Flavor Flav demonstrates celebrity impact on women’s sports sponsorship

The GIST: Flavor Flav’s support of the U.S. women’s water polo team has been the feel-good story of Paris 2024. The iconic rapper’s long-term financial investment in the team and in women’s Olympic sports in general shows the power individual celebs have to drive media coverage and sponsorships to help level the playing field.

U.S. Water Polo: In May, team captain Maggie Steffens posted about athletes on the three-time gold medal squad needing to work second (and sometimes even third) jobs to sponsor their Olympic dreams. Flav’s manager shared the post with the rapper, who publicly pledged his support in a comment on Steffens’ post.

• Flav lived up to his promise, sponsoring the women’s and men’s national teams in a five-year deal and agreeing to be their official hype man, which includes collaborative social posts that garner high engagement numbers. The partnership also offers a $1K bonus for each women’s team player and a spot on a Virgin Voyage cruise. All aboard.

• After joining a women’s team practice for an NBC segment, Flav traveled to Paris to cheer them on and bring attention to the squad alongside other enthusiastic famous fans, including legendary women hoops coach Dawn Staley, first lady Jill Biden, and director Spike Lee.

Veronica Fraley: Yesterday, Team USA discus thrower and Vanderbilt student Veronica Fraley shared frustrations about the disproportionate support for college football players. Once again, Flav saved the day by offering to cover Fraley’s rent, which helped her post go viral and gain the attention of entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, who pitched in $7,760 (as a callback to his firm, 776 Ventures).

Zooming out: As Steffens noted, for most Olympians, going for gold doesn’t always result in gold, especially for women. A 2023 Wasserman study found that 90% of partnership dollars go toward men’s sports despite male athletes reporting 50% less engagement, a stat that has been consistently affirmed in data on the marketability of women athletes.

• But this decade has proven how innovators can close the gap when media and sponsors fail to. Flavor Flav, Parity, and Ally Bank are a few entities who have put their money where their mouth is when it comes to showing up for women athletes. Y’all know what time it is.