Jumbotron

Abstract

At the 1985 World Science Expo in Tsukuba Science City, Japan, Sony Corporation exhibited the world’s largest television screen, the Jumbotron: Jumbo for big and tron for Sony’s Trinitron television line. This massive vacuum fluorescent display reached a height of 92 feet and could be seen as far as the surrounding country side (McGill). The introduction of the Jumbotron and other big screen displays has dramatically changed the way live events are watched including events as diverse as sporting events, presidential inaugural speeches and papal sermons. Does this oversized cathode ray tube enhance or hinder audience’s experiences at large gatherings? Does the gazing spectator expect to see every image magnified so their myopic lens can absorb and interpret the stream of real time imagery?

Description

Jerry Jones, the Texas Billionaire and owner of the Dallas Cowboys built a $1.2 billion dollar stadium (Lacayo). Included in this coliseum has been a 600-ton colossus Jumbotron. Why would Jerry Jones invest millions of dollars on a 160 ft. television screen, when the Dallas Cowboys has a franchise player like Tony Romo who every season as quarterback dazzles the spectators with sensational scrimmages? The fans want to see the real Tony Romo, not a blown up digitized image of Tony on the playing field. Some diehard fans go to football games to see football, not orchestrated, commercials, sponsors logos and public service announcements, they want to see the grid iron action, not marketing efforts by the national advertising agencies.

At St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City Pope Benedict XVI’s spoke to thousands of parishioners. As the Pope addressed the papal flock, two massive Jumbotrons beamed colorful images of the Pope from his summer residency 17 miles away (Kuhner). Does this modern day electronic technology beaming papal telecasts seem rather out of place and garish amongst the beautiful colonnades and 4000-year old obelisk at St. Peter’s Basilica? Is the Pope’s spiritual message being conveyed properly and with dignity at the holy shrine in Vatican City?

January 21, 2009 an historic event took place at our nation’s Capitol. Thousands of men and women from all races and creeds jammed the Mall to see the 44^th President of the United States sworn into office. And like all huge public events, the Jumbotrons were present, beaming there LED glow across a sea of humanity, echoing “Yes We Can”. This Orwellian sensation was overwhelming. Is this the image the Obama administration wanted to convey -- Big Brother imagery of Barak Obama casting the newly elected presidential shadow over thousands of onlookers?

Rationale

This undertaking is to explain influences and ramifications that are behind large screen projection systems. What aspiring political figure or recording artist would not want their image plastered on a two story visual aid, with fans and political devotes swooning at every word and lyric amplified and enlarged to gigantic proportions?

Why is there an intrinsic need for audiences at public gatherings to be inundated by large television screens? Demophobia, the fear of crowds may be one reason. The reassuring projected images of presidents, rock stars and sports figures at public venues may calm the afflicted thru colorful two-dimensional visuals.

In general people may be freed from their own general anxiety, when exposed to gigantic glaring images of overpowering television screens. In the1939 version of the Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland’s character, Dorothy travels the yellow book road to ask the Wizard for passage back to Kansas. When Dorothy finally meets the Wizard, he is an oversized projection spewing smoke and steam. Suggesting that such a large and powerful image would grant Dorothy passage back to Kansas.

Other assumptions for large video displays are not deeply rooted in the psyche, but are purely monetary. The NHL and NBA charge between $25,000 to $75,000 a season for media packages (Catto).

Media professionals have a responsibility at these large events. What images does the director choose? Close-ups of people smiling? Women in low cut outfits? Two guys fighting over a beer? The kiss Cam? Media accountability is required to sustain crowd control and to pacify the audience into an alpha state of calm.

Sony Corporation has installed several Jumbotron systems around the country at universities and sport arenas. I have been hired as a consultant to help plan and execute training at these institutions and it was apparent at each installation there were power struggles and creative disagreements within the departments that were managing these venues.

Literature Review

In existing work, research is not available for in-depth documentation on audience’s perceptions, feelings, behaviors and expectations on Jumbotron viewing at sporting events and public places. Opinions were expressed concerning stadium experiences with and without the Jumbotrons, but there was an absence of concrete information and quantifiable research on the subject matter of the big screens influence on audiences and pedestrians.

Jumbotron At Wrigley? Don’t Bother.

In this jewel of an article, the Chicagoist spells out exactly why high-definition screens are not needed. Wrigley field has been host to baseball since 1916 and has done quite well without the behemoth video-screen. The fans don’t miss the Kiss Cam, instant replays and marriage proposals (Zaslow). The Jumbotron in this historic stadium would feel gaudy and out of place. Babe Ruth’s memory would be stained with the shadow of this LED behemoth lurking over right field. Baseball at Wrigley field is different since it regards the sport as more than an entrainment experience, but as a living history of an American pastime.

Communicating Love: Friendship in the Technological Age

DeSales University sponsored a writing contest promoting new technologies, relationships and respect. Matthew Kuhner, an honors student and philosophy major, won the “best student essay” of 2009. Kuhner’s article emphasizes the Vatican’s understanding of technology in evangelism and finding fresh ways to fulfill Christ’s mission (Kuhner). Kuhner understands to help spread the gospel and the Pope’s message at St. Peter’s Basilica they needed two gigantic Jumbotrons to accomplish that. The church accepts that they are not a perfect aesthetic fit at St. Peter Square, but the Jumbotrons communicate the Pope’s message in a grand visual style, which brings comfort to his flock.

Troops Bid Bush Farwell at Andrews Air Force Base

The Jumbotron was strategically placed in the hanger at Andrews Air Force base where 4,000 service man and women watched the inaugural ceremonies of President Barak Obama being sworn in as the 44^th president of the United States. Then through the lens of network news cameras, George W. Bush lifted of the Capitol grounds aboard the Marine Corps VH-60 helicopter (Agency Group 9). The crowd cheered as the former president entered the hanger at Andrews Air Force base. Children climbed on parents’ shoulders to catch a better glimpse of the outgoing president (Agency Group 9). In this article by the Regulatory Intelligence Database, the crowd was not entirely enthusiastic when President Obama was sworn into office, but when Mr. Bush arrived the mood of the audience drastically changed to yips and yelps. The Jumbotron impact at this event was a reflection of the crowd’s mood and temperament toward the incoming president and the author’s bias for the Bush Administration.

George W. Bush’s Sci-Fi Disaster

14 blocks from the Nations Capitol Robert Parry and his son Jeff watched the inaugural proceedings on one of the many Jumbotrons set up around the white marble buildings surrounding the Capitol. The mood at this big screen viewing was festive and mocking of the Bush Administration, one group started singing, “Hit the road, Jack” when Dick Cheney was wheeled into the television cameras view (Parry). Parry felt at this viewing there was more joy and cheering when President Obama was sworn into office than the January 20^th 2001 swearing in of President Bush.

1.8 million people braved the cold that wintery morning, without a single inaugural police-related arrest. There were cheers of yips and yelps, at the Jumbotron, but this time for the incoming president, not the outgoing one.

Robert Parry is an award winning recipient of the George Polk Award, of the Iran-Contra affair. Parry has also written several books criticizing the George W. Bush administration.

Jumbo Dreams

Jack Jones a writer for Sports Illustrated examines the history and popularity of the Jumbotron (The Jumbotron is a generic term for large video screen installations).

According to Jones, the first giant glittering scoreboard can be traced to the Diamond Vision system by Mitsubishi installed at Dodger Stadium in 1980. Now virtually every pro and college athletic venue has bowed to the consumer demand for the big screen (Jones). Jones feels the Jumbotron is made for football, with its hail Mary passes, high fives, cheer leaders and Roman pageantry. Even the players use the giant screen to their advantage, checking where potential opponents are located on the playing field. The players also use the Jumbotron as the 13^th man says New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara, pumping us up during the game.

There are rules using the Jumbotron, for instance “the home team must use discretion in showing replays that could cause strong fan reaction” as stated in the NFL game operations manual. The video director of the large screen television feed cannot show the referees missed the penalty of the opposing team over and over again.

Jones recognizes Jumbotron viewing is a technology in flux, the new video apparatus may be 3-D LED screens or portable hand held devices that allow the spectator to choose the video feeds from the stadium (Anadpura). As the former Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm as quoted as saying, “We are not selling football games, we are selling events, we have to have pageantry, excitement and crowds.”

From Tiles to Pixels: Media and the City

Roy Stickland writes a Blade Runneresque narrative of public spaces blitzkrieg by PC screens to Jumbotrons and a never ending stream of words, images and sounds challenges of place (Strickland). Shinjuku, Japan or Times Square in New York City are examples of artificial environments that distract from the natural order. Strickland believes the cacophony and collision of media in Times Square are just options for creative expressions, learning and commercialism. The “cool media” environment helps to shape the Jumbotron experience, but Times Square may overwhelm the messages from the latest Jumbotron commercial, drowning out the video at the New York Times Building. In the ancient port city of Ostia, near Rome, mosaics lined the city walls and floors. These mosaics were forms of advertisements, advertising services, merchants and local restaurants. With hundreds of pedestrians strolling the ancient streets of Ostia, those Romans probably felt the discord and tension staring at the garish mosaic advertisements, similar to the feelings that arise from tourist from Kansas, who are visiting Time Square for the first time.

Methodology / Research

The consortium of research will focus on extensive interviews, examining cost benefit analysis, return on investment and quantifiable objectives of the social impact of the big screen. Extensive phone and in person interviews with associated research and analysis will focus on the impact of the Jumbotron, on the game, the players and the fans. In public spaces interviews will be conducted with pedestrians, social and public art activists, city officials, advertisers and marketing officials.

Informal conversational interviews and general interview guide approach will be used to collect data on Jumbotron viewing. Types of questions to be asked will need to be analyzed for effectiveness. Behaviors, opinions, feelings and knowledge need to be taken into account before samples questions are used. Standardized, open-ended interview and closed, fixed-response interview techniques will be used to assure accuracy in sampling (Shrivastava/Valenzuela).

Interviews with respondents will be audio taped to insure accuracy. Questions will be asked one at a time, interviewers will remain neutral. (Shrivastava/Valenzuela).

These are some examples of questions to be asked.

Do you see the benefit of the Jumbotron screen in this stadium?

Do you find the Jumbotron screen a distraction watching this event?

Do you find you watch the Jumbotron screen more than the playing field?

Do you pay attention to the commercials on the Jumbotron screen?

When you do watch the Jumbotron screen, what do you find yourself watching?

Do you always watch the replays on the Jumbotron screen?

As a player do you watch the Jumbotron screen?

As a player, do you think about doing something fancy on the playing field to be shown later on a highlight reel on the Jumbotron?

As a coach do you watch in Jumbotron screen?

The interview process would include the following subjects and locations:

1. Location: University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona. Wildcats (Football)

Respondents: Athletic Director, Marketing Managers, Advertising Agencies, University President, Ticket Holders, Television Production Crew, Team Clubs, Advertisers, Team Sponsors, Coaches and Players.

2. Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona Diamondbacks (Baseball)

Respondents: General Manager, Marketing Managers, Advertising Agencies, Ticket Holders, Television Production Crew, Advertisers, Team Sponsors, Coaches and Players.

3. Location: The Northern Liberties Jumbotron, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Respondents: Advertising Agencies, Pedestrians, Commerce Partners, Merchants,

4. Location: Daktronics, Brookings, South Dakota, Manufacture.

Respondents: President, Marketing Manager.

After the interview process is completed interpreting the data will become an important factor in the accuracy of the information received. Respondent’s answers will need to be transcribed from previous audio recordings. The information will be codified and collated and arguments will be explored and researched against existing material.

Bibliography

Agency Group 09, "Troops Bid Bush Farewell at Andrews Air Force Base". FDCH Regulatory Intelligence Database. April, 24, 2010 .

Anandpura , Atul. "Video Display Device and Method for Video Display From Multiple Angles Each Relevant To the Real Time Position Of A User". United States Patent Application Publication Feb, 14, 2008: p1-p5.

Catto, Susan. "Mobile's goodwill potential". Marketing Magazine 11/12/2007: p7.

Daniels, Chris. "Racing for Eyeballs". Marketing Magazine 12/10/2007: p45-p48.

Elliott, Sturat "Sony's Times Square Jumbotron has begun to attract advertisers". The New York Times August 31, 1993: p 18.

"Jumbotron At Wrigley? Don't Bother". Chicagoist. April/20/2010 .

Kuhner, Matthew. "Communicating Love: Friendship in the Technological Age". The Salesian Center. April, 20, 2010 .

Lacayo, Richard. "How' Bout That Stadium?". Time 9/28/09: p52.

McCallum , Jack. "Jumbo Dream". Sports Illustrated 1/26/2009: p56-p62.

McGill, Peter. "A high-tech world of wonders in Japan". Maclean's March 18, 1985: p40-p41.

Parry, Robert. "George W. Bush’s Sci-Fi Disaster". consortiumnews.com. April 15, 2010 .

Popik, Barry. "Jumbotron". The Big Apple. April, 21, 2010 .

Robles, Erica Ann. "Exurban Sublime: The Crystal Cathedral of Orange County". Department of Communication Stanford University p50-p54.

Stanley, Alessandra. "A Day Best Captured By Image, Not Narrative". The New York Times January 21, 2009: Pg.6.

Stirckland, Roy. "From Tiles to Pixels: Media and the City". Places 12-31-2006: p4-p5.

"Twins Rally". TV Technology. 4/19/2010 .

Valenzuela, Dapzury. Shrivastava, Pallavi "Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research". Arizona State University. May, 4, 2010 .

Zaslow, Jeffrey. "Moving On: Love and the Jumbotron: Why Men Turn Marriage Proposals Into Public Events". The Wall Street Journal August 4, 2005: pg. D.1.