Chicago White Sox
Scope of Work: Design, Financial Modeling, Procurement and Construction Oversight.
Product Categories: LED Video, Scoring.
Project Highlights
CENTERFIELD LED DISPLAY
A high definition 6,500-square foot center field video board, four times larger than its predecessor.
OUTFIELD LED DISPLAYS
Two high definition 2,500 square foot auxiliary LED boards in left and right field.
ICONIC PINWHEELS MADE NEW
Iconic pinwheels streamlined and digitized for extra visual punch.
Chicago Tribune, April 6, 2016
WHITE SOX UNVEIL MASSIVE NEW VIDEO BOARD
The White Sox went out and got themselves a few bigger-than-big big-screen TVs during the offseason.
The countdown to the unveiling of the centerpiece of that collection, the park’s new 8,000-square-foot, video board planted in center field, culminated with the voice of Chicago native Chance the Rapper explaining how the city rose from the ashes as White Sox highlights played.
“When I showed a video to one of our players it was, ‘Hey, look, a big-league ballpark,'” said Brooks Boyer, senior vice president of sales and marketing Brooks. “We’re going from one of the smallest boards in baseball to one of the best.”
One of the five biggest in baseball, in Boyer’s estimation.
According to Lou Bertuca, CEO and executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the project cost around $7.3 million and includes a pair of 2,400-square foot boards flanking the main attraction. ISFA, a government entity and the owner and developer of U.S. Cellular Field, also funded the recent renovations to Soldier Field.
Bertuca said the U.S. Cellular Field project, which originally was budgeted for $11.4 million, was paid for through a capital construction fund, which is funded in part by the rent the White Sox pay and a 2 percent levy on city hotels.
“I think you’re going to be hard-pressed to find the quality of boards we have for the price we got them for,” Bertuca said.
Fans also will be able to connect with the boards through social media, using the hashtag #soxgameday.
“One of the things that’s been big on our fans’ radar is the video-board experience,” Boyer said.
In another video, White Sox ace Chris Sale’s body unfolded in 10-millimeter pixel clarity high above center field on the 60-foot-tall, 134-foot-wide screen as he struck out one of his club-record 274 last season.
Sox players haven’t seen the boards operate in real time, but outfielder Adam Eaton said he did notice last season they needed some updating, though he was a bit conflicted about how he’d miss the “old-school” feel.
“I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer,” Eaton said, “but I don’t look up there too often.”
Eaton will have a hard time missing these when he and his teammates lay eyes on them for the first time.
“Fans are really going to appreciate it because there is a lot of downtime in baseball between innings and pitches,” he said. “It’s going to be a little more enjoyable to see some nice pictures and probably some more animation than just the old-school boards.”
RedEyeChicago.com, April 8, 2016
WHITE SOX AREN’T PLAYING VIDEOBOARD SMALL BALL ANYMOREAt 6 feet 6 inches, Chris Sale is tall even for a baseball player.
Now the White Sox ace—and all his teammates, for that matter—looks that much larger than life on the new center-field video board at U.S. Cellular Field.
The team unveiled the stadium’s latest pride and joy Tuesday, also rolling out a new intro video narrated by Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper. Another video featured a Sale strikeout montage.
The five-sided board in center field, complete with 10-millimeter pixel resolution and digital pinwheels replacing the old-school versions, is flanked by a pair of smaller but equally dazzling display boards in right and left fields.
“When I showed a video to one of our players, it was, ‘Hey, look, a big-league ballpark,’ ” said Brooks Boyer, the Sox’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “We’re going from one of the smallest boards in baseball to one of the best.”
According to Tribune data, the new main video board vaults the Sox from second-to-last in terms of size (the old one was 1,484 square feet and installed in 2003) to No. 7, with a size of around 8,000 square feet. For comparison, the left-field board installed by the Cubs at Wrigley Field last year is nearly 4,000 square feet. The two smaller boards at U.S. Cellular cover 2,400 square feet each.
According to Lou Bertuca, CEO and executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the project cost around $7.3 million.
However, Boyer wouldn’t be baited into a battle of one-upmanship with the Cubs, who are in the midst of a $500 million Wrigley renovation.
“We take care of what we need to take care of here,” Boyer said. “They’re two different fan bases, two different fan experiences. Chicago’s lucky to have two great baseball experiences.
Check that, he did find an opportunity to take a lighthearted jab.
“As we like to say [the Cubs] can copy us; we find it flattering,” Boyer said, laughing.
Ahem, lest either Chicago team get too boastful, both teams’ biggest boards combined are smaller than Cleveland’s, the major league leader at more than 13,000 square feet. Not that such things matter on the field.
Fans should get a rush out of the video featuring Chance the Rapper, a huge Sox fan. His monologue tells of the city’s rise and being “built upon the muscles of broad shoulders and strong backs.”
The speech is set against a backdrop of Sox highlights and snippets of Chicagoans going about their everyday work lives.
“To make it in Chicago, there’s one thing we’d better be able to do: step up.”
The Sox can check the box that says “install drool-worthy TV screens” when it comes to that mission.
ESPN, October 2, 2015
U.S. CELLULAR FIELD TO GET NEW HD VIDEO BOARD BY OPENING DAYThe White Sox still are waiting on general manager Rick Hahn to announce any staff changes for next season, but the club did reveal a new addition Thursday that has been on its wish list for “a long time.”
Three new video boards will be installed at U.S. Cellular Field in time for 2016 opening day, the team confirmed before Thursday night’s game against the Royals.
The improvements will come one season after the Cubs unveiled their video board upgrades, but it’s not about keeping up with the North Siders, according to Brooks Boyer, Sox senior vice president for sales and marketing. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns and develops the ballpark, voted Wednesday to modernize boards that are both faulty and not up to the standards of stadiums throughout Major League Baseball.
“It’s great that the Cubs got their new boards,” Boyer said. “This is more motivated by the fact that the right-field and left-field (boards here) were falling apart and the center-field one was the smallest in baseball.”
The center-field video board, installed in 2003, is expected to more than quadruple in size from its current 1,484 square feet. According to an artist’s rendering the authority provided, the new board will be shaped as a pentagon with multicolored digital pinwheels at the top. There won’t be ads on the sides or bottom as there are on the current board.
Boyer said the boards in left and right fields will remain about 2,500 square feet but will be much improved from the current ones, which he said can be seen flickering on any given day. He thinks the boards can help U.S. Cellular Field to be a “premier entertainment facility” for other events as well, though he wouldn’t specify what those might be.
ISFA spokesman Michael Alvarez said the authority will fund the $7.3 million project through its capital repairs budget. No vendor for the project has been specified.
The Sox and the ISFA have an agreement that includes “replacing any obsolete component of the stadium with more modern replacements in use in at least 75 percent of (MLB) stadiums.”
Chicago Tribune, October 2, 2015
WHITE SOX TO INSTALL 3 NEW VIDEO BOARDS FOR 2016 SEASONThe White Sox still are waiting on general manager Rick Hahn to announce any staff changes for next season, but the club did reveal a new addition Thursday that has been on its wish list for “a long time.”
Three new video boards will be installed at U.S. Cellular Field in time for 2016 opening day, the team confirmed before Thursday night’s game against the Royals.
The improvements will come one season after the Cubs unveiled their video board upgrades, but it’s not about keeping up with the North Siders, according to Brooks Boyer, Sox senior vice president for sales and marketing. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns and develops the ballpark, voted Wednesday to modernize boards that are both faulty and not up to the standards of stadiums throughout Major League Baseball.
“It’s great that the Cubs got their new boards,” Boyer said. “This is more motivated by the fact that the right-field and left-field (boards here) were falling apart and the center-field one was the smallest in baseball.”
The center-field video board, installed in 2003, is expected to more than quadruple in size from its current 1,484 square feet. According to an artist’s rendering the authority provided, the new board will be shaped as a pentagon with multicolored digital pinwheels at the top. There won’t be ads on the sides or bottom as there are on the current board.
Boyer said the boards in left and right fields will remain about 2,500 square feet but will be much improved from the current ones, which he said can be seen flickering on any given day. He thinks the boards can help U.S. Cellular Field to be a “premier entertainment facility” for other events as well, though he wouldn’t specify what those might be.
ISFA spokesman Michael Alvarez said the authority will fund the $7.3 million project through its capital repairs budget. No vendor for the project has been specified.
The Sox and the ISFA have an agreement that includes “replacing any obsolete component of the stadium with more modern replacements in use in at least 75 percent of (MLB) stadiums.”
Chicago Sun-Times, October 1, 2015
U.S. CELLULAR FIELD GETTING NEW VIDEO BOARDS U.S. Cellular Field will become easier on the eyes next season, thanks to three new outfield video boards to be installed under a renovation approved by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.The ISFA, which owns and operates the White Sox’ ballpark, will pay for the $7.3 million project, which includes a 6,500-square foot center field video board that is four times larger than the current 1,484-foot board – the smallest in baseball.
The left field and right field boards will remain in place with new technology.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, the ISFA board voted unanimously Wednesday to move forward with the project after several years of pushing from the Sox.
“This is a gigantic deal,” ISFA board Chairman Manny Sanchez told Crain’s. “It’s a very impressive thing for us, for the White Sox and for the attendees at this facility, be it for baseball games, concerts or anything else.”
Brooks Boyer, senior vice president for sales and marketing, said other ballpark changes are in the works but he did not elaborate.
“Every year we’ve tried to add improvements for our fans in the ballpark,” Boyer said. “And next year is no different. There will be some changes that will come in addition to the boards. But not ready to talk about those just yet.”
The Cubs added new video boards this season, including a 4,000-foot screen in left field that is part of a large renovation project at Wrigley Field. The San Diego Padres also added a big screen, kicking in a clause under the team’s management agreement that IFSA must replace obsolete components with modern replacements if 75 percent of baseball’s stadiums have it.
“The process that ISFA went through in order to secure the board and what they did was amazing,” Boyer said. “Complete tip of the cap to those guys for all the work and time they put into it. But we’ve got some work to do now, now that we have the boards, of what we have to do to program them.
“It will be a fun process to start next week.”