 In an effort to sell more upper deck tickets, the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium will feature the NFL’s first center-hung scoreboard. As reported by the Sports Business Journal: The $25 million scoreboard, which will be the NFL’s first center-hung board when the Cowboys’ new stadium opens next year, will span 60 yards and contain what producer Mitsubishi Electric says is the world’s largest LED high-definition 1080-pixel displays.
Stephen Jones, the team’s chief operating officer and executive vice president, believes the eye level scoreboard for fans in the upper deck, will please fans that are farther from the action. “You talk to NFL ownership and their biggest challenge is selling seats upstairs. With this board, it’s going to be like a movie theater.†“I think it’s safe to say almost everybody above the suit levels, about 90 percent of those people, will watch the screens instead of the playing field,†added Dave Belding, Mitsubishi’s West Coast regional sales manager. “You’re going to get very close shots of the quarterback under center … you’ll be able to see the sweat dripping off his nose.†Several Cowboys sponsors, such as Miller Brewing Co., will benefit from the massive scoreboard, as their brand name will flash across the screen. Everyone in the sporting industry is “getting away from the static signs to interactive advertising that brings the sponsors’ message to life,†Jones added. Despite the several perks that come with it, there are several obstacles in constructing the 1.2 million-pound scoreboard, one of which is ensuring that players and coaches can view it from the sidelines. To ensure that this won’t be a problem, Mitsubishi plans to attach contrast panels to the scoreboard, which will help reduce glare from the stadium lights. They also intend to slope the panels at a 10-degree angle, allowing a wider viewing angle. Todd Stih, Mitsubishi Electric’s East Coast regional sales manager, claims the display boards should be completed by the first quarter of 2009. To see renderings of the new Cowboy Stadium, like you see here, see our Stadium Renderings page for the Cowboys
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Nick Kappel is a staff member for the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network's Author Profiles
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