Fatou Bah
Appearances
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
You're listening to DraftKings Network.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Yes, so hi, thank you guys for having me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I'm so excited. So I just want to say it in just the easiest terms. Black Girl Hockey Club, we essentially remove barriers for entry for black girls and women in hockey. So that means many things, whether it's removing the barrier entry, as we know, hockey is super expensive. So we're giving girls scholarships. If you're a black girl that's nine to 18 years old, apply for a scholarship.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
We're giving you scholarships so that you can either pay for gas to travel to the hockey games, get equipment. We also do equipment scholarships with Bauer, just removing all those barriers. But if you're someone like me, who's never played hockey or even been on ice, if you want to be an executive in hockey, We offer mentorships.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
If you want to be a referee, a coach behind the bench, we're essentially removing those barriers of entry by giving you entry. So that's in a nutshell what Black Girl Hockey Club does.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Absolutely. I think what's the best thing about black women in hockey right now is that you actually can see it. Whether it's Sarah Nurse, who got like the most points ever in the Olympics, who is an Olympian, who is a gold medalist, who actually lets the black girls hold her gold medal that wears her gold medal. Like you really can see it. Or someone like Soroya,
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
who is actually on TV now, and she also won the Isabel Cup, like before it became the PWHL, you actually can see yourself in hockey with these beautiful women. So if Claire wants to do it, she can do it. And she has the support of the black hockey aunties like me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I think the best part about it is the accessibility that you actually can watch it, whether it's on YouTube or local TV now, so that you actually know it exists. I was actually at a game recently, and you can put the messages on the big screen, There was a woman on there who was wishing her friend who's 40 years old a happy birthday.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
And she's like, you always wanted to be a Dallas Stars player because you did not know that women existed in hockey. I wish this was here for you as a kid, but you're here today and happy birthday. So it's something that like little girls like Claire can see that instead of wanting to be your favorite player on a men's team, you now can be your favorite player on a women's team.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
One of the coolest things I've done with Black Girl Hockey Club is that we partnered with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Obviously, hockey is much more prevalent in Canada. We had events, and it was an all-women hockey panel, all-black women hockey panel. Oh, wow. Sarah Nurse was actually on the panel. Soraya Tinker was also on the panel.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
And Soraya actually said, she's like, you know, I always almost didn't talk to the people in hockey because they didn't relate to me. I would just have my earphones in. And, you know, Angela is a little older than me. So, yes, she's an idol, but I didn't grow up watching her because I'm a little younger. And I actually stayed in hockey because I wanted people who look like me to see that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I'm here and that's why I'm still in hockey because I just wanted people to have a role model and know that we are here, even though I didn't always love the sport because I didn't feel it loved me. So, yeah, the women, I feel like I feel like the women in particular are making sure that they're seen and heard so that more people that look like them can be seen and heard.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Because I'm from D.C. and I love everything D.C. And obviously, I mean, the best player in the league is on the Washington Capitals. So how can you not be a fan?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Yes. Obviously, you know, congratulations, Canada. But that win would have been more safe if Logan Thompson was on the team. Yeah.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
But Benny played well. Yeah, he did in that instance. Benny counted. I mean, there was also a certain person who cursed the U.S. team. Maybe we don't talk about that, but I'm just saying.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I think obviously beyond the cost is the accessibility. Like, it's really not a lot of these a lot of times you're going in deep into the suburbs to play. So that's gas money. That's like, you know, finding a babysitter because you're going to be away from home for a long time.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
To me, that's really the biggest barrier, just literally finding where can like a local youth in the city, like where can I go to play? That's also why D.C. is great, because we actually have a place in northeast D.C. that is really accessible to the kids and the youth to go learn hockey. And they also serve as like an after school center, too.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
So I'll start with the positive. Oh, that's positive. I'll definitely start with the progression. I mean, I don't know if it's the biggest thing, but at least there is a code of conduct for fans. So, you know.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I mean, unfortunately that is still happening, but you will be called out and you will pay for it. Like you might not be able to go to a game anymore if you actually do that. So, I mean, it is a positive that there is a code of conduct that if you do something racist, if you do something crazy, if you make fans feel unsafe, there will actually be consequences.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
To me, that's super small because that should have always been there. But that is something. Obviously for me, the biggest thing I talk about, what can they do better? Hire, hire people of color, hire black women, hire people that, you're not like that is outside of what you normally look at.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
That's how you grow the sport, you know, without diversity of thought or diversity, there isn't innovation. Like we were talking about the colored hockey league and you know, everybody says, oh no, hockey is really a white people's sport or like you don't belong, but actually would you enjoy hockey if there was not the slap shot that was created that came from the Colored Hockey League.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Like we talk about everybody's favorite player who's gonna break the record, Alex Ovechkin. Can you imagine him without the slap shot? That was created by us. We do belong here. We created innovation in the league and there could be so much more work. That's done. So, you know, I'm always here in hockey to remind people when you look at me like, oh, my God, like you're here.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I'm like, yeah, we've been here since the beginning. Always reminding people.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I think that it's starting to happen, but obviously it can be done way more and at a faster rate. Because if you think about it, I know I always go back to my favorite team, but the Washington Capitals. We have Emily Ingle that's behind the bench, and we're winning all of these challenges because she's actually looking at them and saying, yeah, that was off sides. This is what happened.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I think that when you have the diversity in... different looking people looking at this, the sport is going to get better and be more innovative. So while it's great that we are starting to see some difference, it could be done at a faster rate and more. So that there's so many people that we almost can't name them all because there's so many people.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
So I'm going to start slow. Get out the first round because you haven't been out the first round since you won the Cup. So get out the first round first. A lot of Caps fans will be super satisfied. And also, I feel like if they show up, when they show up and play their game, they're going to win because let's be honest, so many people were crying about them making the playoffs last year.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Apparently, Detroit should have made it instead of them. Apparently, the Penguins should have made it instead of them.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
You know, obviously we didn't do great in the playoffs last year. We were just happy to be there. So the fact that we are where we are, especially in the Eastern Conference in comparison to all the other teams, just play your game because nobody is expecting you to do it. And you are doing it. Play your game and you got this.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I mean, I think, honestly, what first fans are going to be excited about is he's going to break the record before the playoffs. So we're going to be living off of that high. And I know, like, as a Caps fan, we were, especially after we won the Cup, we were like, you know what? We're just going to be happy when Ovi breaks the record. And if a playoff comes, that's like... ice cream.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
But now we know we can win it all and we can enjoy Ovi just making history and looking good doing it. And, you know, for us elder millennials, knowing that life doesn't end at 35, that you can be an almost 40 year old and you're looking like a 25 year old and having fun and can even break your leg and still break the record. So, um, It's a really fun time to be a Caps fan.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I think it's actually a really fun time to be a hockey fan because you're going to witness history that we might not see again.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
I know he did 15 when we won the cup and I think he can, I mean, I don't know if I'm a goalie, I would want him to score on me so that my name can be in the history books.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Yes, can we celebrate the Panthers going to Canada and beating a Canadian team and make Florida hockey even more fun?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Yes, love him. I call him Malcolm X to his face.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Yes. And he's gotten chance in the face.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
That's why more work needs to be done, because Tony D'Angelo would be considered like the worker that you don't hire, the obvious red flag. And he's not that it matters, but he's not even good enough to be getting all those chances. That's how you know more work needs to be done, because why are we even talking about him?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Like, it's really embarrassing for these teams to put their necks out there for someone who's not even worth it. And I don't even think appreciates it and then ends the exact same way. It's almost like the ego of them to think, well, we're different. Well, you're not different when this person's terrible. Like, let's be real. Yeah.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Thank you so much. And you know what? I love seeing you hosting this show. We need more like you. Like, I mean, this was my pleasure. I would be remiss if I did not say hi to my best friend, Lauren Andrews, who is a huge fan of everything you guys do. And I know she'll be watching and will be mad if I don't say hi to you. So hi, Lauren. Hi, Lauren. Thank you, Lauren. Hi, Lauren. Thank you, Lauren.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Thank you so much. This was great.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
Absolutely. I want that revenge.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: The Bingo Button
You're right. I want the easiest, so I hope the Rangers make the playoffs.