Ever since the first high tech, surround sound, widescreen, oversized television came out with full home entertainment abilities, there has been a battle going on. The war started out within the sports stadium world when they realized so many people were staying at home to watch the games. There is a lot of money invested in a stadium game and attendance (or lack thereof) has a direct reflection on the revenue stream that pays for everything. Stadiums had to out trump the home entertainment industry by offering flashier, better, bigger, louder, prettier sports experiences.
The era of high tech has entered into all of our worlds and now, as consumers, we have begun to expect the very best at our team games. Gone are the days of just cheering for our team. Now we need to see instant replay in sharp colorful clarity with streaming video and sponsors wildly showing and offering their particular method of player support. Each game must be a show and each show must be flashier and better than the last. Stadiums have bought into the showmanship concept and it is paying off for them, big time.
Every decision that is made in business, school and life today has a direct reflection on the kind of carbon footprint we make. The world has finally woken up to the fact that we cannot continue down the path of polluting our earth without consequences. The high volume of energy demands plays a major role in the kind of purchases that we make and there is a slow transition around the globe to more ecologically friendly energy sources. These decisions include our technology and for schools and stadiums, that equates to their choices in electronic scoreboards and the peripheral equipment.
Whether you live in a small rural community or a larger urban city, almost every high school in the country is buying into the concept of high tech electronic scoreboards. With enhanced technologies and lowering costs, the fans that attend their local favorite team games are being enticed even more as the newer, fancier, flashier scoreboards are added to the schools.
Rochester Institute of Technology – known as RIT, made the decision to get a new arena for their Tigers hockey team. William Destler, RIT president, called it “Tiger Power Play” and began the process of raising the funds to pay for the arena. The estimated cost should be around $30 million. Little did he know that one of their own devoted alumni was prepared to donate a $1 million top of the line, high tech electronic scoreboard.
Anyone in technology knows that sometimes things happen, and there is no reason or rhyme of explanation for it. In the world of technical support, a ‘glitch’ can occur, never happen again and the conversation usually ends with “well, it’s a mystery”. While there are actual reasons, it would usually take too much time to figure it out. Sometimes things happen on electronic scoreboard displays. The manufacturers take every situation seriously and will always fix a problem.
We rely on technology in every aspect of our lives. You have to admit, technology is mostly pretty good, with only a few things happening that will try to ruin our day. The importance of an electronic scoreboard in any venue is pretty obvious and this technology has to run perfectly from the get go. Whether it’s a big game between two rival teams or a music concert, today’s electronic scoreboards attract the attention of every attendee and the special effects keep their attention. Any little ‘glitch’ is not only irritating but down right embarrassing.
For the first time in history, the higher tech electronic scoreboards are offering the ability to create whatever look and feel you need for every event. The digital technology combined with the intense color sections and graphics have an incredible flexibility. Every event has a unique look and feel and the scoreboard design should reflect the need. With a little background, you can even take this high quality visual and create a standard sports scoreboard look.
The importance of the electronic scoreboard has increased exponentially over the last ten years. Most fans of any sports venue now use the scoreboard as part of the continuation of the game. We view the board for information on our teams, but also for additional information, streaming video, ad hoc play-by-play. Most of us are accustomed to viewing the scores in a digital view, with each team on its corresponding side of the board. The board is part of the story of the game and we, as fans, look to the scoreboard for the information we need. Today’s technology in electronic scoreboards can offer the same type of standard view and be customized to the attending team colors.
The 1961 Rose Bowl prank involving Caltech and the flip card switch is absolutely legendary. College pranks are notorious and engineering schools seem to produce some of the best of the bunch. With the introduction of electronic scoreboards, the ability to introduce a whole new genre of technology oriented pranks were opened up wide; especially when considering the genius of those attending a tech college. Overcoming the 1961 ordeal has become a badge of courage and, in 1984 Caltech did it again.
In 1983, the president of Caltech, Even Murph Goldberger, taunted the students that they should never rely on the past results of those that were their predecessors to prove their worth. The ‘Techers’ were not going to stand by and let this challenge go and so they took it on, full force.
In this age of multi-tasking, social media and high tech frenzy, it seems we are seeking some areas of our lives that are comfort zones. Many are recognizing that constantly being ‘connected’ is not always psychologically healthy. I have found that one common comfort zone is often found attending a good old fashioned baseball game, complete with vendors and scoreboards.
The thought of a sports scoreboard as part of a comfort zone might seem odd to some. But, for me, it is a remembrance of childhood. Attending softball games for my Mom’s team, the scoreboard was part of both the home and away games. My sister and I would sit in the bleachers on warm summer afternoons and evenings, watching my mom and her team mates as they played with every ounce of devotion they had. We yelled with excitement as each run was completed and the then manual scoreboard had the point added.
There is no denying it; we are in a tsunami of social media and internet awareness around the world. From political events in the news to sport events in local and national games, every person is checking their Facebook and Twitter updates and communicating like never before seen in the history of humanity. Keeping up with this technology race in the electronic scoreboard arena is pretty much a no-brainer, and benefits all that are involved.
Coordinating electronic scoreboards with the internet and social media involves a deliberate and well though out marketing plan. The electronic scoreboards of today do have the ability to do wifi net feeds, but, there is more that is involved than sending information to a page. If you are involved in the project of adding electronic scoreboard information to the net, you need to understand the psychology and differences.
We are in an era where technology is moving faster than the average consumer can keep up. There is one area that surpasses all others in the demand for high tech: sports. The nation’s sports fans are insatiable for bigger, better, flashier and brighter. The American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas is quite aware of the demand and is surpassing all expectations with the recent installation of their new 1080 high definition replay and video system. This is part of their continued effort to live up to the promise they made to fans to offer the best in technology.
Fans of the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks will be participants in viewing the new scoreboard that boasts a 300 percent scoreboard increase in resolution in their two video displays. This unique system is setting the bar high for stadiums and is a new generation in both visual and audio for the fans. Quality LED technology offers brighter, clearer pictures so that even the most remote fan in the stadium can see what’s happening.
