Projected Size of New Scoreboards

Submitted by Purkinje on

So David Brandon said that we might have new scoreboards next year. (http://detnews.com/article/20101212/SPORTS0201/12120344/1131/rss17) According to his statements, the new scoreboards he envisions will be "30-40% larger" and the "vast majority" of them would be the HD video screen.

Wondering what this would look like, I decided to do a little research. According to the University, the current scoreboards are 48' x 70' (3360 square feet), with 24' x 32' video screens (768 square feet.) (http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/stadium/stadtext/stad1998.htm)

I did some calculations based on the "40% bigger" number, and came up with the size of the new scoreboards to be 47' x 92' (4368 square feet.) This is a pretty massive increase in size, especially considering that nearly all of that would be an HD video screen. Basically, picture an HD screen as big as the current scoreboards plus 1,000 additional square feet... The increase in size from our current video screens to the new ones would be 568%.

My projection puts us at #7 on the list of scoreboards by size. Texas is still almost twice as big as that. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_scoreboards_in_NCAA_colleg…)

Here's hoping.

rcrichlo

December 14th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^

We should compare your estimated sizes to that of some other screen in college football. Auburn comes to mind for having a state of the art big screen. OU has some big screens as well.

If UM gets these screens in I will definitely go to a game next year. Right now I'm thinking maybe the NE game.

Blue_Sox

December 14th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^

Aren't you the one who made the projection of how the scoreboards would look given DB's specifications in another thread? That was also great. I think you should be dubbed "Purveyor of all things Scoreboard-related." I guess I just did. Deal with it. 

 

EDIT: Just saw below that you were indeed the person who did that. Glad you posted that here, too.

psychomatt

December 14th, 2010 at 5:14 PM ^

Can't remember the last time we were so excited to be #7. We are mostly jumping over boards that were installed many years ago. I would have thought we would at least have the largest boards in the conference on the day they were installed. And we will fall further down the list as others upgrade their boards. I would rather DB keep one existing board and install something mega-size on one end. Then, again, maybe I need to accept that we really are turning into ND. This year they were ecstatic they beat Army. Errrr -- go blue?

HeismanPose

December 14th, 2010 at 3:07 PM ^

Whatever they do, I hope they frame it in brick or something.  I think that would look cool.

FWIW, the Washington Nationals scoreboard is 47x102, very close to what you think Michigan's will be:



 

UMxWolverines

December 14th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^

If they extended the video screen down and didn't have the small scoreboard it would be better. Then put the teams and their scores, team with the ball, quarter, down, to go, ball on, and time outs left on the left side. Then put time left and rushing, passing, total on the right to replace the advertisements.