Our basketball floor

What happened to the basketball floor?

First, the powers-that-be took away our bouncy floor during the Maples remodel. That may be a good thing.

Then, when we returned to basketball this fall, I noticed the change in painted center logo. Stanford has two block S logos: one with the tree in the middle and one without the tree. In past years the tree was always there. This year, no tree.

According to Stanford’s Design Guidelines, the “Block S with Tree” is the more recent and more proprietary logo. The tree is a rendition of the Palo Alto redwood also seen on the Stanford seal. This logo reminds me of a dollar sign!

The “Plain Block S” first appeared in the 1890’s and is Stanford’s oldest continuously used symbol. As a result, the “Plain Block S” can be seen around campus in a variety of architectural and other design applications. Michigan State has a similar block S but without the white border and, of course, in green rather than cardinal.

The guidelines also state, “When ever possible, use the 'Block S with Tree' rather than the 'Plain Block S' because it is more proprietary to Stanford."

Yet, not at Maples this year.

The basketball court floor is refinished and repainted every August. I can hardly wait to see the floor next fall.