Somewhat skeptical, I started the Videoland series Hockey DadsBecause I’m usually not a big fan of Dutch series. But those doubts soon vanished. I enjoyed the way the series shows in a witty way what could be wrong with the white rich man and the privileges he knows. Highly recommended for anyone who may subconsciously not even realize what inappropriate behavior is sometimes considered normal.
Take, for example, the crude jokes that are made about different cultures. Or solving another white man’s problems by covering up what he did. In the series, a female hockey player has been paid 10,000 euros to keep her mouth shut about the white male trainer who harassed her. The task for the typical ball – and also chairman of the hockey club – JP, played magnificently by Tijn Docter, is to calm things down when the woman in question returns to the hockey club after a number of years. And this time she is not going to keep her mouth shut. The club is also facing a public scandal because videos of racist jokes have been leaked.
JP enlists the help of Chimène, a top hockey star, to restore the club’s image. To her, too, he, and a group of others, constantly make inappropriate comments, which are not always intended that way, but are simply ingrained in his behavior. It’s not uncomfortable to watch, because it’s done in a humorous way. The beauty of Hockey Dads is that the main character is experiencing growth; from a bally stiff rake to a modern and understanding(er) man. The difference in generations and the associated ideas also work well. In this series, the older generation learn from their children, who often look at themes such as the environment, gender diversity and (sexual) transgressive behavior in a much different way.
I also think it’s good to see that makers are making television programs more consciously these days. Compare Hockey Dads for example with Goofy Women, which is somewhat the female counterpart. There is a sloppy twenty years between the first episodes of both shows, but a lot has changed in that period. And we see that reflected in such a series in which families from the Netherlands are central. In Goofy Women for example, all the protagonists are white. They also have a white partner and white children. A character like Tippi Wan was put away in a stereotypical way at the time, just like the homosexual Yari, by the way.
None of that at all Hockey Dads. Okay, there is one all-white family, but that’s fine, of course there are just enough of them. Kasim, one of the main characters, is Moroccan. His wife then comes from the Netherlands. Another main character, Wouter, is no longer together with his wife. His ex, a woman of color, found out later in life that she (also) likes women.
We see these family situations, and many more variants of them, constantly around us in daily life. It is nice to notice that we also see that reflected in the image and that makers therefore think about it. In an ice cream parlor there are also dozens of different flavors, so why would we only want to see vanilla? A little variety keeps it fun.
Then I would like to pay a final compliment to whoever is responsible for the casting. Because from the beginning of the series I couldn’t not see it; Ellie de Lange, who plays the role of Maartje, would look like her real daughter in terms of appearance Hockeyouders Sanne Wallis de Vries and Tijn Docter can be. If you don’t believe me, below is a picture I made very personally for you to convince you. Striking, isn’t it? And yes, they are all white. I know. I wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with vanilla, as long as there are other flavors to choose from.
