On October 30, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was still in a hazy mood as he sat down for a postgame interview with the FOX baseball crew following the Dodgers’ five-game World Series victory over the New York Yankees. First baseman and World Series MVP Freddie Freeman showed up with a four-hitter that included a wild outburst after the first game. Fierce right-hander Blake Treinen, whose profession seemed all but over after a series of diverse injuries, threw 42 pitches and struck out three batters over 2.1 innings of labor in the fifth, limiting the Yankees to simply one hit.

However, it was Betts who once more reminded fans why the Dodgers moved heaven and earth in 2020 to sign the disastrous Boston Red Sox franchise. In 16 postseason games in 2024, the famed five-tool outfielder hit .290 with 18 hits, 4 runs scored, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored. Betts’ profession stats are much more impressive. The 2018 American League MVP is an eight-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove winner and 2018 batting champion. The only reason Betts is not the biggest star in the game is because his teammate, Shohei Ohtani, is a record-breaking hitter with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, a soon-to-be three-time National League MVP, who also won 38 games in profession as a pitcher.

On paper, Betts — who earned his nickname because his parents were huge fans of NBA guard Mookie Blaylock — must be as famous by name as other extraordinary figures in the current Black culture zeitgeist, like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, LeBron, Kendrick, Zendaya and Barack and Michelle.

When polarizing baseball great-turned-analyst Alex Rodriguez reminded him that he was the only energetic player with three World Series titles (one with the Red Sox in 2018 and two with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024). , Betts downplayed the feat. Instead, he praised his teammates for his or her support during a stretch last season during which the 32-year-old struggled at the plate.

“I remember in San Diego I was just grinding, grinding, grinding,” he recalled. “Literally no one turned their back on me. They were all there, cheering me on in the cage as I hit shots, hit shots, and told me I was OK…all my teammates were there…I love every single one of those guys. I just love being a Dodger, I really do.”

Betts is armed with retro charm. In one other life, the MLB superstar might have been an eye-candy ’90s soap opera idol who would give fresh-faced Shemar Moore a run for his money. You might wonder why Betts – who married childhood sweetheart Brianna Hammonds and has a postcard-ready family that evokes comparisons of BLACK LOVE to LeBron and Savannah James or Rihanna and A$AP Rocky – is not celebrated more by us. And while his name has been name-checked in several rappers’ rhymes, akin to Benny the Butcher in “Line“, Kennedy House in “Trust” and DJ BlueBucksClan, A-Bliccy and Jeezy in “Mookie Bets”, some rappers they’re astonished that it continues to be unnoticed of the conversation.

People outside of sports fandom would have a tough time picking Betts out of the lineup. However, he actually doesn’t shrink back from the highlight. In 2020, Betts moved to Hollywood where she executive produced the award-winning 2022 documentary about the most beloved Dodger of all of them, .

Despite the charismatic Betts’ contract with the Dodgers value $365 million, which in today’s staggering $700 million market, represents a bargain that his teammate Ohtani, away from the diamond, is comically aloof. A talented athlete who was a standout basketball player at Overton High School in Nashville, winner of the Class AAA All-City Player of the YearBetts is knowledgeable bowler who bowled an ideal match in 2017.

So what gives? Why hasn’t Betts grow to be a ubiquitous fixture in black celebrity circles? Blame MLB. In 2024, only 4 African Americans participated in the Fall Classic (not counting Afro-Latino players and one from the Bahamas). Things got even worse in 2022 when no Black players took the field in the World Series.

This season, when MLB celebrated Jackie Robinson Day in honor of the giant who broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, the variety of black players on the league’s 30 rosters was just 6%. By comparison, 1991 boasted the highest percentage of black players in the MLB at 18%, led by such immortals as Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Andre Dawson, Ricky Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Lee Smith and Eddie Murray .

Back then, baseball was still considered cool, a lot in order that the aforementioned Bonds, Griffey and frozen two-sport star Deion Sanders routinely shared highlights on SportsCenter with Michael Jordan and Barry Sanders. That’s why Betts has made it his mission to draw more black fans and elite black talent to MLB.

“I think one of the most important things is that kids don’t see us there.” – he said during the 2023 meeting. In the profile, he was filmed wearing a T-shirt that read “We need more Black people in the stadium.”

“If you watch football and basketball, you can see us everywhere… everyone on the field, everyone in the commercials,” Betts continued. “I have to continue to do my part and stay involved so that kids can see someone they can be.”

Each 12 months, MLB’s development programs, akin to the DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational and Breakthrough Series, involve 1,200 to 1,500 children participating in the league’s diversity initiative. And the Andre Dawson Classic collegiate tournament showcases HBCU talent trying to break into the big leagues.

The query, nevertheless, is not whether Betts will eventually be engulfed by this nebulous and overused all-encompassing “culture.” Is that why it’s taking so long?

“I have three” Betts said to a packed crowd at Dodgers Stadium for World Series celebrations, holding his right hand up. “I’m trying to fill this hand, Los Angeles”

Kim Kardashian has once more found herself at the center of a social media storm after stepping out in a rare, iconic piece from the British royal collection: Princess Diana’s Attallah cross necklace.

Fans claim the billionaire mother of 4 is “obsessed” with famous deceased celebrities and feels she just isn’t honoring their legacy by wearing their items.

Known for her love of statement and historic fashion pieces, Kardashian recently wore a surprising amethyst and diamond pendant to the Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on November 2.

Wearing a white Gucci gown with a plunging neckline to her navel, Kardashian let the cross rest between her neckline – a glance that immediately caught the Internet’s attention.

The Attallah Cross, product of gold, silver, amethyst and diamonds, became one among Princess Diana’s signature pieces. Diana famously wore it in 1987 with a Catherine Walker dress at a charity event.

The necklace was named after the original owner, Naim Attallah, who often lent it to Diana but kept it in the family until Kardashian won the bidding war and added the historic item to her collection.

Although she obtained the cross almost two years ago, in January 2023, she didn’t wear it in public until her forty fourth birthday, and has now worn it twice outside the home. It was first shared by Lexy Roche, image director at Maison Margiela, who posted a video on her Instagram Story of Kardashian wearing a black and purple tulle gown with an identical accessory: According to to the city and the countryside.

A recent public appearance at the gala has reignited conversations about Kardashian’s fascination with items associated with deceased celebrity icons, prompting criticism from fans who consider her approach lacks sensitivity.

Everyday fashion bomb sent clip from the SKIMS owner’s Saturday appearance on Instagram, where the comments section quickly filled with opinions.

“I don’t know why, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with me,” one person wrote, expressing an opinion that touched many individuals.

Another comment read: “What is her obsession with dead people cases?” and yet one more added: “I don’t like the fact that this family has so many personal things from deceased people.”

One person called Kardashian’s attachment to the late princess “very strange,” while one other said: “You look good Kim, but you know Diana won’t like you.”

These reactions reflect growing concern amongst fans who feel that Kardashian’s decision to wear historical items, especially those belonging to deceased celebrities, is exploitative somewhat than respectful.

Interestingly, not everyone condemned Kardashian’s style decisions. Some social media users defended her, saying that she looked great, and others identified that collecting memorabilia from iconic characters is nothing latest in the world of stars.

“Drake does the same thing, buying items from dead legends,” one user commented, while one other noted, “Michael Jackson did the same thing – nothing new there.”

The necklace is really unique. According to Attallah’s son, Ramsay Attallah, Princess Diana was the only person to wear such an outfit before Kardashian.

“When I was growing up, we always had it on the table at Christmas lunch, but it was never worn by anyone other than Diana, and it hasn’t been seen in public since she died,” he said last yr.

This is not the first time Kardashian has faced criticism for wearing clothes with a wealthy history associated with iconic figures.

At the 2022 Met Gala, she wore a Marilyn Monroe gown that read “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” a sheer, rhinestone-encrusted gown that Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his forty fifth birthday. birthday in 1962. At that point, the dress scandalized the then conservative America with the illusion of nudity because its fabric was encrusted with over 2,500 crystals.

After Kardashian appeared in the dress, the dress was allegedly destroyed. Owners reported that the fabric had stretched, latest holes had formed, and plenty of of the rhinestones were either barely attached or had fallen off completely.

“The dress is definitely not the same – it has been destroyed” – Molly Elizabeth Agnew of Eternal Goddess.com he stated.

Despite essentially destroying the historic garment, Kardashian wore one other of Monroe’s green sequin Norman Norell gowns at the 1962 Golden Globes – illustrating her determination to make a press release, even when it means pushing the boundaries of preserving historic fashion .

She posted a photograph of her dress on social media, writing partially: “While searching for the hand-beaded Jean Louis gown I wore to the gala, I discovered that @heritageauctions had Marilyn’s iconic green sequin gown. During my research, I discovered that the owner of the Golden Globe Award she received that evening was none aside from my friend @jeffleatham“

She continued: “I saw it all as a sign of the alignment of all the stars. “Being able to tap into my inner Marilyn in this way on such a special night will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

In addition to Marilyn Monroe, Kardashian’s collection also includes jade and diamond bracelets that after belonged to Elizabeth Taylor, an actress whom she openly admires and considers her personal muse. According to to Hello! Warehouse.

Kardashian purchased Taylor’s bracelets at auction in 2011, signaling her longtime interest in acquiring jewelry from beloved Hollywood legends.

Each of those acquisitions reflects Kardashian’s ambition to attach with – and maybe embody – fashion icons of the past. But as her collection of deceased celebrity memorabilia grows, so does public opinion, leaving people wondering whether it’s obsession, exploitation, a high-end collector’s love, or, as someone said, “weird.”

Like many black women, Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, wears a mask. A shield, a protective armor she developed as a young person to guard her from unexpected pain and difficulties that arose in her personal life. But what happens when the armor is pierced by something that affects each Houston resident Megan Pete and superstar Megan Thee Stallion? Prime Video’s Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words, directed by Nneka Onuorah, explores the star’s rise to fame and the way her vulnerability became her biggest superpower.

“I see Megan as a feminist icon,” Onuorah told theGrio. “She represents the dichotomy and multi-faceted nature of black women all rolled into one. “And showing us that we don’t have to just show our strong side, but showing vulnerability can help us get through anything, accept our emotions and feelings, which also makes us strong.”

However, the “Savage” rapper wasn’t initially thrilled with the idea of ​​revealing the young woman behind her confident, unflappable public persona. When they began filming the documentary in 2022, the star was reportedly reluctant to open up and let people see the trauma hiding beneath the surface of her “Megan Thee Stallion” brand.

Although the film depicts Pete’s grief over losing her father soon as a baby and her mother early in her profession, in addition to her experiences with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts, Onuorah realized that the two bonded over their conversation about boiled potato chips in a jalapeno cauldron.

“There’s a scene in the movie where Meg is, you know, talking about jalapeno chips and she’s really stressed out,” the award-winning director recalled of the moment, which took place in Las Vegas ahead of the Billboard Awards. “Me and her interacting in that scene and (it was) the first time in my life I’ve ever seen Meg without her hair and makeup team, her glam team. She just at all times worked and had people in her face. So I said this can be a probability for me to return (to the hotel) along with her and just be me and her alone.

“She just got a jalapeno chip spiral and we talked… we laughed and I think we opened up for the first time. She opened up to me emotionally and I just let the camera do its thing,” she continued.

In addition to chronicling Pete’s rise to fame, the documentary provides insight into how Megan Thee Stallion handled public criticism following her altercation with rapper Tory Lanez. In 2020, Lanez, born Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, shot the “Body” singer in the foot, which ultimately led to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filing semi-automatic assault charges against Peterson.

Despite being the victim in the case, Pete needed to cope with social media trolls who questioned the validity of her claims. From popular industry commentators like Joe Budden to local delivery drivers on TikTok, the documentary highlights the enormous backlash the star has faced online over the Peterson trial.

“Sometimes you need understanding, especially in a world with social media and so much chaos and opposition, she just needed someone to be there for her and rock with her,” Onuarah explained. “We had a real bond. I think I offered myself to her as a safe space and let her know that (I was there) to support her and protect her and help amplify her voice. … Sometimes we laughed at the pain. These intimate moments brought us closer together.”

Ultimately, the film should remind us of the star’s humanity. As “Megan Thee Stallion,” she represents many things to many individuals – an advocate for mental health, feminism, body positivity, daring self-confidence, and more. However, Onuorah explains that the young woman behind the fame is not any different from her fans who watch her online.

“Like Megan Pete, I wish (people) would understand that this girl is under 30 and is just a regular person who has to do the same things as us…without her parents. There (were) times when we were shooting during the holidays and she (didn’t) have family to spend it with. All this is happening and she’s just an ordinary person going through it… It’s something that people should empathize with,” the director told Grio. “She’s still a young girl trying to figure it out and people can figure it out.”

Ultimately, Onuorah believes that everybody, especially Black women, can learn something from the duality exposed in the film.

“I think because Megan Pete and Megan Thee Stallion were going through something at the same time, she couldn’t rely on Megan Thee Stallion, her mask. “She really had to convince Megan Pete to step up and get empowered… now she’s truly empowered,” she added. “I feel like a lot of women need to hear this and see that our strength doesn’t just come from how tough we are or how much we avoid certain things. But how much we accept pain and sadness and how transformative it can be for us, so that we can rise from the ashes and head towards Phoenix.”

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