College Recruiting for Basketball

College Recruiting for Basketball

College basketball recruiting is one of the hottest topics around. Each school is on a rapid up lane, fast paced move to catch the biggest and brightest starts. Basketball sells, and nothing sells better than a winner school team. College basketball fans are some of the most loyal and passionate in existence and the world of college basketball recruiting means success to those that pick the best. College recruiting has therefore become a pinnacle showcase, with both schools and recruiters doing everything from previewing prospective stars and their talents on the internet to going into the trenches, on-site to view the players.
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College Recruiting for Soccer

college soccer recruiting

College recruiting in the soccer world can be a brutal business, but the recruiters and the schools they represent are consistently and diligently scouring the nation for the top high school talent. Like any recruiting, it has catapulted from a process to a full on business. Colleges want the best talent and they hire the best recruiters to ensure that they do.
The art of recruiting for college soccer is as involved and complicated as the professional leagues; but with a twist. Once a player achieves a ‘status’ there are far more facets involved. College soccer recruiting has one distinct advantage in that they can access players that are eager to enter the sports world and are not involved in all of the agents and legal-eze of the professional status.
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College Recruiting For Baseball

college baseball recruiting

Knowing how to navigate and participate in the college baseball recruiting process has gone beyond the mundane and entered into a fine science. There is a method to the madness and every player and parent needs to know the protocol, the responses and set their expectations at a realistic level. While it has been said that they aren’t on par in their search for high school talent as compared to the competitive arena of college to college, it is darned close.

Those that aren’t in the know need to be aware that baseball recruiting is an expansion into the sales arena for both player and school. There is an entire stage of presentation for the player to ‘sell their talents’ and the internet has a number of platforms designed for just this cause. A player can list stats, pix, videos, testimonials and general information that can be previewed by a prospective college. On the college side, there is a competitive world that involves the best recruiters and reps that work year round to preview the best high school talent, get early sign-ups and increase their position in the college baseball recruiting ranking.
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College Recruiting for Football

college football recruiting

Each season, everyone holds their breathe in anticipation for the recruiting process of the nation’s best college football teams. This year is no different, and it brings excitement as well as drama to the scene. While no one ever has a college football recruiting day, there were quite a few twists to the process. Alex Collins had an extra hurtle to overcome in signing up with the Arkansas Razorbacks. It turns out his Mom refused to sign the letter of intent because she wanted him to be closer to home in Florida. Alex received a reprieve when his father agreed to co-sign and the letter was sent.

OleMiss had reason to celebrate (and they did rather exuberantly) when they signed the nation’s number one player: Robert Nkemdiche. Alabama’s Crimson Tide has achieved an accomplishment to be proud of. They are officially the Number 1 recruiting class in the country, for a second year, outbeating Ohio State and Florida. So far, they have signed twenty five prospects to national letters of intent. Something to note is that 18 of these are among the ESPN 300. This includes a well received Alvin Kamara (number 32 on the ESPN list).
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Health and Safety on the Football Field

Health in Football

The topic of football safety and health has been a long time coming to front and center of public discussions and is now a main focus of both youth and professional football followers. While past health disasters were viewed as part of ‘playing the game’, new information is showing that some of the injuries that resulted in lifelong problems and even death, could have been avoided. Attention is now being placed on education, awareness and resources to keep our players in a positive health situation and deter safety problems through individual and group participation.
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What you Need to Know about Wireless Scoring

Electro-Mech’s ScoreLink is a fantastic blend to allow wireless communication between your scoreboard console and the scoreboard itself. The benefits of wireless scoring gives you the ability to eliminate the physical cable runs for hardware. The choice of wired or wireless scoring is completely based on your needs.
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Not All LED Displays are the Same

1996 brought a banner year to Electro-Mech, as we introduced LED technology for our indoor scoreboards. The advantages and popularity catapulted to such a level of success, that by 2003, 100% of our scoreboards featured the LED s and quickly became the single
choice for clarity, color and eye-catching appeal. LED’s brought a distinct advantage in
appearance but also carries benefits such as lower electrical consumption, longer lifespan,
easy installation and the lack of a requirement to change bulbs. LEDs add to the
scoreboard green footprint and are more cost-effective.
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Portable Scoreboards – Advantages and Assembly Instructions

Portable scoreboards have come a long way, from the simple number keeping concept to the new LED, lighter weight and visually appealing focus for the game. Electro-Mech manufacturers a number of high quality portable scoreboards for just about every sport: soccer, lacrosse, field sports, basketball, baseball, football, soccer and even play clocks and practice timers. The advantage of the portable scoreboard is to give you the flexibility of a professional look and feel for your team or school, no matter where the game is held. Nothing shows your pride more than bringing a sharp scoreboard to the field. Models range in sizes from 35 in x 35 in to 5 ft x 3.5 ft., with an excellent selection of colors. Portable scoreboards have become incredibly popular and we now proudly offer an array of choices and options to fit your budget (and make you the envy of every other team).
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Celebrating 50 Years of Electro-Mech Scoreboards

Today, February 11, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of Electro-Mech Scoreboard Company. At least, it’s as close to the day as we can guess. In the “official archives” of the company — that is, in a cabinet in the president’s office — we have a copy of the minutes from the first stockholders’ meeting dated February 11, 1963. We’re not quite sure whether the manufacturing facility was already completed and scoreboards were being assembled at that point, or if production cranked up later. Somewhere lost in history is the record of where the first Electro-Mech scoreboard was shipped….

Electro-Mech began keeping electronic records of scoreboard sales in 1993. The first few years of those records are probably incomplete, but they tell us that we have shipped well over 35,000 scoreboards in the past twenty years. We believe that most of those scoreboards are in service today.
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Funniest Cheerleader Bloopers

Liquid Generation presents a funny and sometimes hilarious video on some of the best ‘worst’ cheerleader moves. While we may be in awe of the intensity of their training and gymnastics, things don’t always go the way that they are planned. Watch the falls, unplanned choreography, hits and near misses in this collection that is bound to make you laugh. Astoundingly, none of the ladies in the video were reported to have had any injuries, and this just goes to prove the resilience and tenacity that the maintain in their ongoing efforts, focus and life goals to be the best cheerleading teams possible. Continue reading “Funniest Cheerleader Bloopers”

Hockey: Tragedies, Broken Records, Lockouts: 2000 to the Present

A nicely narrated and presented video of some of the history of the NHL from the year 2000 to now. Some of the highest moments and most tragic in the world of hockey are shown in all of their glory. Little known facts that occurred in this fabulous sports that caused major changes in the NHL. The image of the NHL has stood up against criticism throughout time, and some of the information shared displays the data that caused the lockout. An incredible review of some of the ingenious and creative ventures of the out of work players during the lockout. Continue reading “Hockey: Tragedies, Broken Records, Lockouts: 2000 to the Present”

2012 NHL Lockout – Special Full Presentation

Presented by the TSN Hockey Insiders and reporters, this is a full length special that covers all of the aspects of the 2012 NHL lockout topic. The players and owners discuss the variables that cover the distance between the game and the business. The negotiations with the NHL and NHLPA CBA is often a confusing topic for the fans, and this video will assist in explaining the various positions, opinions, needs and requirements that can cause a lockout situation. Continue reading “2012 NHL Lockout – Special Full Presentation”

FAQ’s to Consider For Your Electronic Scoreboard

Electronic Scoreboards T-cartIf you are like most people undertaking the purchase of an electronic scoreboard, this was an assignment that you were given and you are accomplishing your due diligence by getting all of the information needed. Your homework may seem daunting, but, we have put an easy to use list together for you so that you can be assured that you will get the highest quality, best pricing and truly the electronic scoreboard that you and your team or school want.

Below is just a preliminary list of things to think about and consider as you move forward in getting your electronic scoreboard.
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Custom ID Panels and Sponsorship

Custom ID PanelsWhen considering your electronic scoreboard you will need to know the placement and size, the colors of your team or school and the method of connectivity. You have also decided whether you will have an indoor or outdoor scoreboard position or whether your interests will be with a portable scoreboard. These choices will be the major portion based on the location of your scoreboard and the type of games that will be held. All of the electronics will be matched with those decisions and will be some of the primary topics that start the conversation with our team of professional counselors.

Now you will want to think about the secondary level of considerations that you may not have been aware of:
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Cumming, Georgia to See Two New Electronic Scoreboards

Cumming, Georgia is the kind of smaller town that makes you catch your breathe. There is a grace and charm that can only be attributed to the south. This is an area where people smile, waive and look you in the eyes when they are talking. There is a sincere interest in folks you speak to and a genuineness that seems to be a rarity these days. There is a calm beauty as you stroll around the streets and the town itself is a fine blend of the love of life, country and nature.
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Game Plan for Sponsorship that will Pay for Your Scoreboard

If you are researching into the purchase of an electronic scoreboard for your school or team, you need to first realize that the days of fundraisers are over and we have entered the age of sponsorship. Yes, this means that you have an opportunity to plan, design and put together a method to get your electronic scoreboard paid for, 100%.

But first – you need a game plan. It isn’t overwhelming, it can be accomplished very easily with a small team of people. We are listing some of the areas that you will want to begin with. Once you start, you won’t believe the enthusiasm and creativity that will blossom from everyone in your group.
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Hidden Secret of Boston’s Old Green Monster Scoreboard

Old Green Monster ScoreboardEvery Boston Red Sox fan is familiar with the Green Monster. While you and I might think it is a hideous ugly version of what a scoreboard should be today, it is beloved by those in the area. It has become an icon for those that have attended games and one of the few things that fans and attendees felt offered a bit of stability in this constantly changing world. The old scoreboard was attributed for causing the loss of many a game due to its height and praised by locals for a win. Continue reading “Hidden Secret of Boston’s Old Green Monster Scoreboard”

Cloverdale Getting New Electronic Scoreboard

Cloverdale-High-School

Cloverdale High School has never been known for sitting around and waiting for things to happen. They are a small community in the heart of America’s Midwest and they live by the solid stability and convictions that has earned this part of the country so much respect. So when it came time to make some decisions on their athletic field and scoreboard, John Butler, Cloverdale Varsity Football Coach came front and center to begin the discussions. It became very apparent that the football team needed a new practice area as well as a goal post and therefore, Mr. Butler came prepared to talk to the school counsel with all of the information needed.
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Charleston, West Virginia: A Natural Resource and Home to Great Basketball

Charleston West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia is one of those little hidden secrets that we refer to as a ‘golden nugget’ of discovery. The most well-known individual from the area, Daniel Boone, was aware of the beauty and charm that Charleston brings to its residents. Home to many colleges and universities, there is an array of sports for fans to choose from, but there seems to be a major focus on the area’s love of basketball. The Charleston Civic Center hosts an array of games including local and national basketball teams and the basketball scoreboards are always lit with every team’s colors. The team spirit in sports is a basis for the philosophy of the town. Beyond just the industrial resources of salt and natural gas, this community brings a strength of character that reaches back into its history.
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Innovation Legacy

Electro-Mech brings you the world of electronic scoreboards with the expertise and knowledge of quality manufacturing since 1963. We focus on your needs and requirements, through the creation of our product, one scoreboard at a time. The Electro-Mech name is associated with unparalleled quality and our ability to address each sports need and customer. Each of our electronic scoreboards is fashioned from customer consultation and the experience in making sure our clients get the best purchase with the highest level of value.
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What Exactly is LED and Why is it Important?

LEDBy definition, an LED is actually a light emitting diode. This means that it is a small electronic semiconductor that actually converts energy from electricity into light of the visible spectrum. Colors, as well as power efficiency and brightness in an LED are determined by the actual chemical compound used inside the LED. If you look at a standard light bulb, you will see a small filament inside. This filament is the cause of high electrical use and when it goes bad, the light is useless. LED lights don’t have that filament, and therefore are longer lasting and take less electricity.
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How does the Electro-Mech Modem System Work?

The word modem is actually a shorted version of the original words: modular demodulator and was originally designed to send digital data (information) over a telephone line. During those days, the data was converted to analog, sent over the telephone line, then reconverted back to a digital format by hardware on the receiving end. For those that may remember the old/original computer modems as well as fax modems, they used a land-line phone line connection, with notoriously slow connection speeds Today’s wireless modems send digital data via radio signals.
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Should You Try to Make Your Own Hockey Electronic Scoreboard?

electronic-scoreboard

There are certain types of people that like to consider themselves do-it-yourselfers. My husband and I are in that category, taking on tasks that we know we can accomplish due to our vast amount of talent (or assumed talent). The question was posed as to whether someone with some basic electronic knowledge should undertake making their own hockey scoreboard. This may be a challenge that you want to re-think, before you start.
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Southern Pines Adds Electronic Scoreboard for Excellence in Horse Racing

Horse RacingIf you are an equestrian, then you have heard of Southern Pines in North Carolina. They take pride in excellence and have been an established multi-discipline premier equine competition venue. Each year they add something new and exciting and the addition of the electronic scoreboard added just the pizzazz that the fans were looking for.

The beauty of the 250 acres that is often called the ‘field of dreams’ in Hoke County, North Carolina. Surrounded by soft long needle pine trees and gently rolling hills, Southern Pines is home to a number of equestrian competitions and shows as well as dog shows, county festivals, Boy Scout meetings and cross country runs. In a nutshell, everyone loves Southern Pines, simply because it is so beautiful. The location itself is a preservation of everything that represents North Carolina, and the people of the area support the many activities through attendance and sponsorship.
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Scoreboards at Philadelphia’s Shiba Park – Making Baseball History

Shibe Park opened in 1909 and was the perfect example of the kind of baseball parks that represented that era. Major League baseball in the early twentieth century had set precedence for the kind of parks that were being designed. The reinforced concrete, large bleacher areas and underground garage was accented with a domed tower. Shibe Park was not only a place to go, but over the years was an icon of Philadelphia. The fans, the summer, the park and the scoreboards reflected the times as they were at that moment.
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Newest Technologies for Today’s Electronic Scoreboards

electronic-scoreboard

Every time you attend a sporting event, whether large or small, the electronic scoreboard becomes the main focus on getting updates for the game. In the past, you would only see these kinds of technologies at the big games. The reason for that, of course, was cost. But that is all changing. Now, even the local junior high or high school can have the ability to have a sharp, clear and colorful electronic scoreboard for their sporting events.

As with any technology, the longer it remains on the market, the lower the cost becomes. The same thing is true with electronic scoreboards. The LED technologies are replacing the old bulbs and many of the recreational facilities, large and small, are switching out their old boards for the new ones. The latest trends also include some of the features that we have almost come to depend upon. Wireless is a hot requirement, along with smaller control panels for the people in charge of the updates.
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Clemens Field Gets New Electronic Scoreboard

electronic-scoreboard

Hannibal, Missouri is famous for being the hometown of Mark Twain. From the moment you step into Hannibal, you realize it is a piece of Americana that will remain embedded in your memory forever. Baseball is an important element for the residents and so it was a very big deal when their beloved Clemens Field got a new electronic scoreboard.

Clemens Field is named after Samuel Clemens, which was Mark Twain’s real name. For years it has had the old style manual scoreboard that supported the fans that attended the Hannibal Cavemen games. Someone actually had to sit there and manually change the numbers, in the hot sun. The new electronic scoreboard is twenty seven feet long and the attendees will now be able to see the actual names of the teams, instead of the old ‘home and visitor’ that was viewed on the old board. The new addition for the fans will also display the important aspects of the game, such as each team’s number of balls, strikes and the number of outs. Every baseball fan knows that this is the crucial info at every game. The old board was small and the information difficult to see with the light bulb lights. The team and fans will now have no trouble seeing everything on the scoreboard, thanks to the LED lighting and the large lettering and number sizes.
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Golden City Park to Receive Donation of New Electronic Scoreboard

electronic-scoreboard

Ghana, West Africa might be known for their production of cocoa, but they are also renowned for their excellence in football (soccer in the U.S.). Most recently, the Golden City Park was honored to receive a donation of a well needed electronic scoreboard. This donation lit up the field and the faces of their passionate fans.

Ghana is part of the area known as the Gold Coast, a well known area of Africa. The location was originally named for the Empire of Ghana, which reflected back into the ancient past and once encompassed much of West Africa. Ghana takes great pride in being a member of a number of international and national organizations. These include everything from The United Nations, to the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, and other well renowned organizations as the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union.
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Venice Florida Middle School Boasts Electronic Scoreboard

Venice Florida is a working class town, nestled in what is often called ‘the pretty side of the state’. Located on the Gulf Coast, about an hour south of Tampa, Florida, Venice is a small town with a lot of spirit. When the Venice Florida Middle School decided to add an electronic scoreboard, it was quite a big deal in the area.

A trip to Venice Florida is something that many people actually do for their vacation. Some of the loveliest beaches in the country are in Sarasota County and the area is renowned for the beaches that are filled with shark’s teeth. Unlike some other areas of the country, it’s quite easy to find a parking spot near the beach for your outing, barbecue or to just lay a towel down in a large expanse and take in the beauty of the area. Like other smaller towns, Venice attempts to keep the kids occupied with educational, artistic and sports related focus. The parents, teachers and booster clubs of Venice Middle School know and understand that the age of their kids is the beginning of keeping them on the right path, and sports is often the one event that can bond everyone together. It’s not uncommon to see a two parent working household take the time off from their day to attend the sports games of the kids. Teachers and staff at Venice Middle School are also major participants in supporting the kids. This is a town where everyone tries to make the time because they know their kids are the priority.
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Thomas Johnson High School Offers Electronic Scoreboard Sponsorship

Planning the addition to any school program can often be a daunting task. Tax payers don’t want to be burdened and yet schools want the best they can get. When the Thomas High School Patriots Boosters in Maryland decided to get an electronic scoreboard, they did an imaginative outreach to help pay for it.

The Thomas Johnson High School has a wonderful history for education, the arts and music. They are one of the National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, with around ninety percent of their graduates continuing on to higher education. The lineup of awards for both the arts, music and sports, is quite impressive. The community supports their local teams and the sports events encompass a variety: tennis, swimming, volleyball, basketball, baseball, cross country, football, gymnastics and soccer. The teams themselves have proven a level of incredible excellence and this can be seen by the number of attendees to every type of game. Continue reading “Thomas Johnson High School Offers Electronic Scoreboard Sponsorship”

Athletic Business Conference: Trade Show for Electronic Scoreboards

There are trade shows for everything and this includes electronic scoreboards. If you are thinking about a new scoreboard or shopping around, you might want to consider attending one of the tradeshows so that you can see and touch the scoreboards and talk to the vendors. Attending a tradeshow will also give you some additional options that you may not have thought of, such as conferences and presentations from industry experts.

The Athletic Business Conference & Expo is one of the better electronic scoreboard shows. As with most trade shows you can register for just the trade show itself (usually a free one day pass) or go ahead and attend the entire exposition. The benefits of the exposition itself is attendance of the speakers. These are often experts on a number of levels that include marketing, branding, types of scoreboards, etc. The best part is that they are usually supposed to offer information that is knowledge based without the prejudice of suggesting a particular company or product.
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Blackwood Football Club Adds Wow Factor with New (Soccer) Electronic Scoreboard

Blackwood Football Club

The Blackwood Football Club in Australia has a long history of some of the best football (soccer) games in the country. Always on the cutting edge, they added to that reputation when they installed the very first electronic scoreboard in their League. The scoreboard is an incredible feat of accomplishment, as it just isn’t any scoreboard, but one that offers the highest technologies with the flashiest videos and sponsor ads.

While the first unofficial soccer games in the area were recorded around 1912, the Blackwood Football Club gained its name around the 1930’s. The original team was actually a group of guys from the local railway company. It was their incredible team spirit on the job that cascaded over into a number of outstanding games. Overcoming a variety of challenges, including wartime, the group formed and reformed and eventually became the Blackwood Football Club.
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Electronic Scoreboard Pizzazz at Sarasota Florida Middle School

Sarasota Florida is well known around the country as having one of the most beautiful beaches. The sand at Siesta Key is as fine as baby powder and doesn’t retain the heat. The area is also known to attract tourists and the usual compliment of winter snow birds. The families that live in Sarasota are incredibly supportive of their school activities, and it came as no surprise when a new electronic scoreboard was added to Sarasota Middle School.

Much of the notoriety of the Sarasota Florida area has historically been placed on its location. Some of the loveliest areas in the country for sun and fun, with the local sports focus on the high schools. Sarasota Middle School, like many middle schools in the country, used to come in second to the dollars that were devoted to fund the sports for the upper schools. But this story is changing. The cost of such items as electronic scoreboards, combined with the professional management of the manufacturers now offer the lower and middle schools the opportunity to have the same kind of visual and audio presentations as the scoreboards in the upper schools.
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Naval Academy Athletics has a Marketing Win with Sponsors for Sports Events

It seems that the Naval Academy Athletics has jumped on the bandwagon for enlisting sponsors through the use of their well known name and a winning marketing concept. Anyone that is an attendee at the “Navy” games will have the ability to view corporate sponsorship on a high tech and top notch level. This is a smart move on the part of the executives and the fans love it.

Smart marketing attitude can be a win for a sponsor and there are a number of levels to appeal to the loyal fans of the games. There are local, national as well as international offerings that blend a sponsor with the Navy name. These levels are professional and customized for each sponsor; completely based on their vision and goals for results. Sponsorship as well as corporate partner can bring the branding to a different level with combinations of signage, electronics, high tech, video and electronic scoreboard views.
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Dallas Cowboys Use Scoreboards to Increase Competitive Edge

Dallas CowboysA top rate team like the Dallas Cowboys is well aware of the fact that they need to maintain their name, legacy and placement in football. They are also aware of the fact that when you are on the top you either stay their or, the only other way is down. These are two of the reasons that their practices now include scoreboards as a method to keep them strong.

Jason Garrett decided to give the Cowboys a visual aid for the players during training camp in Valley Ranch. His attitude is that the two scoreboards will offer the players the intellectual IQ of the performance. This may be the same psychology as a ballet dancer performing in front of a mirror or actors previewing their craft on video. The players can get an up to the minute idea of how they are doing as an individual and a team.
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Houston Astros Scoreboard: High Tech Info or Hideous?

Houston is a proud town and while the Astros don’t always win, they are proud of their team. You can often hear people having heated water-cooler discussions about the games at Minute Maid Park or the latest concert they attended. The venue is big enough, but not too big and almost everyone in town has been to the park to attend one kind of event or another. But the water-cooler talk has taken a rather nasty turn. It seems that a new electronic scoreboard has gone up at Minute Maid Park and opinions are passionate as to exactly what it is and why it’s there.
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High Tech Coverage by BBC for Olympics in London

We are now in an age of real time digital viewing and there will be no place like the 2012 Olympic Games in London to see these technologies in action. The BBC has pulled out all of the stoppers to ensure that their viewers around the world see every moment of every athletic event. The Olympic Games are planned to be one of the most covered games in its history.

Unlike games of the past, we are now in a total social media and real-time technology world and the BBC has everything under control. They will be broadcasting around 2,500 sporting action hours. That is over 1,000 hours more than was accomplished at the Beijing Olympic Games. The BBC broadcast bands include BBC One, Three, One HD, BBC HD, mobile phones, tablets and web connected TV’s as well as the BBC Red Button and streaming online. This is all in addition to the two regular television stations that will be presenting the games in the usual format, with close to twenty four online streams.
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Jordan Hare Stadium Attendance Puts Auburn on the Map!

Jordan Hare StadiumAuburn, Alabama boasts an incredible support of their favorite sport, football.   The Jordan Hare Stadium exemplifies the area’s team spirit at each game, with crowds that top of the charts.  As the fifth largest stadium in the U.S., the 85,214 seating capacity, the attendance record was set for the stadium in 1989 at 85,319. Those that were there will remember when Auburn won against Alabama, which was at that time undefeated, untied and ranked second in the U.S… That was the day that Auburn was officially on the map.
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Our First Lady is Getting Kids Involved in Sports

Michelle Obama has a goal to get more of America’s kids involved in sports. Our First Lady is well aware of the nation’s propensity for overweight children and is avidly interested in getting them away from the screens and outside on the fields. Mrs. Obama is serious about this, as she is now partnered with The Partnership for a Healthier America and the U.S. Olympic Committee to start changing the behaviors of America’s kids. She announced the new “Let’s Move!” program at a meeting with athletes from the two dozen Olympic and Paralympic groups.
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The Mall in London Given the Red Carpet Treatment for the Olympics

Whether you have ever been to London, or not, you have probably seen The Mall on television in some of the major sporting events and formal ceremonies in England. This icon of London is planning an incredible red carpet treatment for the athletes of the 2012 Olympic Games, and it seems it is right up their alley for excellence in presentation and awe. The red coloring of the surface has a visual effect of a huge red carpet, which offers a wonderful appeal for those Marathon and Race Walk athletes as well as the Paralympic and Road Cycling athletes of the games.  It is anticipated that almost eighty athletes will participate in each race.
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Using Electronic Scoreboards and Twitter for the 1 Year to go London Olympics

London Olympix

Over a year ago, a group in London decided to begin preparation for the 2012 Olympics in the most high tech way imaginable. The plan was to use a combination of Twitter and the sports scoreboards in the campaign entitled: #1yeartogo. The hash mark used in their tweets created a new concept called competitive tweeting.

While one may feel that it is hardly necessary to try to raise awareness about the Olympic Games, apparently one group felt differently. They enlisted users on Twitter from around 153 countries to post what turned out to be tweets that totaled to around 165,000 onto their Digital Olympic Stadium. Each user that was added moved their team up on the statistics for the scoreboard; with the top twenty countries displayed on the scoreboard. They included a link to the page so that all people that might be following their individual tweets could also go to the widget and add their supporting vote. By July, 2011, this electronic support for the Olympics became so popular it was listed on the trending topics as number one for a global situation.
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Jacksonville, Florida: Sports, Technology, Education

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville Florida has a history steeped in a multi-cultural heritage of Native American, French, Spanish and British influences. Inhabited by Native American tribes for thousands of years, this city is the largest land mass area in the State of Florida. Home to the annual College Football rivalry game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs, Jacksonville has evolved into a city with incredibly diverse offerings of old world and high tech. The football scoreboards at the Gator Bowl display just the first level of fan devotion. The area has also been dubbed as the biggest outdoor cocktail party and is something to behold.
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Tampa, Florida: Football Underdogs

Tampa,-Florida

Tampa, Florida is home to some of the best sports teams and also part of the lightning capital of the nation. Whether you are fan of the Buccaneers, Lightning or Rays, the stadiums are packed for every game. A a football underdog team, Tampa Bay has shocked the country with an incredible array of talent. Football scoreboards are top of the line and are followed avidly by each loyal fan. The subtropical climate, combined with the beauty of the gulf coast oceans makes the Tampa area one of the most coveted areas of the country to live. Tampa experiences a rich cultural diversity and an even more unsettling past.
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Columbus, Georgia: History and Baseball

Columbus,-Georgia

Columbus is a city that has gone from its early roots to a town with an incredible array of talent in business and sports. Over the years, the first interests started out as baseball, with games among the local citizens. Later, the business areas increased and the sports stadiums and fields advanced as well. From a field game of baseball with the baseball scoreboards alight, to a stadium packed with fans, this is a warm and welcoming American town.

Columbus. Georgia was founded in the early 1800’s and was based on its demographic location as the last usable road area before leaving the state. While it was named after famed explorer Christopher Columbus, the founders accomplished something quite unusual for the time with an actual city plan. The Chattahoochee River was the pipeline for everything outside of the area and the original town was to be located where the current city of Phenix City, Alabama currently stands. There was only one major hurtle that they had to overcome and this was the Native American Creek Indians.
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Columbia, South Carolina: A Rich Tradition of Southern Charm and Basketball

Columbia,-South-Carolina

Columbia is the capital of South Carolina, and located at the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. There is an incredible list of colleges, universities and private schools in Columbia offering the highest level of education as well as an intense love of their sports teams. The area supports their teams with the multitude of stadiums. Basketball scoreboards are lit with the team colors and any visitor will soon join in with the excitement. If you see Columbia today, it’s hard to believe that it started out with many hurtles to overcome as a city.
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Winston-Salem, North Carolina: An Area With Many Names and Sports

Winston-Salem

The area we now call Winston-Salem in North Carolina is known as the City of the Arts and is just one of the many names that refers to this lovely part of the country. Known as a center of industrial progress, furniture and tobacco, the people of this area are incredible innovators. It might not surprise you to know that they are also avid sports fans, taking pride in their teams and fields. At any time you can check online to attend a basketball, baseball, football, or hockey game. They have a special place in their hearts for their baseball, with baseball scoreboards lit with the colors of their team.
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Nashville, TN: A metropolitan city with its heart in country music and football

Nashville,-TN

If you have never had the opportunity to visit Nashville, Tennessee, you may have some rather incorrect perceptions of what the city really is. Most people may be aware of the fact that Nashville is the heart of country music, but they may also be surprised at the fact that it is a thriving, cultural center and so many facets that you didn’t expect. Nashville is also home to an incredible group of sports fans. From the professional teams to their college sports, the favorite is LP Field, home of professional and college football and their beloved Tennessee Titans. The football scoreboards are a favorite focal point at every game and fans attend in record numbers.
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Charleston, South Carolina: A City of Many Acclaims and A Love of Soccer

Charleston,South CarolinaCharleston South, Carolina has been heralded as the best mannered, most polite, sexiest and most friendly city in the United States. Charleston has indeed earned these awards, which is a high honor tribute to the people, considering all that they have been through. Today’s Charleston is a diverse metropolis, offering history, the arts and their incredible hospitality. A variety of sports games are popular in Charleston and they are home to many stadiums and fields for soccer, baseball, football, rugby, basketball and volleyball. Soccer scoreboards are always lit with the results of the highly attended games at Arena City Soccer.
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Raleigh, North Carolina: The Capital of Baseball and Hockey

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is one of the few U.S. cities that were actually built with plans for it to be a state capital. What few people know is that the location was chosen because it was only eleven miles from the most popular tavern that was popular with the legislators of the state. The Raleigh of today represents the many years of planning and devotion to create a city that proudly displays its history along side with some of the top industries in the nation. Raleigh is also home to some of the hottest hockey games in any of the sourthern states. The PNC Arena hosts record attendance with the hockey scoreboards vibrating with the electricity of the games and the Center-Finley Stadium has some of the best baseball games that you will ever see.
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Chattanooga, Tennessee: A Land Loved By Its People

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is a city of many variations. A touch of Americana, blended with many trials that they had to overcome. The people of the area have a love of country, state and baseball. Some of the most highly attended games in the year leave the town almost empty. Everyone is watching the team on the field with their eyes focused on the baseball scoreboards.

Chattanooga was originally inhabited by the Cherokee Native American tribe. The location near the river offered easy transportation between villages and the people thrived there for hundreds of years. This was also noted by the European settlers that decided to move in, and, over the years, the takeover resulted in the infamous Trail of Tears for the relocation of the Cherokee.
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Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Simply the Best

Tuscaloosa,-Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the crowning glory for the state. Known as a center of education and the arts, it reflects everything good about the gracious south. They are the City of Champions with their famed football team with football scoreboards lit with excitement. University of Alabama shares their stadium for football games, with some of the best attendance for any collegiate games.
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Athens, Georgia: A University Town of Culture, Basketball and Football

Athens, Georgia

Athens Georgia is considered to be one of the few cities in the country that was founded on the concept of education. A visit to Athens shows you that it is so much more than learning. The area is vibrant with art, culture, music and an incredible array of things to do. One of the prized accomplishments is the intense pride that the people of Athens feel for their local college teams. Attendance at any game is intense. Whether a small field or large stadium, basketball and football scoreboards and winning is an essential part of life in Athens.
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Richmond, Virginia: A City of Stoic Strength

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond Virginia is one the nation’s centers for everything historic. The close proximity to the nation’s capital and the participation of so many important historic moments has given the city the ability to be successful in industry and tourism. The Richmond Coliseum plays host to football, baseball and soccer games that are some of the best in the country. It depends on who you are talking to as to which sport is the favorite. Some favor attending the football games while others prefer baseball, with the baseball scoreboards lit with the team colors.

Colonists from English originally arrived in the Richmond area in the early 1600’s. The slow growth was due to the Native Americans inhabiting the area and led to the final founding of the town in 1737. By the late 1700’s, Richmond was embroiled in much of the politics of the day and based its success on agriculture and the slave trade.
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Mobile, Alabama: A City with Multiple Cultures and Sports

Mobile, Alabama

The people of Mobile take great pride in their rich heritage and the fact that they are currently considered one of the rich cultural centers of the country. From the early beginnings of French. Spanish and British colonization through their battle to overcome the natural disasters of hurricanes and floods, Mobile has made use of their unique strengths to continue down a path of success. The sense of pride of community is exemplified in every area of their town and their love of their sports teams has kept the spirit alive. Football is the main sport of the area, but it is followed closely with fans of baseball, basketball and golf.
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Knoxville, Tennessee: The City That Was Almost Missed

Knoxville, Tennessee

The Knoxville area has had many struggles throughout its history. From the start, it seemed to be a quietly beautiful area tucked away near the Tennessee River. It has survived conflicts and wars as well as bad economic times and has remained a pride of the people of Tennessee. With all that Knoxville has been through, they remain known for the University of Tennessee’s Volunteers Athletic Program. The Vols, as they are called, are the top football team of popularity. Every game is a sell out and all eyes are on that football scoreboard.
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Savannah, Georgia: A Graceful City That Has Overcome All Odds

Savannah, Georgia

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.
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Bowling Green, Kentucky: Location, Basketball and Baseball

Bowling Green, Kentucky

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.
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Orlando, Florida: The Center of Everything Fun In The World

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?
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Charlotte, North Carolina: The Queen City of Basketball and Football Fame

Charlotte, North Carolina

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.
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Montgomery, Alabama: Pride in their City, Football and Baseball

Montgomery, Alabama

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.
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Greensboro, North Carolina: From Controversy to Progress

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.
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Sports Scoreboards: Continuing the Adventure

Stadium DesignWhile 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.
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Disney Uses Electronic Scoreboards to Rate the Speed of the Staff

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.
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The Incredible Art of Scoreboards and Lighting

Scoreboards LED LightingWhen 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.
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Sports Digital Networks: Going beyond the scoreboard

Sports Digital Networks

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.
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Combining Electronic Scoreboards with Webcasting

Live WebcastsThe 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.
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Branding your sports event for the unique look you want

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.
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Stadium Advertising in the UK Brings Better Attendance

Stadium Advertising IncreasesThere doesn’t seem to be the controversy these days over stadium advertising. For most of us, it is not only to be expected but is now part of the game or show experience. Over the last year, there has been a study in the United Kingdom comparing the attendance levels of the games. The results has been surprising and of great advantage for fans, teams and sponsors.

The SPL Audience Report is an in-depth report that is part of the IFM Sports Marketing Surveys. This report was designed to offer backup proof with return on investment data. Examination involved the third quarter of the 2010 through 2011 season, and a variety of marketing areas were examined to show what types and at what levels stadium advertising increases attendance.
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Fiber Optics Video: The total electronic scoreboard experience

Fiber Optics VideoFor most people, they take fiber optics for granted. In today’s electronic video world, fiber optics have become the norm. While it was slow to take off, it has become the mainstay for all video. This is paramount in the sports stadiums where every dollar invested has to have a high ROI (return on investment). Fan expectations are at their highest level, with electronic scoreboards at front and center of the show or game experience. The advent of video into the arena has made fiber optics a must have for quality, clarity, resolution and, in the long run, fun.
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How South Africa gave the world ten new stadium looks for the 2010 FIFA Cup

South Africa new stadium looksPreparing for the 2010 FIFA Cup in South Africa was a monumental undertaking. While we viewed the elaborate stadiums and the phenomenal electronic scoreboards, we didn’t have a clue at the incredible amount of work that went into these gala events.

If you were lucky enough to attend the 2010 FIFA Cup games, you were probably overwhelmed with the absolutely incredible stadiums. No where else in the world was imagination, architecture, art and local culture combined in such a way for stadiums.
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Combining old fashioned with new and modern at the National Sports Center

Having a broken or poorly located scoreboard can often be worse than no scoreboard at all. No one knows this better than the National Sports Center in Minnesota. The broken scoreboard was an official hall of shame and someone
decided to do something about it!

The National Sports Center had a broken scoreboard sitting on the ground and peeking out above a fence for a number of years. The temporary portable scoreboard that they bought actually caused more problems because anything could and often blocked it. The little portable was the brunt of many of the Thunder fans jokes and overhead announcements were often made requesting fans as well as the occasional golf cart to be moved so that people could see the scores.
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Weird, odd and slightly strange sports information

Weird, odd and slightly strange sports information

We cruise along in life with an expectation that some things will go right and inevitably, some things will go wrong. The challenges we face are the continuing efforts to fix, correct or make-right those areas that go awry. This rule of thumb remains the same, no matter what topic we address. There are, however, some things that someone made a decision on at one point or another that simply don’t make sense. Here are four rather odd sports situations (or decisions) that went down rather strange paths.

The never ending search to sell to the sports enthusiast was apparently a topic for the decision makers at VISA. They came up with what they thought was a brilliant idea of an incentive card that would feature a picture of the sports scoreboard of your choice. Apparently this little gem is a perfect gift (available in a variety of denominations) for the sports loved on in you life.
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Today’s Electronic Scoreboard. Streaming video for virtual attendance

Today's Electronic Scoreboard. Streaming video for virtual attendanceThe demand for high tech in today’s sports venues is becoming a main focus for stadium managers. Attendance and following these days is based on what you can offer in the way of visual, audio, virtual and marketing. In the past, these were configured as individual tools, married together with a staff and a lot of preplanning. However, with the new generations of software that work with the video scoreboards, a stadium can have the high tech offerings with real-time live changes; all controlled by a single staff member.

Carver Arena in Peoria Illinois can seat around 12,000 people for their basketball and hockey games. Competition is fierce and to keep up with the demanding times, they made the decision to add to their existing scoreboard system with a complete SDI video and software that offers real time replays. It used to require a three to four people to integrate any of the feeds within the scoreboard presentations. Now, with new software, they have a single screen with touch screen apps that allow a technician to flip between scoreboard view and replays. The system also houses their own library for live-cam views, commercials, institutional presentations and promotions. All of this is easily controlled with a single touch app to switch from one to another. It also reduces the need for multiple servers, down to a single server.
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The mystery of the ball on Miller Park scoreboard

There is an ongoing debate regarding the scoreboard at Miller Park. The topic of the discussion is all about whether the ball that appeared on the scoreboard was hit and stuck or deliberately placed there.

It seems the time in question also surrounds Matt Kemp, famed hitter of the Los Angeles Dodgers. During a game, Kemp made a hit from a ball thrown by Dave Bush that scored a homerun. The estimating of the ball distance was around 447 feet. While that alone should have caught everyone’s attention, the real star of the show was the fact that the placement of the ball was near the stadium scoreboard and, it seems there was a ball stuck in position, on the board, right under the number six. Kemps ball hit the scoreboard but even it didn’t stay on the board.
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Top Five Oddest Sports in the world

In the past, television air time was considered to be quite valuable. However,
I suppose in this age of reality television and absolutely mundane and literally yawn-provoking television shows, this adage is no longer true. There are more channels than a single person could ever keep track of and oddly, there is less being shown that offers any quality. We know that the media moguls are aware of quality because year after year some of the most creative shows win awards. However, there is still a population that is enthralled with the totally useless view, which often includes watching someone else’s totally bland life.

Sports channels seem to abound on television. I probably have fifteen sports channels, displaying all kinds of games; most of which we ignore. However, a news clip came to my attention and, since it was so obscure, it drew me completely in. There are a number of areas of the U.S. as well as around the world that seem to revel in odd or weird sports games. In some cases these are just played for the sheer silliness, but in some cases, they are completely serious. I am sure that many reading this can add to this number, but I have limited it to just the top five oddest sports.
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Disney introduces electronic scoreboard in Sports Central

I lived so close to Disneyland in Anaheim California that we would see and hear the fireworks every night. We spent a number of years watching the technology evolve as new shows came on board. Disney became known as one of the top innovators in technology, and this was never more obvious than our move to Florida where DisneyWorld became the artist’s pallet for the latest in high tech. When Disney built their now famous ‘Boardwalk’ – we didn’t know what we were in for. Their thirteen thousand square foot facility for sports had an added benefit with real time scoreboards.

The first time I ever saw the famous Disney ‘Boardwalk’ it wasn’t totally completed. Even then, you could walk along and see the restaurants, stores and condo-style living areas. For sports enthusiasts, they have added the ESPN Club, consisting of three areas: “Sports Central, The Sidelines, and The Yard”. The enclave includes an interactive media center, television and radio broadcasts. “Sports Central” which goes over-the-top for all of the fans. There are around ninety television monitors so that no matter where you go, you will be kept up-to-the-minute on the action. (Even, in the bathrooms). Real time feeds and live presentations cover every sports topic including billiards and golf. Fans can participate in meeting and interviews with well-known sports figures in a radio booth or even at the sports desk itself. The huge high tech scoreboard maintains an up to the minute list of the major game of the day. The entire area has a design around the basketball game look, including the real hardwood floors.
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How A School District Plans to Use Advertising to Pay Their Way

KATY Independent School District (ISD) is in Katy, Texas; near Houston. In January, 2011 the school board trustees met to brainstorm how they were going to achieve a revenue increase for the year. The meeting was prompted due to a major cost cutting reduction by the State of Texas, placing most schools in a serious condition.

Not to sit on their laurels, this group met with their special event general manager as well as the marketing team and everyone came to the table with a piece of the plan. The culmination of this high level meeting came up with a three-plan project; all of which would involve advertising.

While the goal is to use advertising, it is not for advertising sake alone. Their main mission is coordinating corporate, regional and local sponsorships that are more akin to a long lasting partnership with the school and community. At the top of their list is the focus to maintain a quality of excellence and respect.
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Electronic Scoreboard Co-Op Advertising: Don’t leave money on the table

Co-Op advertising is probably the most powerful marketing tool and yet the least understood. Most people don’t even know that there are millions of co-op advertising dollars available and they go unused each year. This is leaving money on the table that could help your school. Taking advantage of co-op advertising in conjunction with your electronic scoreboard may be one of the best decisions you will make.

Co-Op (co-operative) advertising is basically a method for a manufacturer to have their brand on a retailers advertising. The manufacturer then reimburses the retailer, based on the percentage of exposure and the individual manufacturer co-op policy. As an example, it you have a 5’x5’ screen on your electronic scoreboard for an ad or video, and the manufacturers logo takes up one fourth of the display, the manufacturer will reimburse the retailer for 25% of the cost of the ad itself.
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Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School Dedicates Scoreboard to Beloved Coach and Teacher

The teachers and coaches in our lives make an indelible impression on the students. They are a close-knit part of our community and lives. When one is lost, it is a heartbreaking event for everyone in the town. The community of Freehold New Jersey felt an incredible blow with the sudden loss of Richard Hartman, a teacher, coach and mentor.

There is always a time of grieving during a loss. Emotions typically run the gamut. Getting through the loss and turning it into a positive direction is part of the human experience. The staff, alumni, students and families of Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School made the decision to do just that. They came together as a single unit to ensure that the devotion and love that Hartman shared with his school and town would not be forgotten. The memorial would be created with a new school scoreboard.
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Creative Sponsor Ideas for your electronic scoreboard

Creative Sponsor Ideas The investment into a high tech electronic scoreboard opens up many opportunities for your school. Today’s scoreboards offer an incredible array of displays, including easily changed logos, static and alternating screen shots and streaming video. Connecting to the internet can push your sponsorship to websites and social media pages, so anything that you place on your electronic scoreboard can go viral.

Historically, the typical sponsorship of an electronic keyboard has been via local businesses. Teams of volunteers hit the streets and convince a local business to invest their advertising dollars for a logo or catch line phrase. Since every company has a set budget, you might want to think about varying ‘levels’ of sponsorship. Logo placement with slogan, logo and slogan on school programs and flyers, video, video with feed to website and social media pages. Each level would be associated with an incremental pricing increase. You will want to be prepared with the potential number of anticipated ‘hits’ on the website that the sponsor may receive. You can sign your website up with the google analytics to gauge what readership the site has before, during and after a game.
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Breaking Boundaries and Baseball Records: Jackie Robinson, simply the best

Breaking Boundaries and Baseball Records: Jackie Robinson, simply the best

If you turn on any sports event or attend any game today, it is hard to believe that African Americans were once banned from most American sports. While they did have their own ‘black teams’, they were not included in the semi pro, pro and national teams. Jackie Robinson, one of the greatest baseball players ever, was the first to break these bonds of segregation and opened the doors for the talent of thousands of African Americans everywhere.

Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 to a very poor single mother. His older brother had come in just behind Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games with a silver medal and inspired Jackie to go for his dreams. Jackie showed excellence is a variety of sports, including football. He attended University of California in Los Angeles and became the first attendee to cover four different sports and gain all varsity letters.
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Picabo Street: Shining waters in the world of skiing

Picabo Street has been listed as the eighth talent in the world for downhill skiing. Overcoming incredible odds, she trained with the U.S. ski team at an incredibly young age and later became the first American woman in history to achieve the silver medal in the skiing downhill competition.

It has to be admitted that Picabo had an advantage. She was born near a well known ski resort near Sun Valley, Idaho. Just having these resources available, was not only an edge, but an enticement. She really didn’t have a true name for the first few years of her life. Her family called her ‘Baby Girl’ until she was named Picabo. It is actually pronounced ‘peek-a-boo’, and is the Native American name of town close by. Simply translated, it means silver creek or shining waters.
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Which electronic scoreboard is best for your school?

There is an ocean of electronic scoreboard companies out there, all proclaiming that their products are the best. If you have been given the assignment of getting your school a new scoreboard, you know the right decision can make you a hero and the wrong one can drive you out of town. Here are a few things to consider when narrowing down the field to the right scoreboard for your school.

Doing your homework on the scoreboard manufacturer is the first thing to look at. A good manufacturer should have a record of longevity. They should also offer versatility in sports venues and have a consulting group that works with you. Some may offer a no frills, lesser cost choice, but if something goes wrong, you are on your own. A reliable and well established electronic scoreboard manufacturer will work with you as you make your choice.
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Rafer Johnson: All around sports star and humanitarian

There are few athletes that have experienced intense injuries and yet gone on to an Olympic win. Rafer Johnson is one such star. Overcoming an incredible array of odds that would have removed anyone from continuing in sports, Rafer became one of the best athletes in America.

Born in 1935, Johnson and his family moved a lot, so that his father and mother could earn a living to support their family. From Texas to California, the Johnsons shared the kind of poor existence that many families experienced during those hard economic times. Rafer demonstrated at an early age that he was not only a good athlete but an excellent student. As he got older, Johnson balanced his studies with after school, weekend and summer vacations work, helping his family.

While still quite young, Rafer had a horrible accident. While playing near a plant for food packing, he got his left foot caught in a conveyor belt. The sole of his foot was pulled, eventually infection set in and it required a long period of healing. The pain of this injury would be with Johnson the rest of his life, but, he never let it get him down. It would always be the lead foot that he started out his races with.
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Meadowdale High School honors Ashley Aven with new scoreboard

In 2010, the community of Lynnwood Washington and the Meadowdale High School were devastated to learn that one of their students had succumbed to the cancer she had fought so long. In times of crisis, people will band together to try to make sense of something so tragic. They decided to honor Ashley and her fight with a new school scoreboard.

Ashley Aven was on the softball team at Meadowdale High School. She played the game she loved and was a normal teenager. With very few symptoms, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia which is an aggressive and rare disease. Ashley was a fighter, spending almost six months in Children’s Hospital undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for bone marrow transplant. The cancer was more resilient but Ashley vowed that “the cancer doesn’t have me”. The physicians had given her only two months, but she continued to live into nine months. The softball community of Lynnwood became a supporting factor for Ashley and her family, holding fundraisers for the expenses. Jay Buhner, former Mariner player, became one of Ashley’s friends and made arrangements for her to throw the coveted first pitch at one of the Mariner games.
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Manon Rheaume: Achieving her dream in hockey

Manon Rhueme: Achieving her dream in hockey

Manon Rheaume set the standards for women in hockey, breaking many preset boundaries for the sport. As a goaltender, she played in the professional minor leagues on seven teams leading her to play on the Canadian Women’s national hockey team that propelled them to win medals in the Women’s World Championship and Winter Olympics.

Rheaume was an unassuming lady from Lac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada. But hockey was in her blood at an early age. At the age of 3, she donned her first pair of hockey skates and began dreaming of playing on a real team. Her younger brother also played hockey and Manon would volunteer in the goalie net as practice for him. As she got older, it didn’t matter how talented she was. Getting involved in any of the games was rough, simply because she was a girl.

The tenacity that Rheaume demonstrated paid off. In a 1991-1992 season, Rheaume broke all preconceived ideas about women in hockey when she played in a Junior A men’s hockey game. Her talent was apparent and she set new standards of perception when it came to the role women could play in hockey.
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Marketing and your electronic scoreboard

So you have purchased your new electronic scoreboard. The teams are ecstatic, the school is proud and the fans are looking forward to seeing your new board. If you are going to take full advantage of the benefits and potential added revenue of the scoreboard, you must now dig your head into the concept of marketing.

Marketing is a unique talent. It’s a combination of knowledge, experience and knowing what works. Your electronic scoreboard can be an incredible resource, but you have to use it wisely. If you don’t have the budget to hire a marketing company, then you will be faced with starting the project yourself.

There is a wealth of information on the internet, but you probably don’t have the time to plow through all of the articles and newsfeeds to get yourself up-to-speed on this topic. You may, however, be able to locate a few companies that specialize in marketing for your particular venue and, for a simple fee, get the highlighted tips on the protocols. This will mean you still have to do the footwork, but you will be on the right path.
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Serena Williams: The lady that brought pizzazz to tennis

Serena Williams: The lady that brought pizzazz to tennisThe world of tennis has traditionally been more of a western sport, led by mostly those that followed protocol and propriety. While there have been exceptions to this rule, they were few and far between. Serena Williams, on the other hand slammed onto the court with a sense of style like no other and a personality that made everyone smile. As an African American woman, she changed the face of tennis and at the same time, elevated it to a sport that now had that ‘wow’ factor.

Serena’s parents moved their entire family to a suburb area of Los Angeles when she was very young. Her father was a tennis fan and envisioned his daughters to be tennis champions. He surrounded his five daughters with video tapes and books and even began teaching his wife and himself how to play, so that he could instruct his girls. Serena and Venus Williams demonstrated the most talent and Richard Williams had Serena entered into a competition when she was only four and a half years old. In the following five years she was entered into forty nine competitions, winning forty six of them.
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Amherst Regional High Schools scoreboard in honor of Victor Keedy, beloved coach

Amherst Regional High Schools scoreboard in honor of Victor Keedy, beloved coach

The softball field of Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts will have a new electronic scoreboard this coming spring. The scoreboard would have made their coach, Victor Keedy, proud and has been purchased in his memory.

Keedy was devoted to the game and was the baseball and softball team coach at the school. His passing in May, 2010 had a devastating affect on the school, teams and the community. Since his passing, the Hurricane Boosters Club has spent the last two years working with the community, committees and town employees in an effort to get a new electronic scoreboard. The planned memorial tournament in Keedy’s honor turned out to be more than a small success and plans are being made to continue the tournament every year. Additional youth sports benefits are in the works to assist in establishing scholarships for the kids. The booster club has long been a supporter of everything sports for the kids and was a major force behind the success.
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Althea Gibson: Breaking the boundaries in women’s tennis

Althea Gibson: Breaking the boundaries in women’s tennisAlthea Gibson has her place in history as the first African American woman to win multiple international women’s tennis championships. In a time when tennis was represented by a small few, Gibson blasted forth as not only a woman of sports excellence, but an example to other African American athletes that success and achieving your dream is possible.

In today’s world, it’s difficult to believe that African Americans had such a tough road in sports. In the 1950’s, almost every state in the U.S. separated every aspect of life between ‘white and black’. African Americans were considered second class citizens and sports was no exception.

Althea’s background was from a poor Harlem family. It wasn’t until her talent was brought to the attention of Dr. Walter Johnson, an individual that promoted tennis in the community of African Americans, that Gibson saw a glimmer of hope. Dr. Johnson became Gibson’s patron and with his help she achieved some of the best tennis instruction and ability to enter higher competition levels.
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21st Century Scoreboards: The full experience

Technology is moving at lightning speed and we are in a constant run to keep up with it. Beyond just the latest gadgets, we are a society that is eager to ‘connect’ in every way possible. Some psychologists have offered views that our constant state of knowing has placed an added stress never before seen in our society. They recommend that we allow ourselves some down time. One of the most popular stress relievers remains attending a favorite sport competition. This is a time we can have a more personal connectivity and enjoy our favorite teams. The role of the electronic scoreboard has surpassed all expectations as a zone of attention and the 21st century is bringing the scoreboard to the fans as a personal experience.

Most of us take the scoreboard for granted. As the years have passed, we have seen it evolve from a hand held device to keep us updated on the teams score to a colorful LED display with automatic updates and commercials. The electronic scoreboard has entered into this century with a roar – adding visual effects, real time video, and music and offering the marketing groups a pure branding environment. The demand by our society for more continues the challenge for electronic scoreboard manufacturers. Larger sized scoreboards, coupled with high quality sound has given us an almost real-time, on the field experience. Mechanics have been replaced with programmers and graphic designers. So what do we have to look forward to in the next twenty years?
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Jim Brown: Incredible athlete, actor and activist

There was a time in sports that the name of Jim Brown was a common household word. While most were familiar with him from his success as a football player, he was also known on the television and movie screen as one heck of an actor. Those that studied his past were usually astounded at the sports talent that was packed into one person. Jim has been a major force in professional sports but also in building positive relations in the world of sports.

Brown was born in 1936. The son of a professional boxer and a housekeeper, he later moved to an all African American community where he lived and was raised by his grandmother. By the age of eight, he moved to New York with his mother. Brown was an unbelievable athlete, accomplished in basketball, lacrosse and track. Jim’s sophomore year brought an array of winning scores for both basketball and track, but his decision to go to Syracuse University opened the doors to show his abilities, where he settled on the sport of football. Jim had a banner junior year which included basketball and lacrosse and by the time he was a senior has 14 touchdowns under his belt, was on the honor roll of the National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players and added his name to The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. Jim’s talent spanned across four different sports and he was great in every one of them.
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Electronic Scoreboards: They’re everywhere

Electronic ScoreboardsYou don’t have to go to Vegas to see everything in lights anymore. The truth is, the lowly electronic scoreboard has surpassed even the manufacturer’s anticipated results. We are delightfully bombarded with the latest technology in scoreboards at every turn, and the promise of the future looks like this trend will continue.

If you drive down the street of any mid-sized town or city, you are bound to see electronic scoreboards. Oh, you may not recognize them as such, but they are there. Electronic scoreboards have made a splash in the stadiums and arenas, but they have been taken into our daily lives as well. The local church has a streaming feed of congratulations to the home town high school team with their winning score of last night’s game. The stadium is lit, even in the dead of night, with the concert announcements and video of excitement to come. Sponsors of a larger sports game will have their ads beautifully lit at their location, announcing an anticipated contest for attendees.
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Gordie Howe: One of the best in the history of hockey

Gordie Howe: One of the best in the history of hockey

Fans of hockey are not only familiar with the name of Gordie Howe, but most know just about everything about him. Howe overcame incredible odds to become a hockey legend and set an incredible number of records during his playing era.

Born in 1928 in the midst of the depression, Gordie was from a rather poor family in Saskatoon, Canada. A hard working father set a work ethic for Gordie, but the family’s bad financial condition left Gordie as an undernourished and often ill child. Awkward and often shy, he found it difficult to deal with other people. By the time he was five years old, he got his first pair of used ice skates and fell into a love of skating that would last his entire life.
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Mary Lou Retton: America’s darling gymnast

Anyone that watched the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles became absolutely smitten with Mary Lou Retton. Not only did she demonstrate a performance of pure excellence, but she represented everything that was wholesome about the United States. Her original family name of Rotundo was changed to Retton when they arrived at Ellis Island, and Mary Lou is intensely proud of her Italian heritage.

Born in 1968 in Virginia, Mary Lou developed an intense love of gymnastics are an early age. She relocated to Houston, Texas to be under the instruction of Bela Karolyi, the famed Romanian coach. Her cute perkiness, combined with a very compact and strong frame led her to wins at a variety of competitions, including the U.S. Nationals and the American Cup. Her 4’ 9” size was smaller than the standard, but every ounce of her weight was pure powerhouse toned muscle.
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The Debate: Should schools solicit sponsors for their scoreboards?

Sponsors have been an integral part of the athletic experience since the first group of teams got together on a school field. From small towns to mega metropolis areas, the sponsor was not only a method of revenue to help pay for the team, but represented a part of the local community that stood behind their team. Maybe it’s the times that we are in, but, for some reason, school officials are now questioning if sponsorship (ergo advertising) is something that should be accepted in a school sports environment.

I consider myself very lucky. I had the opportunity to split my growing up experience between a small town and a large city. I know what it’s like to live in a community so small that they loving say: “the good thing about a small town is that everyone knows everyone else. The bad thing about a small town is that everyone knows everyone else”. The good part of the town is that no matter what kind of sports event was happening, we had local businesses that supported the teams. Their kids and grandkids went to school with you; you shopped at their stores and saw their ads in the local paper. They participated in every church and school event and, it was common place to see their name or logo on the school scoreboard. In a city environment, it was really much the same. The sponsor names may change and their isn’t quite the same tight relationship as in a small town, but, the sponsor represented a business that was part of the school and team.
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Dave Winfield: Grace, honor and a baseball superstar

Dave Winfield: Grace, honor and a baseball superstar

Today’s baseball is often a catch up as to who is on what team and who has been transferred. While we all have our favorite teams there are many that have favorite players. It never mattered what team Dave Winfield played with because he was a personal favorite and an all time superstar.

Dave Winfield was born in 1951 in St. Paul Minnesota and his parents divorced when he was three years old. His mother and older brother formed a very close knit and tight bond, supporting and caring for each other in a loving home. Dave held an incredible respect for his mother, who worked to keep their family together. Never going too far from home, Dave and his brother spent a lot of time at the Oxford Playground. It was there that he met the directory of the playground, Bill Peterson. Bill became Dave’s mentor, friend and father-figure and encouraged the boys to play baseball and basketball.
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