The Syracuse Chiefs have a lot going on right now between star players arriving and an overhauled food concession.
Now you can add a brand new video display scoreboard to that list. Daktronics is designing, manufacturing and installing a 30- by 55-foot LED screen with a high-definition pixel layout that boasts pristine color clarity and brightness from every angle. It costs a mere $1 million, of which $200,000 was given to the team by Onondaga County as part of the team’s new lease agreement to stay in Alliance Bank Stadium, signed back in February.
It’s tentatively scheduled to be all installed by the Chiefs’ game on May 7, which happens to be against the Durham Bulls, and is replacing the old scoreboard, which had the technology of a digital alarm clock.
“It’s going to be the focal point of the stadium,” Chiefs’ General Manager John Simone said.
Aside from giving fans a cool, new amenity, it will also provide the Chiefs with another source of revenue, as the team can start selling advertisements.
It also helps bring the organization a little closer to its Major League counterparts.
“It’s just like what you’d see in the big leagues,” Simone added.
The display can show one large image or display multiple shots at one time, and can show live play or taped replays. It will display up-to-the minute statistics for those numbers geeks out there.
Simone said the process of working with Daktronics has been a pleasurable one.
“Daktronics has been great to work with, and we’re looking forward to seeing it installed,” he said.
The slow motion instant replay is something cool, as many MLB teams have the same technology. It gives the fans a little more room to immerse in the game. Sony high-definition cameras are also being installed, as is a new, high-definition sound system. It’ll be integrated into the display and will provide full-range sound reproduction to deliver clear speech.
“We’re continuing to update everything in the stadium to keep people coming in,” Simone said. “We want to give fans the best possible experience.”
Work is slated to start this week on installing the mammoth screen. In the interim, a temporary scoreboard will be installed in right field.
Neil Benjamin Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
