What's new in arena food: Seafood Mac & Cheese

(Via Darren Rovell's twitter feed)

The New Orleans Pelicans are serving Seafood Mac & Cheese w/shrimp, crawfish, scallops & crabmeat.

Promotions round-up: Steve Martin on noisy arenas, glow sticks, Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols, more...

1. Glow sticks handed out for a Hornets logo reveal.

Tonight's halftime show at the Bobcats game: GLOWSTICK RAVE @darrenrovell pic.twitter.com/kLTexjgtId
— Chris Sotardi (@sotardi) December 22, 2013

2. Bruins anthem singer Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols.

Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols with the crowd during the intermission ^CS pic.twitter.com/Jl5xuZeHUf
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 22, 2013

3. A giant four-sided washing machine on the field for Fulham FC.

#webuild - an incredible 4-sided Washing Machine for @LGUS @FulhamFC @EventProdShow #matchdaypromotions #standb39 pic.twitter.com/93cyFg95cU
— Global Games Sports (@GlobalGSports) January 20, 2014

4. First 1,000 fans get free orange juice in Maryland for women's basketball


5. Steve Martin is not a fan of "loudest arena / loudest fans" promotions.

Asking fans to break volume records at arenas is to the ears as what asking them to stare into the sun for 5 minutes is to the eyes.
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) November 18, 2013

6. Kansas City Chiefs’ Crowd Louder Than KISS at Full Volume



7. Halftime entertainment in Colchester (UK)




8. Michigan State Students Force Two Consecutive Shot-Clock Violations

9. Atmosphere and fans' role in Premier League games becoming a concern
Recent managers' complaints at apathy of fans raises issue; Fan groups look into ways to increase involvement at games

10. Jacksonville Jaguars: No more free drink promotions planned

Those video scoreboards just keep getting bigger

Here's a round-up for my Wednesday morning class of some of the latest and greatest video scoreboards in North America.

The Tampa Bay Lightning introduced a massive 28'x50' centrehung video scoreboard this season. (Not that their old one was small -- it was already one of the biggest in the league at 16'x28'.) The sides facing the end zones are a narrow 28'x20'. It's a Daktronics board.  The shot above is a mock-up. Here's a video showing the scoreboard in action.

Quite a similar design in Houston at the Toyota Center where the Rockets play.  This one is 25'x58' feet, so just a bit bigger than the one in Tampa Bay. It's a Panasonic board and they claim it's the "largest combined viewing area of any indoor center-hung scoreboard currently used in the U.S." Here's more about the installation. And here's a video. (Look at all those stats!)

Meanwhile in the MLB, the Seattle Mariners claim that they will have the biggest scoreboard in baseball this year.  56.7' x 201.5 feet wide.  That's as wide as an NHL rink. "The viewing area will be equal to about 2,182 42-inch flat screen TVs." It's being made by Panasonic.

An article on the Mariners web site also offers these stats on other large video displays in MLB:

Comparison to MLB Video Screens
Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners: 56.7' x 201.5' - 11,425 sq. ft.
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals: 105 x 84' - 8,820 sq. ft.
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies: 76' x 97' - 7,372 sq. ft.
Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros: 124' x 54' - 6,696 sq. ft.
Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers: 94' x 65' - 6,110 sq. ft.
Bonus stat (Cowboys Stadium, Ft. Worth, Texas: 160' x 72' - 11,520 sq. ft.)

Reliant Stadium (home of the Houston Texans) will lay claim to the widest scoreboard in pro sports, when they unveil a board measuring 52.49'x277.17'. They're hoping it will help them win a bid to host the Super Bowl.  Manufactured by Mitsubishi.

I don't know the source of this infographic or how accurate it is but it's a decent visual to compare the different stadiums.

What other big scoreboards are being installed this year?

Minnesota Timberwolves Christmas card

This Christmas card video from the Minnesota Timberwolves is well done:

Pacers and Lightning "go long" with new video scoreboards

The Indiana Pacers and the Tampa Bay Lightning are both adding massive new video scoreboards for this fall, and both have a similar format.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've seen centrehung boards this wide in an inside venue before -- other than the big screen at Cowboys Stadium.  Will be interesting to see how the teams use the space for content, stats, ads, etc.  

These huge screens will be an attraction unto themselves and a big upgrade for the fan experience in both arenas.  That said, I think fifty feet wide may actually be too big for arenas this size. I've seen Montreal's massive screen (30'x17') in action and it's great -- but from some locations it can be overwhelming and distract from what's happening on the ice. 

The Pacers main display will be 50 x 21 feet on the long side with smaller 24x15 screens on the ends.  Built by ANC, with 6mm resolution on each side.  (Here's a press release.) 

Here's a mock-up of the Tampa Bay Lightning video scoreboard, which will be 50x28 feet on the long side and 16x28 on the ends. Also 6mm, built by Daktronics. (Here's a press release.)

Oh, and the Blue Jackets are getting a new video scoreboard too. It will be called the "Dispatch Media Center" and measures 25x15 feet.

The Flaming Lips write a song for the Oklahoma City Thunder

Not bad, as far as "songs written for sports teams by rock bands" goes. (via Eric Alper)

Please welcome tonight's guest PA announcer, Will Ferrell

Well done New Orleans Hornets, well done.

Profile of Michael Baiamonte, the Miami Heat P.A. Announcer

From the Miami Sun-Sentinel:

He is known as The Voice.
Deep. Rumbling. Animated.
And, depending on your basketball loyalties and sensibilities, somewhat annoying too.
Increasingly, however, Michael Baiamonte has become The Face.
At least when it comes to Heat home games.
"For so many years I was just a voice behind a microphone," says Baiamonte, in his 21st season as the Heat's public-address announcer. "Now a lot of people recognize me by face."
That's because his repeated in-game pleas to "Stand UP …. and make some NOISE … for YOUR … Miami … Heaaaaattttttt!!!!" are accompanied by a closeup of his face on the Jumbotron.
It's been that way at least since the Heat's run to the 2006 NBA title, and national TV cameras have taken to showing him as well.
No wonder his phone and email have been burning up with requests to emcee weddings and Bar Mitzvahs at as much as $500 an appearance. That more than justifies his decision 11 years ago to quit his job training telemarketers for an insurance company.
... 

Yet it's clear The Voice, with his willingness to straddle the line between announcing and cheerleading ("Let's Go Heat!"), has made his presence felt.
"The energy and the atmosphere at a game, every little bit helps, and Mike has that captivating voice," Heat forward James Jones says. "When you hear the fans clapping and cheering and making noise when the other team is trying to run sets, it can be a distraction for them and it can be a plus for us."
Baiamonte, 47, takes a showman's approach to his job, which he's held long enough to be one of the half dozen or so longest-tenured Heat employees.
"A big part of it is entertainment," he says. "You want to put on the best show you can."
Only a few PA announcers in the league have been at their post longer than The Voice, who grew up in South Florida and attended Gulliver Prep, where he also introduced the lineups before home basketball games.

Read the full article... 

Unexpected Celebrity National Anthems: Phish

At a New Jersey Nets game several years ago:

From the crime blotter: Murder suspect nabbed after video scoreboard appearance

This is old news but I felt it was important to document here for posterity. The New York Daily News reports:

If only all murder suspects were as stupid as Earle Barranco - a Brooklyn fugitive who waltzed past a JumboTron camera at an NBA game in the same gaudy bling he wore when he allegedly pulled the trigger.

As if that weren't bold enough, the dopey 24-year-old showed up at the same arena days later, where cops promptly nabbed him and replaced his bling with shiny steel handcuffs.

Barranco is being held in Charlotte, N.C., but will soon be on his way back to New York to face charges in the Oct. 23 slaying of Corey Scott, 28, at Chelsea's Good Stuff Diner...

The NYPD put out a nationwide arrest warrant and even notified authorities in the Bahamas, where the suspect's father lives.

Their big break came when Barranco showed up to a Charlotte Bobcats game Oct. 29 and made the mistake of walking into the view of the JumboTron lens as it zoomed in on a couple.

"He was walking behind them, but someone who knows him spotted him," a police source said. "After the game, that person learned he was wanted and then reported seeing him."

Charlotte authorities reviewed the tape and confirmed that Barranco had been there - with his telltale pendant.

When he showed up to another Bobcats game at the Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday night, North Carolina cops and FBI agents swooped down and arrested him.

Read more

NBA game cancelled due to... slippery floor?

Does any league have stranger reasons for delays of game than the NBA? A hawk delayed a game in Atlanta few years ago, and another was delayed by a video scoreboard catching fire. And pre-game pyro shows and smoke machines have delayed games as well.

The latest: NBA game cancelled due to slippery floor. Wish I could say it was on banana giveaway night, but alas the truth is more mundane than that. The floor was slippery because it was installed over an ice surface and it was just too wet.

A half-hockey, half-basketball beast called Ice Jam

Saw this recently on Partnership Activation:

The Boston College Athletic Department recently teamed up with the Undergraduate Student Government of Boston College (UGBC) to create an unforgettable Ice Jam Event designed to drive interest in the University's basketball and hockey programs.

Boston College students, alumni, and fans were treated to a free unique sports experience that featured the Conte Forum arena transformed into a half sheet of ice and a half parquet. The BC-style Midnight Madness event allowed fans to enjoy a plethora of entertainment provided by the men's and women's basketball teams and the men's and women's hockey teams.

As usual, the Miami Heat come up with a great opening video

Once again this year the Miami Heat have come up with a very well-produced opening video.

(Here's last year's video.)

(via Partnership Activation)

The new video scoreboard at Staples Center

Meant to post this last month but forgot. Better late then never, here's some info about the new video scoreboard at Staples Center, home of the Kings, Lakers and Clippers. Here's the press release:

STAPLES Center's LIVE 4HD, set to debut on Thursday night, September 23rd, when the Los Angeles Kings take to the ice to play against their NHL rivals, the Phoenix Coyotes, will be just the latest in a series of STAPLES Center additions to enhance fans' enjoyment. The brand new, state-of-the-art, eight-sided, center-hung Panasonic scoreboard and video system will be able to display all the panoramic action taking place on the ice in pristine 720p High Definition.

Designed exclusively for STAPLES Center by Panasonic, one of the arena's Founding Partners and an acknowledged worldwide leader in digital video systems, the one-of-a-kind comprehensive arena scoreboard and broadcast control room will include what is believed to be the largest indoor center-hung High Definition scoreboard video screen installation in the world. The scoreboard system is expected to serve as a prototype for future venue displays now being developed by Panasonic.

Showing crisp High Definition Video in 16:9 letterbox format on the four Panasonic 22' x 14'-3" LED displays, which are composed of fine pitch 6 mm video elements using black SMD 3 in 1 package for additional contrast, the scoreboard and display system will display live HD video action, features and special production pieces in HD quality that will rival home theater screens. With horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 140 degrees/140 degrees, a contrast ratio of 8000:1, and a brightness level for all boards reaching 2000 nits, STAPLES Center's video screens truly set the new industry standard.

The unique element for this display is the 4 additional 6 mm LED Displays on the underside of the LED Board to allow special viewing for fans with courtside seats who have previously been unable to view replays on the center hung LED. The sideline displays are nearly 8' x 14' and are capable of displaying both in-game, promotional and special content and features during the game.

Four other Panasonic LED video boards composed of 10mm pitch video elements and measuring 13'-9" x 14'-3" will keep fans up-to-date with the latest information on team stats, scores, game clock status and more. The boards are also video-capable, allowing them to be integrated so that programming can appear seamlessly across all eight screens.

The final two elements of the center-hung display are two 16mm LED "Halos," encircling both the top and bottom of the scoreboard with the ability to display graphics and integrate the effects being shown on the other screens. STAPLES Center's existing two fascia boards, encircling the entire arena between Suite Levels A & B and B & C, each measure 475' wide and 3' tall, will continue to display a full series of graphic and video messages, promotions, game information, fan entertainment and interactive elements.

The completely redesigned HD control room, located above the Upper Concourse within the Bob Miller Press Box on the West side of the arena, includes a vast array of best-of-breed technologies. At the core of the control room are Panasonic's professional broadcast products combined with a combination of best-of-breed third party products from Ross and other premier partners.

Together, all of the video components and hardware weigh a combined total of 47,000 lbs and require 5.2 million LED lights to create the incredible High Definition video displays.

VIDEO: The new video scoreboard in Orlando

Here's some cool video of the new video scoreboard at Amway Center in Orlando. It's a Daktronics board, and they've split one video image onto all of the LED surfaces.

Recommended reading: Mark Cuban on fan experience

An absolutely brilliant post from Mark Cuban about what he's trying to achieve with the gameday experience at Mavericks games. Required reading for my students this year, recommended reading for everybody else. A sample:

We in the sports business don’t sell the game, we sell unique, emotional experiences.We are not in the business of selling basketball. We are in the business of selling fun and unique experiences. I say it to our people at the Mavs at all time, I want a Mavs game to be more like a great wedding than anything else.

You know the wedding I’m talking about. The one where everyone is up dancing, smiling , cheering, laughing. The one where Grandma Ethel has her annual vodka gimlet and is trying to do the Dougie. The one where although you have no earthly idea what the Dougie is, you can’t say no to your 12 year old niece. The one where the whole place does the Macarena while laughing so hard they are crying. The one where everyone sings out loud to every song and you hug the cousin you haven’t seen in 10 years and hope you don’t see for another 10. It doesn’t matter if half the room doesn’t believe the couple will still be married at the end of the year. It matters if everyone in the place is having a great time. It matters if its the type of wedding that everyone in the room wished or wishes their wedding was or will be like this one. It matters that you leave the reception and your hands hurt from clapping , your mouth hurts from smiling so much and your throat is sore because you were laughing , singing and hollering so much. That’s a great wedding.

That’s how I want a Mavs game to be.

I want it to be very participatory. I want it to be very social. I want it to be very inclusive. I want it to be memorable. I want it to be so much fun people talk about it to their friends and can’t wait to go back. I want every parent to get tears in their eyes when they see their kids jumping up and down when the score is 2 to 0. When they are chanting Lets Go Mavs . When they are dancing and trying to get on the big screen. I want the guy on the date knowing that the longest he will have to talk is during halftime and that after the game, and until the next one, he can talk about the game itself and not have all the pressure of trying to think of something to say while his date can be relieved that she can enjoy the game without him talking. Or vice versa of course. I want everyone coming to a Mavs game to be able to find their own personal attachment to that night. I know I can’t control what happens on the court every game, but I can do my very best to make sure that no matter what the score, we have done all we can to make the fan experience like a great wedding.

Read the entire post...

Behind the scenes: Fan experience in Boston

Boston.com has a great look behind the curtain at TD Banknorth Garden. Some highlights:

Before the final buzzer, 300 crowd shots will be broadcast, along with 45 game-action replays on the high-definition Jumbotron. The Garden DJ will play 125 songs at rock concert volume. The Celtics cheerleaders will fire 40 T-shirts into the stands by air gun. On the court, four promotions will fill timeouts, along with three dance routines by a squad of young women wearing considerably less clothing than normal for a cold winter night. Halftime will feature a similarly-clad female unicyclist tossing bowls from the tip of her bright red shoe onto her head.

...And they do all this knowing that the latest in game presentation can be hard to take for fans whose loyalties are passed generation to generation, and who may be nostalgic for the days when Garden entertainment meant John Kiley at the organ and fans cheering without Jumbotron prompts.

...Kelly Higgins of North Attleborough doesn't understand the debate over fired-up game presentation. When the 20-year-old won tickets to a Celtics game last season, she tried to give them away. She found no takers and went to her first NBA contest.

"When I got back I couldn't tell you who played, but I could remember everything they did on the Jumbotron," said Higgins, who is now eager to use her boyfriend's season-ticket package. "The atmosphere was so much fun. Everyone was so excited. If it wasn't that way, it would be boring. It's not just about basketball. It's everything."

Even in Boston, where many fans place special value on history and tradition, stage-managing game presentation is a priority for all pro teams. From the Red Sox with their carefully choreographed pregame rituals to the Patriots with their booming music and musket blasts, teams increasingly view the orchestrated spectacle as very good -indeed, essential - for business.

"We're quite confident that if we did not make an effort to entertain fans, the building would not be full and we would not have won Banner 17," said Wyc Grousbeck, the Celtics principal owner. "We're about entertainment and winning banners. We think they go together and last year was the proof.

"If we dialed down the game entertainment, we wouldn't have the third-highest gate in the league. The fans kept coming even in years when we weren't particularly good. Game entertainment was part of that."

...While NBA guidelines keep all forms of entertainment from exceeding 95 decibels - about as loud as standing next to a jack hammer - the "noise meter" appears at crucial junctures and provokes high-pitched, lung-straining, ear-splitting screams. Some wonder if the tipping point between show and game has been reached, when young children appear on Jumbotrons looking delighted to be televised, but wearing earplugs to block out noise?

..."You're dealing with a different type of consumer today," said NHL director of events and entertainment Martin McCreary, who has presented everything from the Super Bowl to beach volleyball to the Bassmaster Classic. "People expect an entertainment experience. We're in the entertainment business. Whatever we can do to make contact with fans and give them more than they expected, that's our job. And what people expect from you, ramps up every year."

..."In terms of cost-benefit analysis, game presentation is a slam dunk," said Smith College sports economist Andrew Zimbalist. Noting the average NBA player makes $5 million per season, he called pay for dancers and programmers a "trivial expense." But it is those dancers, who make on average $100 per game, and programmers who help game presentation express team personality.

..."We've revived first pitch ceremonies with gusto," said Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino of productions that honor veterans, cancer survivors, and Olympic athletes. "They enable us to market the brand and celebrate certain values, reinforce messages we'd like to communicate to our fans.

"The Red Sox didn't always sell out and they may not always sell out in the future. We've got to stay vigilant, make sure we provide fans with a team worthy of their support and the experience they want. We think there is a key brand loyalty that exists right now and we want to perpetuate it for a long time to come."

The history-filled countdown videos played immediately before Celtics and Bruins games capture each team's essence. The Celtics' video clocks in at 15 minutes, nearly twice as long as any other in the NBA because there are 50-plus years of history, and 17 championships, to cover. The Bruins' video starts with a movie theater-style opening and runs five minutes.

...The real juggling acts take place behind the closed doors of conference rooms and control rooms. The day before a Celtics game, marketing executives and game presentation directors finalize a 75-page script. They plot out promotions. They review music selections for timeouts. They want well-organized chaos.

...NBA games typically last 2 1/2 hours, leaving 102 minutes of downtime to fill. Game presentation directors take each sport's natural rhythm and drama into consideration when making decisions about what music to play and what video to show.

Read the entire article...

VIDEO: Rocky's Fantasy Factory "Nuggest Feet"

Guess we have a bit of a NBA mascot theme going on this week. I don't know why but I really like this dance video from the Denver Nuggets featuring their mascot, Rocky.

Promotions gone wrong: "A TV for Everyone"

From the Utah Jazz: "A TV For Everyone", starring The Bear.
Enjoy.

Basketball organ - one fan wants to bring it to Toronto

More on the organ theme. I saw this the other night on Twitter: A Toronto Raptors fan wants the team to add more organ to their game day experience:

The Knicks, either when they suck now or were great before, always had the organ at their disposal and it brought a sense of tradition.

We are a hockey town, we need more ORGAN, like Walken needs cowbell.

Use the ACC organ for the DEFENSE chant, small game delays, music before an in bounds play, the Organ only plays on something that only needs 1 minute to 2 minutes of break time. To use it for every free throw made.....eeeerr probably not that would be over kill.

Don't worry, it won't make the Dance Pack obsolete, they will dance when the breaks or intermissions are definitely going to be over 3 minutes. It depends on the ACC/Raptors entertainment coordinator. If we get a kickass organist, he/she will make the Dance Pack shake 'dem bootays anyways.

If they can bring in Devlin as a fan PR gamble, why don't we gamble on an organ anyways?

Should the ACC organ be used in Raptor games? I say YES!

You can add your two cents here.