Another Dinger Controversy? ESPN Anchor Claims She Accidentally Said ‘Digger,’ Not a Racial Slur

Maybe it’s time to retire the word “dinger” after it became the center of a racial controversy twice in two days. Following the “dinger” controversy at Coors Field in Colorado, ESPN anchor Antonietta Collins had to similarly state she was not using a racial slur on live TV.

On Sunday, a Colorado Rockies fan was yelling what sounded like a racial slur, believed to be directed at Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who is Black and was in the batter’s box. After investigating the incident, the Rockies determined the fan was actually yelling “Dinger,” in an effort to get the attention of the team’s purple dinosaur mascot.

Less than 24-hours later, ESPN’s Antonietta Collins was reading through a SportsCenter highlight when she attempted to use “dinger” to describe a home run by Albert Pujols.

It likely was not Collins’ choice of words, instead, she was reading what a SportsCenter staffer wrote into the copy. Unfortunately, they made the poor decision of using the word “dinger,” while it was already the center of controversy in Major League Baseball.

“It was dinger…said digger by mistake. I would never say that” the Mexican-American sportscaster wrote on Instagram after someone accused her of accidentally saying the “N-Word on live TV.”

The gaffe by Collins was clearly a poorly timed solecism, but two “dinger” controversies in two days might have people reaching for different slang terms to describe home runs in the future.

Watch above via ESPN