Stadium Lighting a Game-Changer in World of Sports
- August 23, 2016
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Not since Chicago’s Wrigley Field hosted its first baseball game under stadium lights in 1988 has sports stadium lighting been such a game-changer in the sports we play and watch.
With summer heat making conditions completely unbearable across much of the country this summer, more and more high school sports programs are practicing under outdoor stadium lighting when temperatures have cooled a bit.
At Tates Creek High in Lexington, Kentucky, football coach Antoine Sims is holding his practices at 9 p.m. under the pole lights to avoid the scorching weather.
“We’re just trying to beat the heat a little bit,” Sims told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Sims said his football team has to share facilities with other sports and finding a time slot that works can be a challenge.
Jake Cain, energy and sustainability manager at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, likes the arena lights in his basketball gym for different reasons – energy savings and an enhanced spectator experience.
Cain converted to LED lighting fixtures at the school’s Dee Events Center several years ago and has had other schools and even professional teams come to see what he has done.
Since installing 80 LED light fixtures in the Dee Events Center’s ringed “cloud” rigging arrangement, Cain said he is looking at an eight-year return on investment in energy costs.
But the biggest upgrade has been the fan experience. Cain said camera operators are thrilled with the improved visuals.
“By using the type of light we did and the high foot-candles, when you put an HD camera on one of these guys you’re watching every bead of sweat fall off his face as he’s getting ready to shoot that free throw.”
The Syracuse Crunch hockey team of the American Hockey League installed LED flood light last year and the ownership team is happy they made the investment.
“We were not only a dimly lit building but the lights would frequently go out,” said Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon. “We had blackouts during hockey games, and then these lights would take a half an hour to heat up and go back on – not unlike what happened during the Super Bowl in New Orleans. We don’t have that issue anymore,” he added.
Dolgon said the new indoor sports stadium lighting has enhanced the fan experience.
“From a fan perspective, it’s much easier to watch the game, not only in person, but the game translates much better on television,” he said.
In Minnesota, the NFL’s Vikings cut the ribbon on their new U.S. Bank Stadium in July and will play the inaugural season in the new stadium this year.
Part of the new stadium’s luster will be a new high-tech LED lighting system designed to take the fan experience to a new level.
“We’re excited about this state-of-the-art sports lighting system because of the impact it will have on fans inside U.S. Bank Stadium and those watching on broadcast television, said Mark Wilf, Vikings owner. “The versatility and responsiveness of the lighting will positively impact all events at U.S. Bank Stadium, including Super Bowl LII.”
So whether it’s a high school player running an out route under stadium lighting in Kentucky or a tennis player trying to locate a high lob coming over the net, sports lighting is changing the way we play and watch.
Activities and practice sessions once held only in sunlight are now performed under stadium lights, where lighting can actually enhance performance.
At Seattle’s Safeco Field, where new LED stadium lighting was installed last year, the Mariners say the new lights significantly reduce glare and shadows on the field and create a better atmosphere for both players and fans, as well as better color and no flicker on the slow-motion technology for viewers watching on HDTV.
“Thus far, our experience has indicated that the new Mariners LED technology at Safeco Field will be better for our players, fans in the ballpark and viewers at home,” said Joe Garagiola, Jr., senior vice-president for Major League Baseball.