ANN ARBOR– Media attention focused on the Goal Diggers Sunday following their 3-2 win over Ashey’s Aventinus as their name continues to draw outrage from minority hockey groups across the Great Lakes states and much of Canada. “It’s like a slap shot in the face,” said cultural anthropologist and activist C. Keene-Attention.
Sports teams have come under scrutiny in recent years, most notably the Washington Redskins, featuring a Native American Indian logo and a derogatory name for the franchise. Like the Washington team, managers of the Goal Diggers refuse to change the team to something more appropriate. “We don’t see a problem,” said Goal Diggers CEO Holden McGroin.
“While some within the culture may refer to each other using the term,” said Keene-Attention, “such as saying he or she is ‘my digguh’,’ it is still not appropriate for others outside of the group to use such language.”
The NAACP first called for outside groups to refer to the group as “Goal Diggroes,” but over time the term has fallen out of favor, often seen as derogatory itself.
Said Keene-Attention: “I think we can all agree that the proper name of the group is ‘glacks.’ However, a hockey team using such a name is still not right.”
Scott Bray and Justin Baier scored in the loss, with assists from Dave Ferguson, Tom Colis, and Nick Lamb, all of whom expressed outrage for the Goal Diggers team.