It was announced Friday that the Baylor women's basketball team will drop the "Lady” from its name and will now be called the Bears like all other school athletic teams.
In previous years, other women's teams at the school were known as the Bears. The women's basketball team will continue to play under Nicki Collen (who took over from Kim Mulkey at LSU in May).
The school released a statement saying that Baylor women's basketball is now a well-respected and respected program. The Lady Bears are still a significant part of the program's decorated past, but in order to keep the name of the team consistent with the nomenclature for the 18 Baylor sports programs, they will be called the Bears.
"This evolution is unique because it promotes consistency among Baylor sports teams, while also highlighting individual sport and the contributions of its coaches and athletes."
Over the years, the use of "Lady” with sports teams has caused divisions. Many programs that used it in the 1970s, when women's college athletics was just beginning, got rid of it as soon as possible. It is no longer used by the vast majority of colleges for their women's sports teams.
Texas Tech is the only Big 12 women’s team to still use "Lady” as its nickname. Oklahoma State uses Cowgirls to represent its women's team. The Cowboys are the Cowboys.
