EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFlavor Flav has been known for a lot of things over the past four decades, ranging from the boisterous oversize-clock-necklace-wearing hype man for legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy to the celebrity bachelor looking for love on the reality dating show "Flavor of Love." But few, including Flav himself, could have anticipated that the current chapter of his life would be spent building a reputation as a leading women's sports advocate.The 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee's latest efforts will culminate in an event in Las Vegas from July 16-19 celebrating elite women athletes who have represented Team USA at the Olympics. SHE (Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment) Weekend will bring together over 100 athletes from this year's winter games, including the women's hockey team and USA bobsled/skeleton, to offer them a series of public and private events, dinners, shows, programming and community moments that honor their contributions in sports."We're going to spoil these women and give them the recognition they deserve," Flav told ESPN about the four-day event he is hosting that kicks off with a parade on the Las Vegas strip and a free concert headlined by Public Enemy, Sheila E and others on Thursday.It all started when a letter from U.S. Olympic Water Polo National Team captain Maggie Steffens made its way to the desk of Flav's manager, Rhiannon Rae Ellis, in 2024. The four-time Olympian, three-time gold medalist and record holder for most goals scored in a single tournament explained how her Olympic team was struggling to make ends meet outside of Olympic competition, with Olympic athletes sometimes having to work more than one job to support themselves. With the Paris Olympics around the corner, Steffens and her team were seeking some sort of financial stability before departing for the summer.Ellis, who has known Steffens' agent for years, wasn't sure if she knew anybody interested but had one client with a heart of gold who just might be crazy enough to do it."Her agent told me $5,000 would change her life and her entire family could go to Paris to support her," Ellis told ESPN. "I told him I had an idea that might sound a little strange, but give me a few minutes to call him back."She passed the letter to Flavor Flav with the suggestion that he should sponsor Ellis. But Flav quickly responded, saying, "If I'm going to sponsor one, I want to sponsor the whole team."Flav, who is a father of four daughters, wanted to make a statement and flew out to Paris to support the team's effort to capture a fourth gold medal."When my daughters do something good, I know I want them to be recognized for it," Flav said. "Those girls were out there busting their ass to make the United States look good, so it wouldn't hurt to give them a boost of encouragement."Flav didn't stop there.He also became a sponsor and the official hype man of the men's and women's United States Olympic Bobsled/Skeleton Team in 2025.However, an incensed Flavor Flav took it a step further after President Donald Trump invited the U.S. men's hockey team to the State of the Union during its locker room celebration in Milan. Trump added that the women's gold-medal-winning team would also have to be included, joking that he might otherwise be impeached.Although the women's team ultimately declined the invitation because of prior academic and professional commitments, the episode further galvanized Flav's support.What started as a simple invitation to bring the women's team to Las Vegas for a celebration began to morph into something else entirely."We were flying back from the Olympics and, right before we took off, Flav said he was going to send a post to invite the women's hockey team to Las Vegas," Ellis said. "We were on a small plane with no Wi-Fi and had our phones off for an hour after he sent it."The post immediately went viral and left Flav and Ellis scrambling to figure out how to turn a suggestion into an event. The duo recruited Robyn Glaser, longtime senior executive at The Kraft Group and the New England Patriots who helped build the franchise's corporate and football operations and began building the foundation of what would eventually become SHE Weekend."I owe women the same efforts that I've made towards men for the past two decades with the New England Patriots," said Glaser, who currently is a partner and COO for Fifth Down Capital and sits on the advisory board for PAC (Pro Athlete Community). "I saw the post blowing up, reached out to Rhiannon to let her know I was there for whatever she needed and really proud of the activations, relationships and partnerships that we've created with some phenomenal women executives, companies and brands."The support behind SHE Weekend is massive, with partners and sponsors ranging from Joe Lewis Company (producers of the Grammy and Oscar awards) and 72 and Sunny to Fountain City Sweets and MGM Resorts. But none of it happens without the support of the city, and Flavor Flav pitched his idea to the Clark County Commission in May."We were pleased to work with Flavor Flav to bring his vision for the SHE Weekend Parade, on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, to fruition," Clark County Commissioner Chairman Michael Naft told ESPN. "SHE Weekend is more than a celebration of women athletes; it's truly about elevating women's sports as a whole. Las Vegas has become a global destination for major sporting events, and we're proud to support opportunities that increase the visibility and recognition women athletes have earned."Ultimately, this is a passion project for Flavor Flav and he hopes SHE Weekend will become an annual event in Las Vegas. But, for now, all he wants is for women athletes to get the flowers he feels they deserve, and hopefully entice more people to sponsor women athletes."It's about the passion of love that we have for these athletes and what they're doing," Flav said. "This is about us giving them that extra push and encouragement. Everything ain't got to always be about money because when you put money first and people second, things get messed up. This is about the love for the people and the sport. We want to let them know that they'll always be winners in our eyes."
