MGM Resorts Joins Flavor Flav to Expand Vegas Olympic Party

^{Team USA is all smiles after their Olympic gold medal victory. They will have a chance to head to Las Vegas in July for a celebration planned by Flavor Flav and MGM Resorts. (Photo: Just Pictures GmbH / Alamy)}

LAS VEGAS – Flavor Flav's social media invitation to celebrate the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team is now officially headed to the Strip. 

The rapper announced on Instagram that he has partnered with the casino operator to host the multi-day “She Got Game” weekend in Las Vegas from July 16-19. MGM later confirmed the partnership online Thursday morning.

What began as an online show of support following the hockey team’s decision to decline a White House invitation has now evolved into a serious celebration expected to take place on one of MGM's properties on the Strip.

‘She Got Game’ Open to All Team USA Athletes

In a video posted to social media, Flavor Flav said he wanted to “go bigger and better,” to expand the invitation beyond just celebrating the women’s hockey team.

The July weekend celebration will now include all U.S. female gold medalists, Paralympic medalists, and members of the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams from the Milan Winter Games. He served as an official hype man for the bobsled and skeleton teams, so it's no surprise the expanded invitation would include them too.

“I want to bring all the United States female Olympians and Paralympians who won medals,” he said. “I got you guys covered. We’re going to throw a big party.”

The expanded invite means notable athletes outside hockey could now attend, including figure skating star Alysa Liu. After winning a gold medal and performing at the Olympics Exhibition Gala, she has taken the social media world by storm with her striped hair and alternative approach to figure skating. 

U.S hockey team member Alex Carpenter addressed the upcoming party during a Thursday news conference, confirming they’ve been in contact with the rapper.

"It was definitely super special after everything that’s been going on online to have someone step up like that and really go to bat for us,” Carpenter said in a news conference Thursday. “We're fully gonna take advantage of that and go have some fun and celebrate."

Flavor Flav has also launched a GoFundMe campaign tied to the weekend, writing that many Olympic athletes train while juggling multiple jobs and “deserve to be celebrated and supported for their achievements.” 

By Friday afternoon, the campaign had already raised over $77,000 toward its $90,000 goal. 

MGM Steps in to Back Up Celebration

With the July dates locked in, MGM’s partnership takes the celebration from a hyped social media pipe dream to a confirmed Strip event. Though a host property has yet to be named, MGM often hosts high-profile events at their luxurious resorts on the Strip, including Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, and Park MGM.

The confirmation follows a wave of social media response earlier this week, when multiple casino-resorts expressed interest in supporting the party after Flavor Flav first extended the invitation online. 

Despite notable competition from Palms Casino Resort, Caesars Entertainment, and Resorts World, Flavor Flav ultimately chose MGM after the company publicly commented that “celebrating champions is [their] kind of thing.”

MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Bill Hornbuckle publicly praised the celebration, writing that “champions deserve a proper celebration, and Las Vegas was built for exactly that.”

“When Flavor Flav put out the call to help celebrate the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, MGM Resorts International didn’t hesitate,” Hornbuckle wrote on LinkedIn. “Celebrating champions is what we do best.”

More details on the celebration are expected from MGM Resorts soon as July nears.