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Tag: Flavor Flav

  • MGM Resorts Partnering with Flavor Flav on Las Vegas Women’s Hockey Team Bash – Casino.org

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    Posted on: February 26, 2026, 07:31h. 

    Last updated on: February 26, 2026, 07:58h.

    • MGM Resorts and Flavor Flav will co-host a massive Olympic celebration in Las Vegas this summer
    • The event, July 16-19, honors the women’s hockey team after they declined a White House invitation
    • A GoFundMe campaign already raised over $34,000 for direct athlete bonuses

    MGM Resorts International announced on Thursday, Feb. 26, that it will serve as a “full partner” with rap star Flavor Flav in a Las Vegas celebration of the victorious U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team this summer. “She Got Game” will be a weekend-long celebration, tentatively including a parade and concert, from July 16-19.

    Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav was the spark behind an Olympic party coming to Las Vegas July 16-19. (Image: GoFundMe)

    When Flav, who has lived in Sin City for decades, took to social media earlier this week to demand a “real celebration” for the team, the resort giant committed to providing more than 100 hotel rooms across its premier Las Vegas portfolio to accommodate the athletes.

    “Planning is underway and details will be shared soon as we get ready to celebrate our incredible USA athletes in a way only MGM Resorts knows how: World-class hospitality, high-energy fun, and memorable experiences,” MGM wrote in a statement, indicating that women-led sports media company The GIST will also serve as an official partner.

    Cold as Ice

    Captain Hilary Knight of the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team celebrates after winning the gold medal following a game with Canada on Feb. 19. (Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty)

    The alternative celebration was born out of a moment of historic success and political friction. On Feb. 19, the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in a thrilling overtime victory in Milan. However, the victory was soon overshadowed by a public exchange involving President Donald Trump.

    After the U.S. men’s team also won the gold, Trump called the men’s locker room and joked that he would “probably be impeached” if he did not also invite the women’s team to the White House.

    The remark drew immediate fire from the athletes. Captain Hilary Knight appeared on SportsCenter to call the joke “distasteful and unfortunate,” noting that such comments “overshadow the amazing feats” of female athletes. (USA Hockey officially cited “academic and professional commitments” for the team’s decision to skip the State of the Union address.)

    MGM Resorts trumpets the Las Vegas weekend on social media. (Image: X)

    The players moved independently to accept Flav’s offer.

    The corporate support, and donations, keep coming. The Palms Casino Resort pledged “over-the-top” luxury suites and fine-dining experiences to supplement MGM’s. Alaska Airlines responded to Flav’s request for travel assistance by confirming they are coordinating flights to bring the athletes to the desert.

    And StubHub also responded on social media by stating it would be “happy to help with tickets to shows.”

    To gift the athletes more than a fleeting weekend of hospitality, Flav also launched a GoFundMe on Thursday to provide direct financial “victory bonuses.”

    Recognizing that many Olympic athletes must juggle second or third jobs to fund their training, Flav set a $50,000 goal to put cash directly in their pockets.

    As of Thursday evening, more $34K has been raised from more than 600 donors.

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    Corey Levitan

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  • Flavor Flav Invites U.S. Women’s Hockey Team to Vegas

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    As the U.S. Men’s hockey team heads to the White House following their Olympic win, the gold-winning women’s team are offered a trip to Vegas with Flavor Flav

    The women’s and men’s U.S. hockey teams jointly made history at this year’s Milan-Cortina Games, both receiving gold in an Olympic sweep. Despite both teams achieving wins, only the men’s team received a phone call from the White House. 

    The men’s U.S. hockey team faced controversy over the weekend when a video of the phone call with President Donald Trump went viral. In the video, the president jokes that he would “have to bring the women’s team” to the State of the Union Address or likely face impeachment. The team then laughed in response. 

    Following the remark, a spokesperson for the women’s U.S. hockey team declined the invitation on behalf of the Olympic gold winners. 

    “We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the USA Hockey spokesperson said. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”

    Rapper and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav, in turn, invited the group to join him in Vegas for “good times.”

    “If the USA Women’s Hockey team wants a real celebration and invite, I’ll host them in Las Vegas,” Flav wrote on social media on Monday.

    The rapper, who is an Olympic enthusiast and sponsor for the U.S. women’s water polo team, later posted a formal invitation on social media, to which he said the team has officially accepted. 

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    In an Instagram post shared by the U.S. women’s hockey team, many brands showed up in the comments to offer partnerships, including StubHub, Liquid I.V., TOMS and BÉIS Travel.

    The women’s Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime on Thursday. In similar fashion, the men’s team defeated Canada 2-1 on Sunday, also in overtime. 

    Tuesday morning, members from the men’s team flew from Miami to Washington D.C., in what appeared to be a U.S. government plane, shown in images posted by forward Matthew Tkachuk. The team met with Trump for a photo-op in the Oval Office. 

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    Taylor Parise

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  • Olympics draw new investments to niche sports and women’s teams

    Olympics draw new investments to niche sports and women’s teams

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    Players of Team United States celebrate following victory during the Women’s Rugby Sevens Bronze medal match between Team United States and Team Australia on day four of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. 

    Michael Steele | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

    The 2024 Paris Olympics are attracting new funds for lesser-known sports and women’s teams, with USA women’s rugby sevens, water polo and women’s track and field scoring major contributions this year.

    The USA women’s rugby sevens team earned a $4 million gift from investor Michele Kang earlier this week. Rapper and reality TV personality Flavor Flav threw his support behind water polo, and Alexis Ohanian, the husband of tennis superstar Serena Williams and the co-founder of Reddit, is investing in women’s track and field.

    “Niche sports often don’t get the spotlight they deserve, but they are packed with incredible talent and heart,” Flavor Flav said in announcing his support for water polo in July.

    Flavor Flav announced a five-year partnership with USA water polo, which includes funds for the 2024 USA women’s team as well as serving as the “official hype man” for both the men’s and women’s teams. The size of his contribution wasn’t disclosed.

    He pledged to his support after player Maggie Steffens posted on Instagram that she and her teammates often have to work a second or third job in order to compete, given that water polo doesn’t garner as much attention as other sports.

    The USA women’s water polo team has won gold for the past three Olympics, and Flavor Flav aims to elevate their visibility. The partnership includes his commitment to boosting USA water polo on social media, beyond cheering poolside.

    Growing support

    Kang’s contribution to women’s sevens rugby will span four years, providing resources for players and coaching staff ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

    Kang, who founded Kynisca Sports for the advancement of women’s athletics globally, said that 2024 has been a “banner year” for women’s sports with record-breaking engagement. As sponsors and networks increasingly recognize the value of women’s sports, she said that now is the time to invest in them.

    The support comes after the women’s rugby sevens team won bronze, collecting the first Olympic medal for the United States in rugby sevens, among both the men’s and women’s teams. They also set a new record for a women’s rugby event, with 66,000 fans packed into Stade de France, according to World Rugby.

    “This Eagles team, led by players like Ilona Maher and co-captains Lauren Doyle and Naya Tapper, has captivated millions of new fans, bringing unprecedented attention to the sport,” Kang said in the announcement.

    Maher told CNBC this week that without a strong performance at the Games, the team may not have survived.

    “Our coach said to us if we don’t win a medal, we might not have a program next year, and so that really stuck with me, those words, and so we delivered,” Maher said.

    Beyond the Games

    Ohanian already co-own’s a women’s soccer club, and he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this week that he aims to extend the popularity of women’s track and field beyond its Olympics peak.

    He announced in April that his venture capital firm will host a competition in late September with the largest ever prize pool for a women’s track and field event. Ohanian is doubling the stakes of the Paris Games with a $30,000 top prize.

    “Nothing about this is charity nor should it be charity,” Ohanian said. “This is about excellence, about celebrating it.”

    — CNBC’s Jessica Golden, Kasey O’Brien and Nicolas Vega contributed to this report.

    Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

    Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO

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  • Flavor Flav champions diversity and safety in water polo at Paris Olympics

    Flavor Flav champions diversity and safety in water polo at Paris Olympics

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    Flavor Flav champions diversity and safety in water polo at Paris Olympics

    Flavor Flav is the official hype man for Team USA Women’s Water Polo.”Everybody wants to feel like they’ve got their back covered, like somebody has their back, you know what I’m saying?” the rapper said. “And when they feel that, it makes them feel more powerful… It makes them feel better, you know, it gives them energy to go out and win that fourth gold medal.”According to the players, his presence at the games has been more than playful; it’s been powerful. Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is the only Black player on Team USA Women’s Water Polo.”I see people just asking questions about water polo, and like people of color wanting to start playing,” Johnson said. “And that’s a different community than I’ve seen talk about our sport in the way they were talking about it than I have at any point since I joined this team.”Johnson also emphasized the need for representation in the sport. “Our sport’s still not representative of the U.S., and I don’t think we have the best competing until we see good representation,” Johnson said.In addition to promoting diversity, Johnson and Flav are also advocating for safety in the sport. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underserved and minority communities have increased rates of drowning. Johnson believes that seeing her and Flav in the water can help promote safety.”Like just taking those barriers away, and creating a pathway and access to opportunity is super important,” Johnson said.The U.S. Women’s Water Polo team was upset Monday by Spain. Their next game is Thursday against Greece.

    Flavor Flav is the official hype man for Team USA Women’s Water Polo.

    “Everybody wants to feel like they’ve got their back covered, like somebody has their back, you know what I’m saying?” the rapper said. “And when they feel that, it makes them feel more powerful… It makes them feel better, you know, it gives them energy to go out and win that fourth gold medal.”

    According to the players, his presence at the games has been more than playful; it’s been powerful.

    Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is the only Black player on Team USA Women’s Water Polo.

    “I see people just asking questions about water polo, and like people of color wanting to start playing,” Johnson said. “And that’s a different community than I’ve seen talk about our sport in the way they were talking about it than I have at any point since I joined this team.”

    Johnson also emphasized the need for representation in the sport.

    “Our sport’s still not representative of the U.S., and I don’t think we have the best competing until we see good representation,” Johnson said.

    In addition to promoting diversity, Johnson and Flav are also advocating for safety in the sport. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underserved and minority communities have increased rates of drowning.

    Johnson believes that seeing her and Flav in the water can help promote safety.

    “Like just taking those barriers away, and creating a pathway and access to opportunity is super important,” Johnson said.

    The U.S. Women’s Water Polo team was upset Monday by Spain. Their next game is Thursday against Greece.

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  • Flavor Flav’s deep thoughts on life, love and being Hollywood’s biggest hype man

    Flavor Flav’s deep thoughts on life, love and being Hollywood’s biggest hype man

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    (CNN) — Flavor Flav is moving through life these days like he’s got no time to waste.

    In recent months, he’s been spotted backstage at a Bruce Springsteen concert, opening for U2, speaking at Harvard, gushing over Cher and Donny Osmond, and trading friendship bracelets with the Swifties at an “Eras Tour” show. The ultimate hype man, however, is no stranger to fame himself.

    Flav’s own career kicked off in 1985, when he co-founded the rap group Public Enemy. He went on to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and star in several in early aughts reality shows, including “The Surreal Life” and “Flavor of Love.”

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    Marianne Garvey and CNN

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  • Flavor Flav Embraces His Swiftie Side At Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ Tour

    Flavor Flav Embraces His Swiftie Side At Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ Tour

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    “THANKX to all my new friends,,, luv my fellow Swifties #TaylorSwift #ErasTour #FriendsForever,” Flav wrote in another tweet.

    “Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it,” wrote Flav in a reference to Swift’s “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”

    Flav has shown love for Swift’s music in recent months, posing for a photo with Swift at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March.

    “I love me some Taylor Swift, man, always did, you know what I’m saying. Word up,” Flav told Billboard at the event’s red carpet as he showed off his “I come back stronger than a ’90s trend” shirt, a reference to Swift’s song “willow.”

    He added that Swift keeps her “clock on 12” just like the clock on his necklace, a nod to the singer’s “Midnights” album.

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