NFL – Page 3

New Report: Inside the technology at SoFi Stadium and Allegiant Stadium

October 14, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Stadium Tech Report is pleased to announce our FALL 2020 issue, with profiles of two of the most innovative new venues to open – SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas! While neither venue will host fans this NFL season, our profiles will dig in-depth to tell you about the technologies in place to make these stadiums the most advanced when it comes to the game-day experience. We also have a substantive news analysis story about how venues and product and service suppliers are planning to tackle two of the biggest venue issues when it comes to hosting fans during a pandemic – venue entry and concessions operations.

We’d like to take a quick moment to thank our sponsors, which for this issue include Corning, Boingo, MatSing, Cox Business/Hospitality Network, Comcast Business, American Tower, CommScope, AmpThink and ExteNet Systems. Their generous sponsorship makes it possible for us to offer this content free of charge to our readers. We’d also like to welcome readers from the Inside Towers community, who may have found their way here via our ongoing partnership with the excellent publication Inside Towers. We’d also like to thank the SEAT community for your continued interest and support.

We would like to take a moment here and give some special thanks to the people at SoFi Stadium and at Allegiant Stadium, and to all the other subjects we interviewed for this issue, for their extra help when it came to providing interview time and especially photos to help bring our publications to life. We quite literally couldn’t have done this without your help, and we look forward to visiting venues again in the near future!

Filed Under: 4G LTE, 5G, AmpThink, Appetize, AT&T, Cisco, Comcast, Corning, coronavirus, DAS, Denver Broncos, Denver Broncos, MLS, MSR Guides, NFL, Samsung, Soccer, Super Bowl, VenueNext, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi Tagged With: 4G LTE, Alleigant Stadium, AmpThink, Appetize, AT&T, Banc of California Stadium, CenturyLink, Christian Lau, Cisco, Cisco Vision, CommScope, Cox Business/Hospitality Network, DAS, DGP, JMA, LAFC, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, MatSing, Miami Dolphins, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, ParkHub, Paul Kapustka, Samsung, SoFi Stadium, Stadium Wi-Fi, VenueNext, Verizon Wireless, WaitTime, Wi-Fi

Venue Display Report: An in-depth look at SoFi Stadium’s amazing videoboard

October 14, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

STADIUM TECH REPORT is pleased to welcome you to the latest issue of our VENUE DISPLAY REPORT series, with an in-depth report on perhaps the most innovative main stadium video board ever, the new Samsung dual-sided, 4K oval videoboard at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

These long-form reports are designed to give stadium and large public venue owners and operators, and digital sports business executives a way to dig deep into the topic of digital display technology, via exclusive research and profiles of successful stadium and large public venue display technology deployments, as well as news and analysis of topics important to this growing market.

As venues seek to improve fan engagement and increase sponsor activation, display technology offers powerful new ways to improve the in-stadium fan experience while also increasing the bottom line for stadium business operations. Read on as we examine not just new display technology and successful deployments, but also study how display technologies can support successful marketing and advertising campaigns!

A special thanks is due here to sponsor Samsung, whose support allows us to make this content free to readers. We’d also like to extend a special thanks to the Samsung staff and the folks at SoFi Stadium for all their help in arranging remote interviews and to provide pictures and video so you can get at least a virtual sense of the amazing new technology that awaits visitors to SoFi Stadium. Looking forward to future visits!

Filed Under: AmpThink, Cisco, coronavirus, Covid-19, Digital displays, NFL, Samsung Tagged With: AmpThink, Cisco, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, Paul Kapustka, Samsung, SoFi Stadium

Pac-12, Mountain West move to resume football seasons; Notre Dame, Tennessee Titans see outbreaks

September 29, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Citing the availability of better, more rapid testing for Covid-19 infections as a main changing point, the Pac-12 conference last week announced it would “resume its football, basketball and winter sport seasons,” with football games possibly taking place starting Nov. 6.

While the announcement on the conference website noted that “the football season may now commence for those teams that have the necessary state and local health approvals,” the reversal of the conference’s original decision to suspend sports was somewhat expected, after the Big Ten also reversed its earlier suspension and when a new deal to provide more comprehensive testing for athletes was signed.

The Mountain West conference also announced its plans to resume football, after also suspending play earlier this year. However, the virus may yet have the last say in all sporting plans, with Notre Dame recently postpoing a game with Wake Forest due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the Notre Dame team. As of Tuesday, Notre Dame was reporting 25 active cases.

Also on Tuesday, the NFL reported an outbreak of the virus among the Tennessee Titans, which may or may not lead to games being suspended this weekend.

Filed Under: coronavirus, Covid-19, NCAA Football, NFL Tagged With: Mountain West, Notre Dame, Pac-12, Tennessee Titans

Weekend update: Some college football fans seem to ignore Covid-19 precautions

September 13, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Well, the first “real” weekend of limited-audience experiments in college and pro football is now in the books, and from a fan-compliance standpoint, it is still very much a work in progress. While Mobile Sports Report wasn’t able to be at any of the games live, we did try to keep a finger on the pulse of what was happening via news reports and Twitter posts, the latter of course are always subject to the caveat that sometimes we simply can’t verify the validity of the posts.

But from corroborations on social media and from news reports, it was pretty obvious that at certain venues — especially Florida State and Oklahoma — fans, especially college students, were simply not adhering to the Covid-19 precautions put in place by the venues that were allowing fans to attend.

“Masks are required.”

About that, @floridastate… pic.twitter.com/nfha5Khyb1

— Travis Akers (@travisakers) September 12, 2020

Since the Florida State game (a 16-13 loss to Georgia Tech) was on national TV on ABC, it was pretty easy for anyone to see that many in the limited-attendance crowd were not paying any attention to rules about masks and social distancing. The Tallahassee Democrat ran a story about the national reaction to the fans, and got this quote from FSU athletic director David Coburn:

“We were disappointed with some fans, particularly some student fans, at the Georgia Tech football game who did not comply with our policies regarding social distancing and wearing masks while in their seats,” FSU Athletic Director David Coburn said Sunday in a statement to the Democrat. “There was ample room for all fans to remain safely distanced. We have three weeks until our next home game, and we will re-double our efforts to both inform our patrons and improve compliance with the new rules.”

Florida State students are a whole other breed when it comes to actually using common sense. Do they even know what social distancing is? Or masks in this situation? pic.twitter.com/NR7JHddjp4

— Matthew Gold (@matthewgold2000) September 12, 2020

The bigger question that goes unanswered, of course, is why there was no attempt to enforce the Covid-19 rules.

Some similar behavior was on display at Oklahoma, where students also seemed to ignore Covid-19 precautions once inside the stadium. A story in the OU Daily has a photograph showing students massing close together, with minimal mask wearing. Though OU had protocols in place — like distance markers at concession stands — an attendee at the game noted that while “many followed the protocols a significant number [of fans] did not.”

Socially distanced fans (and band) at Notre Dame’s home opener. (Screen shot from NBC broadcast)

Notre Dame, on the other hand, seemed to have a better amount of buy-in from students on Covid-19 safety procedures. From what we could tell by watching the NBC broadcast of the Irish’s win over Duke, students (and the band) seemed to be complying well with social distancing in the stands and the wearing of masks.

Were the pro games better?

Two of the NFL games this weekend, including the Thursday night season opener in Kansas City, also allowed a limited number of fans, and as far as we can tell (from tracking Twitter and news reports) fans at those games largely followed the extensive procedures put in place ahead of the games. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who beat the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 in their home opener, had a full web page that described what fans needed to do to help keep everyone safe. With no reports of bad fan behavior in Jacksonville we are assuming most of the fans in attendance complied with the rules.

And while fans at the Kansas City Chiefs’ home opener may have earned some national derision for booing the players’ pregame solidarity moment, from what we could tell it looked like fans in the seats were staying apart and masked. Thanks to the Twitter feed of Tom Proebstle for his posts from Arrowhead.

Our new world order (temporarily) in the stands at Arrowhead #sportsbiz #stadia pic.twitter.com/1HTqpDGNzB

— Tom Proebstle (@tomproebstle) September 11, 2020

So far normal at concessions other than the dots at Arrowhead #sportsbiz #stadia pic.twitter.com/APv0SOtBgu

— Tom Proebstle (@tomproebstle) September 11, 2020

In seats at Arrowhead, staff are reminding you to wear your mask #sportsbiz #stadia #foggyglasses pic.twitter.com/1RZdpVVrLd

— Tom Proebstle (@tomproebstle) September 10, 2020

Not sure how this will hold up in the restrooms at Arrowhead #Stadia #sportsbiz pic.twitter.com/ap27IaT6Xf

— Tom Proebstle (@tomproebstle) September 11, 2020

Filed Under: coronavirus, Covid-19, NCAA Football, NFL Tagged With: Covid-19, Florida State University, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Mobile Sports Report, NCAA, NFL, Notre Dame, Paul Kapustka, University of Oklahoma

Raiders: No fans at Allegiant Stadium this season

August 3, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Inside the new Allegiant Stadium, new home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

According to reports the brand-new stadium is ready to go, but according to the Las Vegas Raiders fans won’t be allowed in Allegiant Stadium if games are played this season, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday that in an email sent to Raiders season ticket holders, owner Mark Davis said there would be no fans allowed at games this season. More as we hear more.

Filed Under: coronavirus, Covid-19, NFL Tagged With: Allegiant Stadium, coronavirus, Covid-19, Las Vegas Raiders, Mobile Sports Report, NFL, Paul Kapustka

No fans at MetLife Stadium for Jets or Giants ‘until further notice’

July 20, 2020 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment

Add the New York Jets and the New York Giants to the list of NFL teams that won’t have fans in the stands if games take place this season.

In a joint announcement the teams said that due to restrictions set by N.J. Governor Phil Murphy to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, a limit of 500 people at outdoor gatherings would apply to any games being held at MetLife Stadium. To comply with those restrictions the Jets and Giants said “we support Governor Murphy’s decision in the interest of public health and safety and, until circumstances change, we will play our games without the benefit of fans in attendance.” The teams also said that fans would not be allowed at 2020 training camp or practice sessions.

Rutgers University also said it would comply with the governor’s restrictions, which would limit fans to 500 people at any games that take place. As part of the Big Ten, Rutgers is already looking at a potential season with only conference games. The first game currently on Rutgers’ schedule is a Sept. 26 game at Ohio State.

Filed Under: coronavirus, Covid-19, NFL Tagged With: coronavirus, Covid-19, MetLife Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL, Paul Kapustka