Scoreboards

Savannah conjures images of gorgeous southern mansions, Spanish moss filled trees and a distinct hospitality of the area. This historic town features an incredible array of architecture, music and the arts, firmly embedded in the traditions of the south. Visitors are overwhelmed by the beauty and the regal demeanor of Savannah and it is an experience that is never forgotten. Savannah is also known for their love of their sports teams. As a city they offer an incredibly choice of professional and college teams as well as minor league baseball. There is an array of fields for baseball games including special attention to the baseball scoreboards.

Bowling Green is home to a variety of sports, mainly due to the location of Western Kentucky University, home of the Hilltoppers. The stadiums include football, basketball and hockey games and are some of the most attended games in the state. Both baseball and basketball scoreboards at the highlight of every game as points are made and crowds cheer on.

The history of Bowling Green, Kentucky is varied and reaches back to the late 1700’s when the first settlements were established. Originally a quiet rural town that relied heavily on agriculture; everything changed when the railroad came through.

Everyone in the country is familiar with Orlando, Florida as the center for all things fun. Going to Disneyworld has been stated as a rite of passage for each child in the U.S. Once there, the number of incredible and over the top theme parks can simply be overwhelming. Sports enthusiasts from everywhere in the country find a variety of teams in Orlando, with special pride in the basketball, baseball, soccer and ice hockey teams. But did you know that there is a controversy as to where the city’s name actually came from?

Often referred to as the gem of the U.S., Charlotte, North Carolina is richly steeped in old world and southern charm. This is a dichotomy, as Charlotte has also progressed to now be the U.S. 2nd largest financial center. The grace and beauty of the city is complimented with high tech, culture, incredible universities and colleges and pride in their sports teams. Football and basketball reign supreme in Charlotte; with stadiums, fans and both basketball and football scoreboards to support the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats.

Charlotte was originally settled by people of European descent. After the American Revolution the city experienced a boom with the cotton and railroad industries. After the Civil War, many of the soldiers posted at Fort Greene cherished the area so much that they decided to remain. This increased the population and spurred an intensity of growth and opportunity. Named after King George, III queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz, the city wanted to retain some of its original relationship to its European roots.

The city name of Montgomery, Alabama denotes visions as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches for equality. However, Montgomery is also home to some of the best baseball and football games and fans around. Sports fans make sure they attend in record crowds, with the Cranston Bowl stadium packed and the baseball scoreboards as the main focus for each point that's gained. The Montgomery area has its roots that extend back to the colonial days of settlement and is actually built upon the land of two Native American tribes.

Greensboro is part of what is known as the Triad area that includes Greensboro, Highpoint and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. These cities represent some of the most thriving populations in North Carolina, a true representation of home, hearth, and American sports. Their love of their sports teams is reflected in their stadiums, the attendance of each game and the scoreboards that keep the cheering on. However, it wasn’t always so. Greensboro, like many towns of the area had to fight to get where they are.

While some of us may remember the days when a large scoreboard actually created the structural look of a stadium (as in the case of the Angels Stadium in California), the evolution of electronic scoreboards has made drastic changes in the last fifteen years.

The dynamics of the electronic era has jumped from the standard bulb displays to the latest in high tech LED. The introduction of the LED lights not only offered brighter, crisper and more exciting colors, but are a savings in the previous electricity hog lights. This jumpstarted a whole new line of interests in technology. An electronic scoreboard started to be viewed as more than just a place-for-a-score-update, but became an icon of visibility with sponsorship views in more graphic formats.

The word Disney conjures up everything from the famous mouse, movies and fun filled childhood experiences. The last thing the word would bring into your mind would be a big-brother-is-watching you, competition viewed on a large scoreboard to measure the staff performance. But, believe it or not, the home of so many endearing shows and forest animals does just that. They put their employees on a time counter, view and film them and display the results on a scoreboard.

When you walk into a large stadium to attend a game, there is always an air of excitement and an electricity that seems to run through the crowd. Looking out, you can see the electronic scoreboard, already streaming promotions, information and pregame stats. This is set up as a presentation that draws the eyes with color and bombards you with audio so clear; you would think you were at home. Most of us have no idea that an incredible amount of analysis and planning went into what we are seeing and hearing; but, there is a new art form that has emerged in the architecture of today’s lighting and scoreboards.

There is a newer technology trend that is taking hold in the world of sports venues: the era of the digital network. We are in a society of immediate and instant information and gratification and there is probably no field that requires this more than sports. Stadiums around the world are scrambling to partner their existing technologies with digital networks so that we can see, hear and experience our favorite teams and events in real time.

The era of the electronic scoreboard has surpassed just the need for scores, lights and sponsors, we are in a real time, up to the minute information age and this means scoreboards have to accommodate what the people want. A more recent requirement has been to have live webcasting abilities for scoreboards. The webcast concept has introduced some rather innovative companies that can and accomplish the needs of webcast from venues of all sizes and locations.

The art of branding is a key subject that is taught in every marketing class. However, reading and doing are two totally different things. In the past, if you wanted to create your own branding you had to hire a marketing company. They would use a full staff of experts that included idea people, graphic designers and implementation schedules. For those with a large budget, this would not be a problem. But what if you have very little budget at all? Well, fear not, there is now software programs that you can buy that offer the ability to create your own branding at a tiny percentage of the cost.