A couple weeks ago That Fan introduced the world to Bill Sproat, AKA Shirtless Bill AKA Wild Bill. We aren’t saying we are the only ones who knew about Bill, but we are the site that got the word out and took his story national. Bill was amazing enough to do an interview with That Fan in between harassing opposing players during free throws, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed doing it. We also want to congratulate Bill on winning “That Fan of the Month” for February 2010! In the next couple days we will be providing a statistical breakdown of the Utah State opponents during games Bill was in costume. For now, sit back and enjoy the view!
Shirtless Bill in his Little Mermaid outfit, with an "I am That Fan" sign!
That Fan:
Before we get started, give me some information about yourself.
Shirtless Bill:
My name is Bill Sproat and I’m a red-shirt junior liberal arts major at Utah State University. Most people call me Wild Bill.
That Fan:
How and when did the Shirtless Bill persona get started?
Shirtless Bill:
It all got started last season. I actually hate basketball and hadn’t been to a game, but I have a good friend on the team who finally talked me into going. Another friend of mine sits in the front row and saved me a seat. During one of the games last year I decided to take my shirt off. Last season it was just me with my shirt off and basketball shorts…no costumes.
That Fan:
Have you seen the Duke speedo guy who used to do something similar?
Shirtless Bill:
I had never seen it before I started taking my shirt off at games but I looked it up after someone told me to watch it. Remember, I’m not a college basketball fan so I hadn’t heard about it. Someone had told me to watch it and that I should wear a speedo, but I don’t want to copy off of him, I’d rather do something original.
That Fan:
Can you list all of the costumes you’ve had?
Shirtless Bill:
My very first costume was as a Chippendales dancer. I’ve also done Nacho Libre, a Pirate, a snorkler, cupid, a Mardi Gras outfit, a hula girl, Peter Pan, and the little mermaid.
That Fan:
How do you come up with your costume ideas?
Shirtless Bill:
People are always asking me to do certain costumes but most of them I come up with myself. My best friends help me a lot and came up with pirate idea.
That Fan:
You’ve only got a few home games left…can you reveal any of your future ideas?
Shirtless Bill:
I don’t know even know what I will do yet. The cupid idea came about an hour before I got to the arena. Some of them are planned a couple days in advance but most of them are done right before the game.
That Fan:
So will you continue to do this next year?
Shirtless Bill:
Yeah, I probably will!
That Fan:
Have any of the opposing players ever reacted to you? Spoke to you? Laughed at you? Cussed you out?
Shirtless Bill:
A lot of the opposing players laugh. I’ve also figured out that if they laugh while they’re at the free throw line they usually miss at least one. I have never had a guy look at me and laugh and then make both free throws.
That Fan:
So you feel it has actually impacted players shooting free throws?
Shirtless Bill:
It definitely makes an impact but I’m not sure how much. The impact is obviously not enough to win a championship, but it may impact one or two points per game.
That Fan:
Have any players/coaches from Utah State said anything to you about what you do? What about anyone from the school’s administration?
Shirtless Bill:
The athletic director told me a few weeks ago that I had to calm it down because people were complaining. I was upset so I stopped going to the games. One of my friends on the team told me that the team wants me there so I started coming back. The AD hasn’t said anything since, and I try to get the costumes approved with him beforehand.
That Fan:
Tell me about the procedure of getting dressed in whatever costume you choose for the night.
Shirtless Bill:
I don’t get into costume until the second half when the opposing team is shooting on my side of the court. Only a couple people know what I’m going to do. The cheer-leading coach lets me go into her office at halftime to change.
That Fan:
What has all the publicity that you have gotten the past couple weeks been like?
Shirtless Bill:
It was cool that Sportscenter.com contacted me for an interview. I get recognized more when I’m out eating and people I don’t know will come up and talk to me. I’ve had little kids ask for autographs sometimes. I’ve even had companies approach me saying they want to advertise on my belly.
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Special thanks to Bill for doing this interview. Be on the lookout for the Shirtless Bill statistical analysis in the coming days, and in the meantime, check out this website that is dedicated to Bill: http://youwantbill.com
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