[stupac2]

[quote author=stupac2 link=topic=17823.msg209052#msg209052 date=1509283779]
I've been wondering this for a long time. Surprised I never asked.

Good question.  I've felt a bit guilty about it when I do it in my WBB write ups, although I have sometimes alternated.  I'll take my que from all of you and if you think it would be a good idea, I'll try to more consistently use last names.

But you asked why.....

I think it started for me with Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike.  I would bike home from the game and try to get a write-up posted within the hour, and frankly it was a whole lot easier for my fingers to type Nneka or Chiney than it was to type Ogwumike.  Plus we eventually had two Ogwumikes playing at the same time, and then two Samuelsons playing at the same time, and then two Johnsons at the same time, and will soon have two Hulls at the same time.  Under those circumstances first names are essential, and once you start calling a couple of players by their first name it seems more consistent to call them all by their first names.  And giving a full first AND last name is just time consuming and clumsy.  Maybe I should use last names consistently EXCEPT for those players who share a last name?  What do you all think?

The other thing that reinforces the first name use for WBB are the chalk talks and behind the bench talks.  The coaches talk to the fans about the players on a first name basis and often bring them out to introduce them to the fans as "Chiney" or "Karlie" etc.  So those of us who attend those events get a lot of first name reinforcement.  It feels weird just having listened to "Chiney" chat about the game to go home and type "Ogwumike said...."
[/quote]

I don't personally find it problematic, it was just always interesting to me that the women were often called by their first names and the men virtually never. I assumed there was some historical reason and this makes sense.

[stupac2]

[quote author=stupac2 link=topic=17823.msg209052#msg209052 date=1509283779]
I've been wondering this for a long time. Surprised I never asked.

Good question.  I've felt a bit guilty about it when I do it in my WBB write ups, although I have sometimes alternated.  I'll take my que from all of you and if you think it would be a good idea, I'll try to more consistently use last names.

But you asked why.....

I think it started for me with Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike.  I would bike home from the game and try to get a write-up posted within the hour, and frankly it was a whole lot easier for my fingers to type Nneka or Chiney than it was to type Ogwumike.  Plus we eventually had two Ogwumikes playing at the same time, and then two Samuelsons playing at the same time, and then two Johnsons at the same time, and will soon have two Hulls at the same time.  Under those circumstances first names are essential, and once you start calling a couple of players by their first name it seems more consistent to call them all by their first names.  And giving a full first AND last name is just time consuming and clumsy.  Maybe I should use last names consistently EXCEPT for those players who share a last name?  What do you all think?

The other thing that reinforces the first name use for WBB are the chalk talks and behind the bench talks.  The coaches talk to the fans about the players on a first name basis and often bring them out to introduce them to the fans as "Chiney" or "Karlie" etc.  So those of us who attend those events get a lot of first name reinforcement.  It feels weird just having listened to "Chiney" chat about the game to go home and type "Ogwumike said...."
[/quote]

I don't personally find it problematic, it was just always interesting to me that the women were often called by their first names and the men virtually never. I assumed there was some historical reason and this makes sense.