Politics

Some fans might have thought Jay-Z would struggle to find his groove as a sports agent, but his latest move might have even the most critical haters out there changing their tune. Taking a note from other famed agents, Jay opted to show college basketball star Skylar Diggins, a recent Notre Dame graduate, he wants her on his team.

BET reports Hov surprised the graduate with a brand new Mercedes-Benz to congratulate her on her accomplishment and getting picked in the draft. Diggins was selected third overall at the 2013 WNBA draft pick and she signed to Jay's Roc Nation Sports agency in April. Diggins signed with the Tulsa Shock and was just that - shocked - by her expensive gift from Jay. 

"I got 99 problems, but a Benz ain't one," Diggins posted on her Instagram and Twitter accounts along with a photo of her new ride. 

Jay seems to be showing the love to women athletes and agents, as Forbes reports the business savvy rapper recently hired Kimberly Ann Miale from Boston, Ma., as a contract advisor for Roc Nation Sports. Miale was brought on board to help represent any football players Jay's new company scores. 

Do you think Jay is doing well as an agent? Are you surprised by the gift he got Diggins?

Bullying is one topic that has continued to evolve and progress for the worse in recent years, largely due to kids' ability to tease and harass other youngsters via the Internet. Recently rapper and mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs teamed up with the WWE to help take a stand against bullying. BET reports Diddy's Public Service Announcement first aired during the May 6 "Monday Night Raw" show. 

Diddy spoke out against bullies of all kinds while wearing a shirt that read, "Invisible Bully," a famous line from Diddy's friend, the late Notorious B.I.G.

"Bullying takes on many shapes and forms. And in this digital age sometimes it just doesn't stop when the days end," Diddy said in his PSA message. "No matter the form or the location, it's gotta stop. If it's not you being bullied, help someone who is."

According to USA Today, Diddy will be speaking out against bullies as an ambassador for the Be a Star campaign created by the WWE and The Creative Coalition. The goal of the initiative is to reach out to kids and teach them that being a bully isn't cool and that learning how to be tolerant toward one another is.

Do you think bullying is an important problem for Diddy to get behind? Do you think he'll be able to make a difference?

Just call him Jerry Maguire because Jay-Z is looking to show some athletes the money. Spanish newspaper Sport is reporting the rapper-turned-sports-agent has his sights set on signing Brazilian soccer star Neymar to his Roc Nation Sports agency. Neymar plays for Santos, and the 21-year-old athlete is certainly a hot commodity. 

The young Santos star also boasts personality, a flair for fashion and good looks, making him a perfect fit for Jay and his latest endeavor. In fact, SportsPro Magazine named him as the world's most marketable athlete in 2010, with the editor claiming he's a triple threat.

"Neymar is very much the perfect storm: young, gifted and with an Olympics and a home World Cup on the horizon," editor David Cushnan said back in 2010. "He is already a superstar in Brazil, one of the world's most robust economies and a vast market to boot."

Sport newspaper is also reporting Jay has his sights set on signing a few other Brazilian-born athletes including PSG's Lucas Moura and Leandro Damiao who plays for Internacional.

Do you think the rumors are true? Do you think these players would consider signing to Jay's label?

U.S. gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas should have been on cloud nine after her impressive win at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but her golden moment was overshadowed by controversy. The young gymnast was hit with critique over the way her hair looked while she was competing. 

Douglas' mom, Natalie Hawkins, openly  slammed the criticism in an interview with Fashionista website shortly after the controversy in late summer 2012, telling readers that haters had no right to come at Douglas for such a mundane thing. 

"How ignorant is it of people to comment on her hair and she still has more competitions to go," Hawkins told the news outlet. "Are you TRYING to ruin her self confidence? She has to go out there and feel good about herself, and if she feels good about herself on that floor, who are YOU to criticize her?"

Despite Hawkins coming to her daughter's aid, Douglas has stayed quiet about the issue until now. The gold medalist recently opened up to Huffington Post Live about the incident. Douglas shared that she decided not to focus on the controversy because it would have ruined her huge accomplishment. Instead, she opted to enjoy the fact that she not only won the all-around gold medal, but also that she was the first African American woman to do so in the category.

Were you surprised people attacked Douglas for her hair? Do you think she handled it correctly?

Growing up as Magic Johnson's son is likely tough enough, though realizing and having the courage to come out as a gay man might be even harder. However, this hasn't been the case for Magic's son, Earvin "EJ" Johnson III. EJ came out at the age of 13 and only recently opened up about his sexuality in the public eye. 

News of EJ's sexual orientation came out earlier this month, when the son of the basketball great was photographed holding hands with his boyfriend in Hollywood. Since then, Magic has made it a point to publicly support his son, while also encouraging him to stay true to who he is in order to inspire other kids and young adults looking to come out, BET reports. 

Though Magic has spoken out for his son, EJ has kept relatively quiet on the matter until now. The 20-year-old recently discussed coming out in the public eye during an interview with Howard Bragman on GwistTV.

According to EJ, he had always planned on "coming out in the spotlight," but never expected it would be in the manner it occurred. He also denied the rumor that the man he was holding hands with was his boyfriend, telling Bragman the man is just a friend with whom he likes to hold hands.

On the same note, EJ hopes all the media attention he's been gaining will lead way to an appearance on a talk show or radio show to help encourage other young adults to be open about who they really are.

"[I want to be] the voice for young gay people who need someone to be on TV or wherever else to talk to them and talk about all kinds of issues that all of us face," EJ told the news outlet. "[I want to talk about] not just homosexual issues but all kinds of issues. I definitely want to set a really good example."

Do you think EJ is setting a good example? Do you think it's right that the media forced him into the spotlight before he was ready?

The rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox is one for the books, but it has been put aside in light of recent events. The two teams have battled each other both on and off the field for decades, though deep down, both cities have love for one another when tragedy strikes. During the Boston Marathon April 15, multiple homemade bombs went off near the finish line, taking the lives of three people and badly injuring more than 170. According to USA Today, Yankees' fans rallied around Boston during the team's April 16 home matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

New York's love for Boston was projected on the outside of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx where a large banner with the message, "United We Stand" with both teams' logos was proudly displayed. The support didn't end there, inside the stadium a message on the scoreboard further infused the camaraderie reading, "New York stands with Boston ... Pray for Boston."

ABC 2 News reports Yankee fans continued to show love for their neighbors to the North, belting out the signature Red Sox song, "Sweet Caroline," by Neil Diamond at the end of the third inning. 

The support may not come as much of a surprise for Boston fans who rallied around their New York neighbors following the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks. Red Sox nation sang "New York, New York" in honor of the city after the tragic events.

Are you shocked by the Boston Marathon attacks? 

New movie "42," the biopic of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, offers a look into the struggles and hatred Robinson had to overcome as the first black man to play professional baseball in America, and it does so in a way that people young and old will enjoy.

It seems both baseball and Robinson fans alike did find the topic interesting - the film took the number one spot  at the box office this weekend, earning a cool $23.7 million in its first week. BET reports "42" beat out other fan favorites including "Scary Movie 5" and the indie flick "The Place Behind the Pines," starring Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. 

According to Time magazine, producer Thomas Tull and the film's writer and director, Brian Helgeland, recruited Robinson's widow Rachel to help with the accuracy of the movie. Baseball took a chance on Robinson back in 1947, and Helgeland did the same when he cast relatively-unknown actor Chadwick Boseman to play the baseball star on the big screen.

The risk certainly paid off for Boseman as it did for Robinson.

Did you see "42"?  Do you think the film was true to what Robinson went through when he first started playing baseball?

Famed basketball legend Magic Johnson is no stranger to controversial headlines. Johnson very publicly announced he was HIV positive during a press conference in Los Angeles Nov. 7, 1991, ESPN reports. The news shocked his fans and other players within the NBA, but the announcement also sparked a new approach to how people looked at the virus. Johnson became a poster child for AIDS - educating people from around the nation on the virus and how anyone can get it. 

Now, it seems his son, Earvin Johnson III, is becoming a leader in his own right. TMZ reported recently that Earvin is openly gay, and his father backs him 100 percent. The former basketball star recently discussed his love for his son and his understanding of the struggles Earvin will likely face in his life with the news outlet. 

Johnson touched on the subject of religion and how he feels his son may be subject to some hostility or hatred among people who don't believe homosexuality is the right way of life. Johnson hopes Earvin will be able to turn the negative into a positive, telling TMZ, "I don't care who's attacking my son, I'm going to still support him and still love him ..."

On another note, Johnson also believes Earvin's honesty may encourage other African American youth to feel comfortable about coming out themselves. 

"I think this going to be good for a lot of young, black people who want to come out," Johnson told TMZ. "[Earvin's] going to be that symbol. I told EJ, 'This is going to be bigger than you,' we can't see it now. You can't see your impact, but you're going to have [one].'"

Do you think Earvin's announcement and Johnson's support of his son will have a positive impact on other teens or young adults trying to come out?

Khloe Kardashian-Odom seems to have it the most together out of all of her famous siblings. Not only is she married, she tends to always be the most level-headed on the family's various reality TV shows, and is the sister who is known for giving back. However, it seems as if Kardashian-Odom may soon be in some hot water - she and husband, basketball player Lamar Odom, are being accused of charity fraud.

ESPN's show, "Outside the Lines," is behind the allegations, claiming Odom's charity, Cathy's Kids, hasn't used any of the nearly $2.2 million raised to put toward cancer-related causes. Though Odom's case was highly publicized on the episode, "OTL: The Charity Conundrum," ESPN researchers also looked into more than 100 charities fronted by athletes.

What the allegations mean
According to the extensive research by ESPN, Cathy's Kids, which was created in 2004 after Odom's mother, Cathy, died of stomach cancer, looks to raise money to help fund cancer research and provide for underprivileged kids. However, since its inception in 2004, it seems as if no money has been given to cancer research and that $1.3 million has been spent on supporting two youth basketball teams. 

The nearly eight years of tax records ESPN researchers reviewed showed the remaining funds went toward covering the charity's expenses, New York Daily News reports. This includes paying Jerry DeGregorio, Odom's former high school coach, an annual salary of $72,000 for helping to run the charity.

Even though Cathy's Kids was set up by Odom prior to the basketball star getting involved with Khloe Kardashian-Odom, the reality TV star has used her own success to boost donations. Kardashian-Odom has an eBay account in which she and Odom auction off their own personal items, claiming any money that is brought in from the sales goes to benefit Cathy's Kids.

Is there truth behind the accusations?
When the news first broke on March 31, both Odom and Kardashian-Odom kept quiet, though in the recent days following up, Odom's rep has come forward with a response. 

"The millions of dollars personally contributed by Lamar constituted more than 90% of the money raised by the foundation," the statement read. "All of the funds donated by Lamar and the other contributions to Cathy's Kids were used for one of the foundation's intended charitable purposes. Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family."

Overall, the eye-opening show exposed some hard truths about how legit athletes' charity work is. Researchers found of the 115 charities looked into, approximately 74 percent "fell short of acceptable nonprofit standards used by the top three charity watchdogs," ESPN reports. 

Are you surprised about Odom's charity? Do you think the allegations are true?