Air-Bullard

In the Internet world there are numerous websites dedicated to celebrities from movie stars to athletes.Ý These websites not only expose every detailed characteristic of that person, but also show the die-hard fans that help keep these websites up and running.Ý I wanted to choose a website that was fan made, but also one that was about a not so popular so called celebrity.Ý Therefore, I came across the Matt Bullard fan club site, which is www.airbullard.com.Ý Bullard is a former Houston Rocket that has been in the NBA for over ten years.Ý This site is supposedly run 100% by his fans.Ý But the questions remain, did Bullard really make an impact on all these people or is this all a joke run by a bunch on bored college students?Ý Through analysis and evaluation, I hope to be able to solve this mystery to help others understand what this website is really all about.

When you first enter airbullard.com, you begin to see various pictures of Bullard himself.Ý It shows him with his current team, the Charlotte Hornets, and Bullard in his previous Rockets jersey.Ý On the left hand side of the first page there is a menu bar that you can click on to various parts of this website such as more pictures, news and info, sightings, links, and so on.Ý Scrolling throughout the website was consistent and easy.Ý Everything was self-explanatory and all the links worked.Ý This website is an overall simple to use website and stays current with what is

going on in Bullardís NBA career.Ý Another interesting option on this site is that you can download a song made especially for Bullard and made directly by a single fan.Ý I downloaded the song and was extremely surprised by its humorous lyrics.Ý The singer jokes about how Bullard is the greatest player in the NBA and how he is the ultimate basketball player when he really is a benchwarmer.Ý This is definitely evidence that this site is run by the fans that are trying to make fun of the way he plays basketball.

Another option that can be clicked on is the ìSightingsî option.Ý When clicking on this, you will read stories written by people who say they have seen Bullard randomly.Ý All of these stories talk about how they watched him do extraordinary things such as act like Superman by saving people from bank robbers and helping feed the poor in Somalia.Ý The writing style for all these stories sound very similar as if one person had written them all.Ý This is truly another example of how airbullard.com makersí purpose was to make a few jokes.Ý

This websitesí audience ranges from the so-called ultimate Matt Bullard fan all the way to the guy that is just interested in hearing a few jokes here and there about the NBA world.Ý For serious Bullard fans there are pictures, statistics, and up to date news about Bullard.Ý And for the guy that just wants to joke around there is a section called ìFat Smackî that makes fun of another NBA player because of his obesity.Ý This site is definitely biased to help Bullardís career.Ý His fans talk about how he is truly the best that ever was and in some cases refer to him as a god.Ý

An additional appealing option was a section of pictures called ìHappy hour picturesî.Ý It explains how Bullard rented out a private party room at Jillianís to show respect to the creators and fans of airbullard.com.Ý This section shows pictures of Bullard and his fans eating, drinking, and having a good time with his fan club.Ý More pictures show him playing basketball with his fans on a little basketball court there.Ý After looking at this section, it made me think about how

Bullard is not like the normal celebrity and goes out there and makes time for his fans.Ý I think that this event helped improve airbullard.com because it encouraged his fans to go out there and keep his fan club new and up to date.Ý

Yet another example of airbullard.comís humor is their links site.Ý This section shows coherence of information through the other websitesí topics.Ý They are all in a way affiliated to basketball and humor.Ý A funny example is how when you click on the ìPete Chilcutt Fan Clubî link it states that the Matt Bullard fan club has taken over this website and how Chilcutt is a horrible basketball player.Ý Another link is the Chucky Brown website who is also a former Rocket.Ý When I entered it, I found that the creators share the same similar humor and interests in the basketball world.Ý They too have crazy links and the recipe to the Chucky Brownie.Ý Airbullard.com combines comedy and creativity in places you would not normally find it.Ý As for improvements, to help keep this website a little more personal for the true Bullard fan, they should have quotes and small videos of Matt.Ý I like the way they showed him on the court, but I would like to know more about Bullard off the court such as his interests and his own personal goals.Ý It would be better to explain how he made to the NBA and the history and personal life of Bullard himself.Ý

In conclusion, I feel that the main goals and intentions of airbullard.com is to have fun with this website while choosing a not so normally crazed NBA player such as Michael Jordan or Shaquille OíNeal to create a fan club for.Ý These fans decided to go a different route and try to be creative in a humorous and crazy way.Ý Through sarcasm, they have met their goals and set a standard in their world of fan clubs.Ý Their extreme thoughts of how Bullard is the greatest to ever play a sport and how he performs supernatural miracles is down right hilarious.Ý Everything from the sightings to the links helps create certainly a unique fan club that sets itself apart the

rest.Ý If I am correct with this assumption, then the creators of airbullard.com have truly completed their task.Ý

Ryan Bernardo