With March Madness at the forefront of sports fans’ radars, we certainly have basketball on the mind. What makes a basketball game great? Some people may say a great team to watch or friends and refreshments, but for us, having our eyes and ears on the action is our top priority. And, when you’re not sitting courtside, tech is your friend.
In celebration of one of the most popular collegiate sporting events of the year, here are some of our favorite university stadiums that keep us immersed in the plays, scores, and sounds through digital signage, stellar tech, and their histories.
4 College Arenas We Love
Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome
Home of the Syracuse University Orange, the Carrier Dome is the largest on-campus arena in the U.S., hosting 49,262 seats for football/lacrosse and 34,616 for basketball.
Due to its massive size (527,320 square feet of floor space) it is known as the “LOUD HOUSE,” causing it to be tough for opponents due to the large number of fans cheering.
Eighteen million people have passed through the Dome’s revolving doors since the building’s first public event in 1980! Over the years, the Dome has been upgraded several times.
Most recently, the university installed a LED video display system with two video boards (15′ x 25′), along with 58 color TVs for the back rows of the second and first levels. Further, a 360-degree ribbon board displays video and graphics in uncompressed AVI. The boards are graphically flexible, allowing technicians to design various scoreboard displays, such as splitting the screen into various windows, running live videos and replays, showing pre-produced elements and segments, and displaying the time, score, and additional stats.
Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium
Home of the Duke Blue Devils, the Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of the more historic venues in the country and also one of the smallest. First opened in 1940, the Cameron has continually undergone a series of improvements to enhance the game day experience.
For example, its state-of-the-art press table features 90-feet of LED technology. Still, new seating, technology, and paint have not altered, but rather enhanced the stadium’s spirit.
The Blue Devils have had an amazing amount of success in Cameron, winning over 80 percent of their games.
The University of Kanas’ Allen Fieldhouse
Opened in 1955, the Allen Fieldhouse was named in honor of the late Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years. It holds 16,300 seats, with a recent $3.5 million renovation paving the way for new and larger restrooms and concession stands, an elevator, and larger and more accessible entryways.
Today, Allen Fieldhouse hosts approximately 30 home basketball games every year. These games are known to be loud—ESPN The Magazine even named Allen Fieldhouse the loudest college basketball arena in the country. The arena also broke the Guinness World Record for loudest roar on February 13, 2017 against West Virginia, coming in at 130.4 dB!
University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena
Opened in 1976, the Rupp Arena is large, seating more than 23,50. Here the University of Kentucky Wildcats own the record for the most wins in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball history!
Recently, the Rupp Arena underwent renovations to improve the fan experience, including the addition of a new center-hung scoreboard, 15mm advertising ribbon boards, wireless internet for fans, improved roof infrastructure, the replacement of 16mm LED corner video boards with 6mm LED video boards to produce HD quality image, a new audio speaker system, the replacement of the LED scorer’s table with a 6mm version and moving the old 10mm scorer’s table to the opposite side of the floor for radio broadcast seating, the replacement of static ad panels in the lower four corners of the arena with LED ad panels, and more!
Are you watching the March Madness tournament? Who would you like to watch live?