PC Police strike again!

[riseball]

Meanwhile, I read that the University of Delaware - the Blue Hens - will no longer call its women's teams the Lady Hens. Something ironic in that. Y'all realize that the next thing to go will be gender-specific mascots at co-ed institutions -- Hens, Rams, Bulls.

Lady Hens is somewhat redundant.

 

[CoogansBluff]

But we need to distinguish between the male and female teams so I'm all for the Men Hens.

I'm trying to imagine the new Charlotte's Web. You've got Roosters, Hens and Men Hens. You've got Cows, Bulls and Lady Bulls. I wonder what Templeton (Paul Lynde) would have to say about that.

 

[WinThemAll]

Using the term "Lady" is just a way to distinguish a men's or boys' team for the women's or girls'. Most college teams have done away with the "Lady" moniker, however there are still writers that use the term even though the institution may not.

Some of it depends on the media outlets journalistic style.

In the media, it is a quick way for the public to know which program you are talking about.

I actually like it when teams have complimentary mascots for their teams:

Knights/Lancers
Orphans/Annies

 

[Indiana]

I'm a woman so I guess I'll add in my two cents. I've always liked the name "Lady Vols". It's a brand name which speaks to the tradition of women in sport and everything that they have accomplished. I am in my early 40s - as a female athlete, I've always stood on the shoulders of giants; the women who came before me and paved the way for future ladies in sports. ALL female athletes fought the good fight, not just the basketball players (Billie Jean King - tennis, Kathrine Switzer, runner, Boston Marathon). To keep the name for basketball and not for the other female athletes at UT is insulting.

Our girls today may not like the "lady" name - that's fine - it's a testament to how far we HAVE come as a society. But I say keep the "Lady Vols". It's a teaching moment that we can use with our daughters to remind them of where they came from and the legacy that they have the responsibility of upholding.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

To me, the girls basketball game sounds more honorable than the Lady Cougars game. Lady Cougars sounds like a version of the real thing, which is the Cougars. The girls teams are no better or worse than the boys teams, so why add a 'compliment' or 'qualifier' to one team's nickname and not the other?

But they are two different entities, two versions of basketball.

Cougars: can be played by either sex

Lady Cougars: can only be played by the female gender

Dictionary definition of lady
The word lady is a civil term of respect for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to gentleman or lord.

It's no different than Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms in front of your name.

 

[WinThemAll]

I agree. But in our area boys HS athletics are given all the press, money and glory - whether they deserve it or not. Girls HS athletics are for a large part ignored or at least shown as being not as important. So the female athletes are basically told every day that they are "less than" the boys. So DD equates putting the "Lady" in front as denoting the "less than" part of the schools athletic program. Sad but that is how she feels. There are no pep rallies for the female athletes, their programs are not able to raise as much money and they don't get the press that the male sports do. Just the way it is here.

Well then someone is dropping the ball. . .parents, administrators and coaches need to step up. One thing I have been taught is never settle for that is just the way it is.

For the past 12 years, I worked part-time on the sports desk of a newspaper for not much pay. I did it to help out the players. If a coach didn't call in results, I was on the phone tracking them down. It is surprising how many coaches don't want to do it.

 

[CoogansBluff]

But they are two different entities, two versions of basketball.

Cougars: can be played by either sex

Lady Cougars: can only be played by the female gender

Dictionary definition of lady
The word lady is a civil term of respect for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to gentleman or lord.

It's no different than Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms in front of your name.

It's not about the word lady. I agree that it's a term of respect. The issue is equality. I'd be OK with Mr. Cougars and Miss Cougars. Or just call them the Cougar boys and the Cougar girls. There are connotations of inequality in Cougars/Lady Cougars, even if well-intended, IMO.

 

[guero_gordo]

Is South Carolina the GameHens or the Lady Gamecocks.....or worse? ;-)

 

[canyonjoe]

I went to the University at Buffalo. The Men teams were called the Bulls, but rather than call the women teams the Lady Bulls they are called the Royals. Same at USC the Women teams are the Women of Troy.

 

[sluggers]

Hate to break your bubble, but this isn't about political correctness. It is marketing strategy. UT has decided it wants a single name to be associated with its athletic programs...so, it picked the Volunteers.