I've been reading the thread on the use of the term "ladies" to refer to female players. I've been in the Air Force for the last 26 years living in various places in the US and Asia. I have 3 daughters who all played sports, both in school and in rec leagues. Everywhere they played...Ohio, Alaska, Mississippi, Colorado, Hawaii, Tennessee (and also in Florida where I officiated)...players, coaches, parents, and officials alike have referred to the girls on every team they played on as "ladies". To be honest, I think I was the only one who was ever uncomfortable with it. It may be the emphasis the Air Force puts on avoiding any terminology that could be construed as sexist, racist, etc, but I'm uncomfortable with calling women/girls "ladies" despite being raised in the South where it is easily and commonly used. I consciously try to never refer to players as anything unless I absolutely have to...I call them by their number and nothing else.
Marti Gasser was the women's basketball coach at the Air Force Academy in the 1980's-90's and she refered to her players, individually and collectively, as "Honey Bunny". To hear her shrilly screaming that in the middle of a game remains one of the funniest things I've ever experienced in sports. My then young daughters would act as ball girls for the team and I usually sat right behind the bench, so I heard it a lot and I think I laughed every time I heard her. The best, though, was once when she screamed at one of the officials over something (I don't recall what) and called him "Honey Bunny". All he could do was laugh.
So, feel free to call players "Honey Bunny" as an acceptable substitute for "ladies" in your next game, even if it's a boys game.
