Fort Worth man becomes selfie king of the Rio Olympics
At home in Fort Worth, Brent Folan is like any other American. He works, plays tennis and likes to watch sports with his friends.
But when he puts on his full-body Stars and Stripes zip-up onesie, Folan, 25, means business.
“I love America and I love sports” he said. “This is what I live for.”
The Fort Worth resident and former TCU student body president has made a name for himself this month in Rio de Janeiro, taking selfies with the likes of Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team and Warren Buffet among dozens of other American athletes and celebrities. He makes connections through sponsorship deals with the likes of Budweiser, McDonald’s and Tipsy Elves clothing company, all of whom have offered him free clothing or tickets to the Games’ biggest events in exchange for social media hashtags on his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Folan has also been profiled in the Wall Street Journal this month, where they called him the Forrest Gump of the Rio Games, and, last Wednesday, was featured on the set of Good Morning America.
“It has been a life-changing month,” Folan said. “Things will never be the same.”
Folan started out at the Olympics as a volunteer, greeting entrants to Rio’s Olympic Park. Two days later, as tickets and selfie opportunities piled up, he decided to make attending events and posing with athletes his full-time Olympic gig.
He was scheduled to return to Fort Worth on Aug. 14, but called his boss at Lhoist Minerals to extend his vacation to the end of the Games. He also turned to social media, and his growing followers on Instagram, to help extend his stay in Rio with tickets to additional events and places to stay.
“I just thought if I left at this point I’d be an idiot,” he said. “I’m still competing with [Michael] Phelps to be the face of the Games, so I have to see the Closing Ceremony.”
Folan estimated he had attended 25 events through Wednesday, including Phelps’ gold-medal finish in the men’s 200 butterfly, Simone Biles’ all-around gold medal in women’s gymnastics and Usain Bolt’s third straight Olympic victory in the 100-meter dash.
His Instagram page features photos with everyone from Virginia Thrasher, the 19-year-old U.S. shooter who won the first gold medal of the Rio games, to golfers Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, beach volleyball stars Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, swimmers, divers, gymnasts, wrestlers — name the Olympian, and chances are Folan found a way to snap a selfie with them.
He’s also gone Hollywood, posing with actor Zac Efron, Saturday Night Live’s Olympic superfan Leslie Jones and the cast of NBC’s Today show.
Not a bad few weeks, considering Folan almost decided not to attend the Games.
“I had a lot of people telling me not to go,” Folan said. “But this was the best decision of my life.”
Folan described his massive collection of Rio selfies, event tickets and media clips as a product of luck and being in the right place at the right time. When he needs tickets, he gets them. Ditto for lodging. Folan said he paid $30 per night for his first week through an Airbnb arrangement on Rio’s Copacabana beach — about $80 less than the average cost per night for a Rio Airbnb room and $150 less per night than the average Copacabana hotel room.
When his Airbnb host tried to take advantage of Folan’s fame in the Brazilian media by charging him more, Folan left. He now stays for free in a nearby apartment with two American volunteers.
“Just being in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I’ve been lucky.”
Folan also makes regular appearances in the background of NBC’s broadcasts of medal ceremonies, where he scopes out open seats in Olympic venues before positioning himself where the cameras can catch him. His grinning face, raised hands and star-spangled onesie are often seen behind the medal winners on the podium.
On Wednesday, Folan said he has worn the same suit each day for the past week. Even Olympic athletes are starting to take notice.
“You can’t forget the suit,” Phelps said of Folan’s outfit to ABC News. “It’s awesome getting support, and there’s no better way to get a lot of attention than just going all out. It’s great to see and we love it.”
Folan’s younger brother, Evan, said his brother’s run to the Olympic selfie spotlight isn’t a coincidence.
The two brothers attended St. Louis Cardinals games growing up in that city, and have “several” photos with the team’s top stars from the 2000s, including Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds, the younger Folan said.
“When Brent has his mind set on doing something, he’s going to do it,” Evan Folan said. “There was no way he was coming home without a Phelps picture.”
Breanna Emigh, a fellow TCU grad who also volunteered last week in Rio, said the former Horned Frog has always worked hard to socialize and build his network, and the Olympics have been no different. But the size of the stage has allowed him to receive international exposure.
“He really puts a lot of effort into that,” Emigh said.
Asked whether his U.S. superfan persona was a one-time gig, Folan said his now signature suit and presence at the Olympics are here to stay.
“One hundred percent, I’ll be in Tokyo,” he said. “Absolutely no doubt about it.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Fort Worth man becomes selfie king of the Rio Olympics."