Bad Bananas

Why is it that mothers and grandmothers all over the United States use rotten bananas to make banana bread? Whenever bananas go bad, you can count on banana bread being baked shortly thereafter.

Here's a thought. Instead of using rotten bananas, has anyone ever tried using ripe, fresh bananas? Now I'm no chef, but I bet that the bread would still taste great... and you wouldn't be using rotten bananas!