Cisco to bring wired experience to new Yankee Stadium

November 11, 2008 by Benjamin Kabak 13 Comments

The Yankees and Cisco have announced the details of their impending partnership. The new stadium will now be chock full o’ technology goodies including:

Yankees Fan Amenities: For all Yankees fans who don’t want to miss a moment of on-field action, Cisco will provide the live game broadcast on HD video monitors displayed throughout the stadium, including concession areas, the Great Hall, the Yankees Museum and other in-stadium restaurant and bar locations. Along with the live game broadcast, monitors will be capable of simultaneously providing up-to-date sports scores, Yankees trivia, news and weather from a single viewing screen. At the conclusions of games, these monitors will allow the Yankees the ability to direct patrons to the nearest exits and provide up-to-the-moment traffic information. In the event of an emergency, all stadium monitors can be immediately and uniformly mobilized to display evacuation instructions. On non-game days, these same monitors can be used to display customized content and information for special events such as conferences, weddings and other group activities.

Premium Luxury Fan: Premium luxury suites will be outfitted with touch- screen Internet Protocol (IP) phones that will allow fans to order concessions and Yankees merchandise for delivery to the suite.

Fans of the Future: Cisco and the New York Yankees have also kept an eye toward the future to ensure that the stadium remains state-of-the-art for years to come. For example, the new stadium is equipped to support future fan use of mobile devices for ordering concessions from their seat, viewing instant replays or chatting in real time with friends inside and outside the stadium. In addition, the stadium has the capability to allow fans to communicate with players before or after the game using interactive video-based technology.

According to another report, the Yanks are paying Cisco between $15 and $16 million to wire the stadium and install approximately 1100 monitors through the new ballpark. Basically, the Yanks are serving as the test run for the StadiumVision technology Cisco would love to install everywhere.

And in the end, isn’t this what the new ballpark is all about? It’s supposed to be a showcase of modern stadium technology and a money-making machine for the Yanks. The suites will be equipped with touch-screen concessions ordering capabilities, and technology will pervade a baseball game. Call me a traditionalist, but when I’m at the stadium, I like the game to unfold in front of me. While we’ll probably be able update RAB from the stadium, I’ll save the blogging for home. Now get off my lawn while you’re at it too.

mooks

Um, I actually like some of this stuff, mostly for replays and stats and being able to view different camera angles (whenever the hell that is).

Its kind of like crossing the home experience with the live stadium experience, getting the best of both worlds, and being priced gauged like hell for it.
Scott of 3 Kids Tickets

Except for ordering food, I’ll pass. My phone does everyting I need at the stadium. I don’t need my ticket prices hiked once again to pay for this crap.
-Scott
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  Meh, I think your ticket prices will be hiked irrespective of whether or not Cisco puts in a gaggle of videoscreens or not.
- steve (different one)
  
  not trying to be a dick, but aren’t you a ticket broker?
  
  can a ticket broker really complain about ticket price hikes?
  - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
    
    Well, higher COGS means a higher resale price… that crimps demand.
    
    Resellers love cheap goods, they’re easier to mark up and maximize profit.
A.D.

Sounds awesome, it’ll be nice being able to see the game on clear TVs when hitting the concession stand.
- usty
  
  Of course, now with open concourses, you’ll be able to see the game when you’re at the concession stand.
pat

im on the list for a brain implant so all i have to do is think about a concession and it gets delivered.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  With automatic billing, that would be a dangerous, dangerous thing.
  - Andy In Sunny Daytona
    
    River Ave. Hookers
Januz

I am 100% in favor of the new technology, and too much is made of the costs. There is little doubt that I am in the minority on this (As I am on the new stadium in general). In fact, I know one certain blogger here, who is against this, but favored picking up Pavano’s option (I would pay Cisco over Pavano ANY DAY of the week).
The deal that the Yankees made with Cisco, may be of a historical nature. Cisco has been trying to demonstrate some of their new technologies for quite sometime now, but because of the various costs, the economy and other issues they have not been successful (They sold the Oakland A’s the land in Fremont, to build their new ballpark, which was going to be called “Cisco Field”. It was going to be a prototype stadium, and be the most technologically advanced in the world. However, due to politics, and economics, they have not gotten even a shovel in the ground). The Yankees and their fans, will be the reaping the benefits of the A’s loss. What makes it historical, the cutting edge technology of the the next decade, will be on display NEXT year, and it will be increasing as time goes by. The bandwidth increase alone at the stadium is sick…….. For instance, the stadium’s offices will see a dramatic increase in bandwidth. “Our computers are running at a bandwidth of 100 megabits, while our next stadium will be running with 10 gigabits,” Lonn Trost, the Yankees’ COO, said during the conference. “We won’t be using the T1 lines — we’ll be using D3 providing 135 gigabits. Our ability to function within that building will be greatly enhanced.” source: http://www.internetnews.com. The applications that this offers are basically unlimited. To read about the way it works, check out this. http://www.sampledigital.com/d3System/howitworks2.html – 12k. The people who will appreciate the Yankees investment are the 20 somethings (And younger), who see the wired world as the future, with unlimited growth potential.
The new technology and stadium, and the profit potentials of them will eventually allow the Yankees to leave the rest of the AL East in the dust, and will play a major role in winning more championships.
Louis

Once tried to bring a laptop into stadium…angry policeman wouldnt let me in and had to store it at shady bowling alley across the street! Fortunately was there after game.
Januz

The attitudes about laptops, cell phones, etc is changing, there is no doubt about it. As for the Yankee/Cisco deal here is a very interesting article from the San Jose Mercury News about the deal. I am supplying the link to it. This article explains things very clearly why this deal is very important to Cisco, the Yankees, and the fans. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci
I found this quote by Hal Steinbrenner very interesting: “Some of it is technology I didn’t know existed,” Hal Steinbrenner, co-chairperson of the Yankees, said at a New York City press conference”……. This shows me, that this team is forward thinking, willing to take chances and is not afraid to embrace real change. This is a positive attitude to take (Particularly when this is occuring in a poor economic environment, and you know certain columnists are just waiting, sharpening their knives, and can’t wait for the next excuse to hammer the Yankees for ANYTHING they do. Such as spending money on the stadium or technology, while the “Community is being oppressed” or Ticket prices are going up” (Mike Lupica & Juan Gonzalez come to mind)).
I give a grade of A-PLUS to the Yankees for moving forward, and not being afraid of their critics.