School mascots

What makes these things enter my mind?

We live in a world where feminists constantly push for inclusive language. I notice this especially in religious circles where hymn lyrics are "revised" so that God is not referred to as a male entity. However, at many schools, the girls teams are given a manufactured female-sounding mascot. For example, at the school where I last taught, the mascot is the Tiger. The girls' teams are known as the "Tigerettes." Now I'm no lingual scholar, but wouldn't that "ette" ending simply mean "little"? Other schools put the word "Lady" in front of their mascot (The Lady Cats for the Wildcats, etc).

Let me go back to the Tigers. Aren't there male and female tigers? Otherwise the species would be extinct, right? Shouldn't the male and female teams both be the Tigers? I say yes. Of course, in this school district, the jr high team's mascot is the Kitten - sort of a "little tiger". But isn't a young tiger known as a cub? Wouldn't the cub be a more fitting mascot? Would the girls' teams then be known as the Lady Cubs or the Cubettes?

Or course, nothing dies slower than a stupid tradition. That means we are stuck with these mascots for better or worse. I'm sorry, this whole posting makes it sound as if I care about the situation and I truly don't. Just Daddy rambling...