This is an editorial submitted by junior Sabrina Greene on the term “Lady Wildcats” used particularly in sports journalism and its effect on gender equality. If you would like to submit your own editorial for consideration, you can email The Pitch at [email protected].

I’ve heard it too many times: announcements, tweets, and cheers from the stands all talking about the ‘Lady Wildcats.’ Every time, it hits a nerve. Not only does the term simply sound bad, it is also derogatory and needs to be removed from our community’s vocabulary. Have we not been progressing in the field of women’s sports for the past 4 decades? With the US women’s soccer team winning Gold this past summer in London at the same time as the 40th anniversary of Title IX, much attention was drawn to the accomplishments of female athletes here in America. This year in London, the American Olympic team, for the first time ever, had more women than men. Why, then, would we turn back time by calling women athletes here at Walter Johnson anything other than what they are: wildcats. We bleed the same green blood that the boys’ teams do, and while overall girls’ teams are respected in this progressive area, calling our female athletes ‘Lady Wildcats’ sets them apart in a negative aspect and is a large step backwards in the fight for athletic equality. So, please: refrain from telling us we are girls- we already know that- and give us the title we work so hard to earn, honor and respect: Wildcats.