Signs of the Times

You've likely heard about this by now, but the Dallas Cowboys recently completed their $1.1 Billion new stadium, and the entire facility is outfitted with thousands of display devices: dynamic menus in concession areas, wayfinding kiosks, employee communications displays, you name it.

The stadium also comes replete with a digital signage board which can only be described as ENORMOUS:


The size of that sign is approximately 60 yards long!

Impressive though it is to behold, there's a little problem with this big screen:  Suspended high above the playing field, it's still well within range to be hit by a punted ball.  In fact, it has been hit, several times, in practice sessions.  

League officials were debating whether to force the team to elevate it before pre-season.

As noted by Jeff Mosier of the Dallas Morning News in this article:

"At 90 feet above the ground, the screen exceeds the NFL's minimum height regulations by five feet. But because of its sheer size, the odds of hitting it are high."

I find their predicament a little frightening and amusing at the same time. (No one thought of that happening?  Really?) 

Full disclosure: my husband is a rabid Cowboys fan and an apologist of the highest order.  (When we heard that pizzas sold to the new specialty boxes (which already are priced in the mid-six figures per year) cost $100 a piece (a piece!), rather than cluck in disgust, he demurred that those boxes belonged to corporate sponsors and that they could afford them...if that's not brand loyalty, I don't know what is).

But even he shook his head when the League gave the Cowboys a pass until next year. For now, the sign stays where it is.  I certainly hope there are no unfortunate (or potentially dangerous) mishaps in the meantime, and it would be a shame if that colossal investment were destroyed for the sake of a few feet. 

What does a 60-yard digital signage display go for these days, anyway? No idea, but I'll bet it's a lot of dough...