WACO, Texas — The women’s basketball team at Baylor University will be known simply as the Bears from now on.
The team, which has been known as the Lady Bears, is dropping the “Lady” from its nickname to align itself with the rest of the school’s athletic programs, KWTX reported.
Other women’s sports teams at Baylor had been called the Bears, and the basketball team followed suit late Friday, the school announced.
The Baylor women's basketball program is dropping "Lady" from its nickname and will be known as just the Bears, like the rest of the school's athletic teams.https://t.co/3lVVZhbN5G
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) September 4, 2021
“Baylor women’s basketball has solidified itself as one of Baylor’s most remarkable and celebrated programs,” the university said in a statement. “While the use of Lady Bears is still very much a part of the program’s decorated history, in an effort to be more consistent with the current nomenclature of the other 18 Baylor sport programs, the team will now be referred to as simply the Bears.
“This evolution is unique in that it creates consistency among Baylor teams while also highlighting the individual sport and contributions of its athletes and coaches.”
The word “Lady” in sports teams names has been in use since the 1970s, but many programs dropped it during the 1980s, ESPN reported.
The only Big 12 women’s team that still uses “Lady” as part of its nickname is Texas Tech, which goes by Lady Raiders, the sports network reported. Oklahoma State uses Cowgirls for its women’s team nickname; the men’s teams are called the Cowboys.
Baylor’s softball program also dropped “Lady” from its nickname, KCEN reported.
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