10-29-2017, 09:14 AM
As that great article linked by Mick shows, there is serious research on this.
I also wonder how much of the "first name" culture in WBB is part of a historical statement possibly growing out of the early Title IX days. First names are mostly gendered, and last names are not. Last names are inherited from your father, not from your mother (in this culture). Women have never been as connected to last names as men--in fact many shed them upon marriage. Coach "Vanderveer" could be a female coach or a male coach, but "Tara" can only be female. So is the use of a first name a feminist statement?
And how about a sisterhood? I know that "Tara" has hired only female assistant coaches and mentored many of them to go on to head coaching roles, and she also has expressed her concern about the gradual replacement of female coaches in WBB with male coaches. While it wouldn't work with "Pat" Summit, first name coaches could be a subtle statement about gender. Feminist groups have often sought to break down the boundaries of hierarchy and formality that were initially created by men. First names among coaches and players could be part of that sisterhood.
And could part of it just be Stanford? When I arrived in 1977 I was shocked to discover that my faculty invited me to call them by their first names. California in general is informal--probably even more so then. Later, at Ivies, I never encountered that level of informality. Arriving at Stanford in the 1980s, "Tara" might just have been emulating a more general faculty trend that had arisen out of the student protests of the 60s and 70s, and the name stuck because she became famous as "Tara" after winning a couple of national championships. Also keep in mind the way that Stanford nicknames shorten all complicated names. Mem Aud, Flo Mo, Mem Chu, etc. The student body is acculturated to finding clipped and shortened ways to refer to all Stanford institutions, and Tara Vanderveer is certainly a Stanford institution.
However, my guess is that there is someone--perhaps connected with this board--who will know of serious research on the history of sport, Title IX, etc. who can point us to some good reads on this kind of stuff.
I also wonder how much of the "first name" culture in WBB is part of a historical statement possibly growing out of the early Title IX days. First names are mostly gendered, and last names are not. Last names are inherited from your father, not from your mother (in this culture). Women have never been as connected to last names as men--in fact many shed them upon marriage. Coach "Vanderveer" could be a female coach or a male coach, but "Tara" can only be female. So is the use of a first name a feminist statement?
And how about a sisterhood? I know that "Tara" has hired only female assistant coaches and mentored many of them to go on to head coaching roles, and she also has expressed her concern about the gradual replacement of female coaches in WBB with male coaches. While it wouldn't work with "Pat" Summit, first name coaches could be a subtle statement about gender. Feminist groups have often sought to break down the boundaries of hierarchy and formality that were initially created by men. First names among coaches and players could be part of that sisterhood.
And could part of it just be Stanford? When I arrived in 1977 I was shocked to discover that my faculty invited me to call them by their first names. California in general is informal--probably even more so then. Later, at Ivies, I never encountered that level of informality. Arriving at Stanford in the 1980s, "Tara" might just have been emulating a more general faculty trend that had arisen out of the student protests of the 60s and 70s, and the name stuck because she became famous as "Tara" after winning a couple of national championships. Also keep in mind the way that Stanford nicknames shorten all complicated names. Mem Aud, Flo Mo, Mem Chu, etc. The student body is acculturated to finding clipped and shortened ways to refer to all Stanford institutions, and Tara Vanderveer is certainly a Stanford institution.
However, my guess is that there is someone--perhaps connected with this board--who will know of serious research on the history of sport, Title IX, etc. who can point us to some good reads on this kind of stuff.