River Cats cancel ‘Gold Digger’ alternate uniforms after immediate backlash
So much for the Gold Diggers.
The Sacramento River Cats announced Friday they will not be using their Gold Digger alternate uniforms they unveiled on Thursday after receiving backlash for the rollout, which included a promotional video quickly decried as sexist.
“Our recent marketing campaign for an alternative identity clearly missed the mark,” the team wrote in an emailed statement. “Our intention was to creatively reference the rich history of Sacramento and gold country, but our approach was wrong, and we are sorry for the mistake. We will no longer be using this identity.”
The team has since deleted its promotional videos on Instagram and YouTube showing women with dollar signs in their eyes and one woman having just left a jewelry store with a large ring on her finger. All mentions of the Gold Diggers also appear to have been removed from the River Cats and Minor League Baseball websites and social media pages.
Before pulling the plug in the wake of controversy, the River Cats had been set to don the alternate, black-and-gold uniforms for five games this season, starting April 19. The team had also listed merchandise for sale, including hats and shirts, on the Sutter Health Park team store website.
It’s unclear whether the team sold any of those items. The River Cats play their first home game of the season next Tuesday, and Sutter Health Park was not open to fans Thursday as MLB’s Athletics did not play.
Critics quickly called out the Gold Diggers marketing promotion as sexist, including local elected officials.
West Sacramento City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Verna Sulpizio-Hull said she was “shocked” by the promotion, as reported Friday by Sacramento Bee opinion writer Robin Epley.
“The video is disrespectful to women, misogynistic and downright offensive,” Sulpizio-Hull said, as reported by Epley. “This attempt to market a team that we love, with such a demeaning message about women, does not align with our values in West Sacramento.”
Fellow West Sacramento Councilwoman Quirina Orozco also denounced the video in a statement Thursday.
Sacramento City Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan in a post to X, formerly Twitter, called it “sexist and demeaning.”
Gold Diggers go the way of ‘Roy-Al’
The incident marked the second oddity involving branding for a Sacramento sports team in recent months. The Kings, which own the River Cats, in November dumped their alternative mascot “Roy-Al,” who was supposed to pair with the team’s blue and red throwback uniforms honoring the organization’s former home in Cincinnati.
Former Kings player De’Aaron Fox disparaged the mascot in a clip that made rounds on social media, and the team decided against using him before he was officially unveiled.
