the aquatic center where I’m staying now, where the women’s water polo team plays. And we talked about a lot of things. Let’s listen to some of that conversation.
I have to say, you’ve gotten quite a reputation at the Olympics and online for all the support you’ve given the U.S. women’s water polo team and other athletes. I just wanted to start by asking you to tell us the story. Are you a big water polo fan, or how did this come about?
FLAVOR FLAV: Well, it all came from, you know, a young girl on the water polo team – her name is Maggie Steffens – and she came up with a story, you know what I’m saying? And my manager read the story, and my manager pitched the story to me. And when the women aren’t out there playing water polo and everything, you know, they’re at home, working active jobs – one, two, three jobs. These girls are out there working their asses off to make the United States look good. So when they’re out here playing and practicing, it takes them away from their work. So I said to myself, why not step in and try to help these girls?
SUMMERS: Recently, our team at ALL THINGS CONSIDERED had some time to chat with goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, and I know you’ve described her as an inspiration. I have to say that I was really blown away when we got to talk to her, both about her athleticism and how she thinks about her sport and the role model she is. I was just curious if you could talk a little bit about your relationship with her.
FLAVOR FLAVOR: I’ve met her family – amazing people, you know what I’m saying? And she’s the only black person that I know that’s playing water polo right now. Hopefully, by her doing this and also by me being a black sponsor of the team, hopefully this will open the door, you know, for more people of color. Also, we know that water polo is not a big, recognized sport like basketball or baseball or football. This sport, I want it to be more known after these girls come out of the water.
SUMMERS: At the Olympics, what was the atmosphere like when you went to the aquatics center and watched the women compete on the U.S. water polo team? What was the atmosphere like? How were you cheering them on? How were you engaging the crowd and making sure these women knew they had support?
FLAVOR FLAVOR: Well, I’m not going to lie, but I have a big voice. And I have a big mouth. So when I’m around, I know these girls hear me underwater, talking about – come on, guys. Come on, come on, let’s hit another target. Let me tell you something – this sport is very difficult. It requires a lot of strength and endurance. I tried water polo. I tried it. They let me try it with them, you know? I jumped in the water. I was underwater for about seven minutes. Juana, that was the hardest seven minutes of my life. I’m serious.
They gave me the ball, and they let me shoot against Ashleigh. For the first time in my life, I thought I did really well because I scored two goals against her. But I think she let me, you know, just to, you know, make me feel good and give me a little boost – you know what I mean? – and all nine goals (ph). But every time they scored, you know, I was like, yeah, come on, come on, come on, score another one. Score another one. Come on, we’re up to five. Let’s score six. Let’s score six more. You know what I mean? Come on. Hey, Maggie, come on, shoot it. Shoot it. Hey, you know, I’m cheering for them, man. I’m just cheering for them, and I know they hear me from the side.
SUMMERS: I mean, these women are hoping to make history here. They’re chasing that fourth gold medal. You’ve been watching them. You’ve seen all of this up close. Do you think they’ve got it?
FLAVOR FLAVOR: I didn’t think they had it. I knew they had it. You know what I mean? And I knew for a fact – I really, really felt in my heart that these girls were going to win the gold medal. You know why? – because they barely lost a game. They didn’t lose. I watched these girls win, win, win, win, win, and hands went up. And there they were. These girls are great. They’re great. I was really proud to represent them, and not only that, but I was lucky enough to be sponsored and represent a winning team.
DETROW: Juana, of all the moments in your journalism career, how did the Olympics conversation with Flavor Flav go?
SUMMERS: Honestly, I never thought that would be part of our Paris mission, but here we are. We’re having this conversation on this little street. And I have to tell you, Scott, as we were talking to Flavor Flav, we were sitting on these chairs, and I looked up for a second. And I noticed that we had attracted a small audience. Two of the people we met were Rich and Mary Gallivan. They were from California. And it turns out, first and foremost, they’re advocates for public radio.
DETROW: Okay.
SUMMERS: Second, they have a personal connection to this team, and they couldn’t wait for us to finish so they could talk to Flavor Flav and tell him how much he means to them.
RICH GALLIVAN: The women are blown away. Like, the elevation that you give them…
MARY GALLIVAN: Yes.
FLAVOR FLAVOR: (Laughs).
R GALLIVAN: …Just being there, the social media campaign – because they’re often under the radar and no one knows about them. But you’ve raised awareness of them, and the publicity is powerful.
DETROW: You know, Juana, one of the things I like about this whole situation is I feel like, you know, we always – there are sports that we all gravitate towards during the Olympics that maybe aren’t top of mind the rest of the year. And I feel like the whole story of Flavor Flav joining the water polo team really just fills in the gaps and illustrates what everyday life is like when you’re one of the best water polo players in the world, but you’re also living a normal life between the Olympics.
SUMMERS: That’s right. These water polo players are at the pinnacle of their sport. They could very well win that fourth. But they’re normal people. Many of them have other jobs. They’re still working towards these goals and have a lot to do to make sure they can continue to compete at this level. And I have to say, I really hope I get to watch them continue their quest for that fourth gold medal in Paris.
DETROW: That’s co-anchor Juana Summers, covering the Olympics for us. Juana, thank you so much.
SUMMERS: Thank you, Scott.
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