ClutchFans is a
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
fan site, founded by David "Clutch" Hardisty.
Originally named Clutch City, the site was developed as a place for Rockets fans to gather and talk about the team, on August 8, 1996. The site provides a plethora of information and discussion about the Rockets' past, present, and future.
In response to the fan site's outreach, ClutchFans has received access to Houston Rockets players and personnel as a member of the press.
History
ClutchFans was started in 1996 out of a moment of fun. The creator of the site
hacked into an internet account and learned how to put web pages together and posted on the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
. The first pages were concocted under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
of Clutch and the pages created were about Clutch's favorite subject: the Houston Rockets. Clutch posted game recaps and commentary as well as news stories from around the country on the Rockets. It has a dedicated radio show on a local sports station. The site began with the name "Clutch City 97" but has since gone through several name changes due to
copyrights
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
and personal opinion. As well as changing in name, the site has also changed in appearance, number of visitors, and registered membership.
Achievements
* 2000 - Recognized as the impetus of the "Save the Rockets" movement in ''
ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue, with the cover line "NEXT.," was published on March 11, 1998 (cover date March 23, 1998), and featured K ...
'', May Issue, The Pulse, pg 38.
* 2000 - Cited in ''ESPN The Magazine'' as part of The Pulse, November Issue, pg 44.
* 2001 - Recognized by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' in the March 5, 2001 issue as "one of the more imaginative and thorough fan-operated sites on the Web".
* 2006 - Nicknamed "The Undisputed Grandaddy of NBA Fansites" by ''Sports Illustrated'' (SI.com).
* 2008 - Cited as "one of the longest running independent hoops websites around, old school and rock solid like the Sugarhill Gang" by the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.
See also
*
List of Internet forums
An Internet forum, or ''message board'', is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They are an element of social media technologies which take on many different forms including blogs, bus ...
References
External links
ClutchFans official site
{{Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
Sport Internet forums
Basketball mass media
Internet properties established in 1996