San Francisco Giants' Triple-A Team Strikes Out with 'Sexist' Alternate Identity, Ends Promotion

Community leaders and locals blasted the Sacramento River Cats for their take on the name 'Gold DIggers.'

General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver in September 2023. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

You might remember the history lesson from elementary school of the great California gold rush of the late 1840s, when people flocked to the northern part of the state to try to find some of the gold that had been discovered there.

Seeking to create an alternate identity with a nod to the region’s history, the Sacramento River Cats – the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants – introduced the Sacramento Gold Diggers on Thursday in a video posted to social media.

By Friday, the glittering alternate ID had been badly tarnished. And canceled.

The team had planned to adopt the name and wear the specially designed black and gold uniforms five times in the 2025 season, debuting on April 19.

But that’s not happening after the swift community reaction to the introductory video that depicted women as a different type of “gold digger,” the type with dollar signs drawn to cover her eyes. The type seen wearing a huge new diamond ring.

Community leaders and area media joined fans in criticizing the effort of the San Francisco affiliate.

“Missed the mark big time on this River Cats,” Lisa Kaplan, a member of the Sacramento City Council, wrote on X. “It is a sexist and demeaning video. I expect better from your organization.”

Missed the mark big time on this River Cats. It is a sexist and demeaning video. I expect better from your organization. @RiverCats https://t.co/umfkxFinAL

— Lisa Kaplan, Councilmember (@CM_LisaKaplan) April 11, 2025

The organization’s video was tagged in her post. It has been deleted from social media, as have references to the Gold Diggers on the tea, website.

The River Cats issued an apology via an email to SFGate.

“Our recent marketing campaign for an alternative identity clearly missed the mark,” the note read. “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.”

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