I'm so old (MN-Skeptic and I were born within 12 days of each other), I remember when it was a bad thing to be the goat. In those days, you were either the hero or you were the goat - the one who messed up and caused a loss in the game.
Or, you could be the sacrificial goat - the one that is tied to a stake so the hunter can bag the tiger when it comes to accept the sacrifice.
I'm just sayin', it's a little jarring to me to see somebody called "the goat", and it's a good thing. MN-Skeptic, who is younger and hipper than me, uses the term stylishly, of course.