[81alum]

Why is WBB the only sport where our fans consistently refer to every player by first name?

not a coincidence that it's also the only sport where we refer to the coach(es) by first name.

tara sets the standard by using her first name and calls her assistants and players by their first names (e.g. kate rather than coach paye). unlike other sports, the players generally call the coaches by their first names. in press conferences, the media calls tara by her first name, which she appears to welcome. 

seems to me it's their call, not ours, and (unlike other sports) their call is mostly first names.

Yes, I think it is pretty unique to Stanford and stems from Tara Vanderveer going by her first name, and this sets the tone.  The Hull twins and the Samuelson sisters also contributed to this.  I have tried to convert to last names but it is hard to break the habits set by Tara, who I just have a hard time referring to as Vanderveer.  Too many decades of Tara.

By the way, when I showed up as a freshman at Stanford I was shocked that all my Professors went by their first names.  It was not Professor or Doctor or Professor So-and-So but Mark and Jon etc.  I was told at the time it was a Stanford thing--the casual California influence.  My profs also tended to wear Birkenstocks and shorts to lecture.

[81alum]

Why is WBB the only sport where our fans consistently refer to every player by first name?

not a coincidence that it's also the only sport where we refer to the coach(es) by first name.

tara sets the standard by using her first name and calls her assistants and players by their first names (e.g. kate rather than coach paye). unlike other sports, the players generally call the coaches by their first names. in press conferences, the media calls tara by her first name, which she appears to welcome. 

seems to me it's their call, not ours, and (unlike other sports) their call is mostly first names.

Yes, I think it is pretty unique to Stanford and stems from Tara Vanderveer going by her first name, and this sets the tone.  The Hull twins and the Samuelson sisters also contributed to this.  I have tried to convert to last names but it is hard to break the habits set by Tara, who I just have a hard time referring to as Vanderveer.  Too many decades of Tara.

By the way, when I showed up as a freshman at Stanford I was shocked that all my Professors went by their first names.  It was not Professor or Doctor or Professor So-and-So but Mark and Jon etc.  I was told at the time it was a Stanford thing--the casual California influence.  My profs also tended to wear Birkenstocks and shorts to lecture.