"Honey Bunny"

[Corndog89]

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.

[jkjenning]

While I don't see ladies as degrading, it seems more appropriate in an environment of competitive athletics to stick with color-number. It can't get you in trouble.

Originally posted by Corndog89
I've been reading the thread on the use of the term "ladies" to refer to female players.

I'm sure the site administrators will cringe a bit whenever the topic of that thread is remembered as a discussion on the use of the term ladies. Good of you to start a seperate thread!

[Mark Padgett]

I think the intent here is to make a differentiation between "boys" and "gentlemen" - and "girls" and "ladies". To me, using the latter in each appropriate case is telling them I expect a high level of manners and sportsmanship. I don't see anything sexist about it.

I've known lots of boys and men who weren't gentlemen, and lots of girls and women who weren't ladies. In fact, I married one once - and yes, it was a woman, not a man (not that there's anything wrong with that).

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I can remember playing basketball as a freshmen in high school an official who would refer to the players as gentlemen. This official later became one of my officiating mentors and is in the OhioHSAA Officials Hall of Fame. Since I started officiating I have addressed male teams using the word gentlemen and female teams using the word ladies. It does not matter whether it is a jr. H.S. game or a college game. I believe it sets that tone that I expect everybody to conduct themselves as a lady or gentleman as the case may be and in a sportsmanlike manner at all times.

MTD, Sr.

[dblref]

I agree with MTD, Sr. Throughout my career, I have used the terms "ladies" and "gentlemen". I personally don't see anything wrong with these terms.

[coachgbert]

I don't have a problem with anyone calling my team "ladies", but I sometimes wonder if anyone is actually teaching our young women in sports what it means to be a "lady". Manners, respect, honesty and sportsmanship seem to be on the lower end of the ladder regarding sports a lot of the time.

Coach Gbert

[LarryS]

I took an unscientific poll on another site I frequent. I phrased the question thus "Do you consider the term "ladies" to be condensending or feel it implies a subservient position?" The options I gave in the poll were;

1) Yes...I am offended you even typed the term.
2) No, but I can see where others would feel that way.
3) Who, in their right mind, would think that way about that term?

I also asked them, if they had no objection, to supply gender, race and location (Eastern US, South, Midwest, Western US)

I had 84 responses (40 women, 44 men). Of those 84, 80 provided their race (55 caucasian, 22 African-American, 2 Native American, 1 Asian). Most of those who responded were from the South or Midwest...4 from Eastern US, 5 from Western US.

Of the three possible answers...84 selected #3!

Obviously, they could have lied about their feeling and demographic information.

As for the information obtained...put it in the JSYK...NTYK category.