# Use of "Lady" in Sports Team Nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132 "2011-02-12T15:31:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/21 "2011-02-13T05:46:27Z")
What, no mention of Milwaukee’s Pius XI High School Lady Popes? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/22 "2011-02-13T09:29:32Z")
At Louisiana Tech, women’s basketball players are Lady Techsters. The team’s first coach refused to call the team the Lady Bulldogs because, well, you know what they call female dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/23 "2011-02-13T14:12:13Z")
The [Lady Cowboys](http://www.southwoodcowboys.org/girls-basketball-schedule/)conjures up a little known picture of the Old West. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/24 "2011-02-13T14:52:21Z")
I hate it, but most athletic departments, not all, think it’s necessary. I think it goes back to when most woman’s teams were formed and the men in charge wanted to let people know their girl athletes were still feminine. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/25 "2011-02-13T16:18:37Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The [Lady Cowboys](http://www.southwoodcowboys.org/girls-basketball-schedule/)conjures up a little known picture of the Old West. Some schools which have “cowboys” for their nickname actually use “cowgirls” for the women’s teams: [http://www.wyomingathletics.com/sports/w-baskbl/wyo-w-baskbl-body.html](http://www.wyomingathletics.com/sports/w-baskbl/wyo-w-baskbl-body.html) While that exhibits a certain symmetry, it just doesn’t sound right. Search images for “cowgirls”, and see what you get, for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/26 "2011-02-13T16:30:02Z")
For more fascinating mascots, check out [this ancient thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=52169&highlight=high+school+mascots). I humbly bring it up because it’s one of the few threads I started that went anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/27 "2011-02-13T16:39:48Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Centenary College, of course–the Lady Gentlemen! (Or Lady Gents for short.) DePaul used to be the “D-Men” for DePaul Men. Before the changed it to “Demons” you would have had Lady D-Men ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/28 "2011-02-13T18:50:59Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Equality or not, the assumption when you read “Hornets Defeat Otters” on the sports page is that the headline is referring to the men’s team. Agreed. That’s why I wish they hadn’t changed it. A lot of times I see the ESPN ticker on the screen show my team just beat the #1 team in the country. It scrolls by so fast that I have to check on the internet to see it was the WOMEN’s team that won, not the men’s. Like you said, gender equality and all, but most people could give two shits about the women’s team at their school.. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/29 "2011-02-13T19:46:20Z")
_Lady Bulls_ reminded me of _Lady Rams_. Fordham’s WFUV used that moniker in women’s BB coverage at least thru the mid 90s. I suppose it was better than the name of the old LA Ram cheerleaders: the Embraceable Ewes. :rolleyes: _-ettes_ used to be popular, but I think just for high school girls’ teams. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/30 "2011-02-13T19:55:34Z")
Centenary’s women’s teams are simply the Ladies. Makes sense, though, the men are the Gentlemen. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/31 "2011-02-13T20:03:23Z")
> [@Ring](#): > > If you don’t like the prefix “Lady” It would seem like it would be a lot less confusing to just pick a different name for each. there’s a significant difference in the levels of play, and it can get pretty aggravating when you think you’re reading about the Pitt game, and you all of a sudden find that “Mary” scored the last basket. > > when it comes to watching women play sports; Other than beach volleyball of course. 🙂 If it takes you to the description of the last basket of the game to figure out that it isn’t the mens’ team, you’re not paying attention. 😉 By the way, isn’t your state home to the Lady Gamecocks? _Let’s Go Cocks!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132/32 "2011-02-14T02:45:23Z")
“Lady” should be eliminated from any sports name, unless you’re going to call the male players “gentlemen.” “Ladies and gentlemen” are for social purposes; otherwise, I’m a woman and you’re a man. Simple, eh? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-lady-in-sports-team-nicknames/571132.md?page=1)