Maybe the plans for this were in place when the Rockets thought they might be getting Dwight Howard and fans would need a bigger screen to see him on, but the team is installing the biggest indoor, center-hung video screen in the United States.
Before you say, “bigger than Cowboys Stadium? Impossible!” Cowboys Stadium in Arlington has a retractable roof, which technically makes it an indoor/outdoor venue.
The new video board in the Rockets’ Toyota Center will have four sides. The wider sides will be 25 feet tall and 58 feet wide, and the smaller sides facing the baseline will be 25 feet by 25 feet (the Cowboys Stadium screen is 72 feet by 160 feet, so about three times as big).
"This is an exciting day for the Toyota Center and the more than 1.3 million patrons who attend events here each year," said Houston Rockets and Clutch City Sports & Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Tad Brown. "(Owner Leslie) Alexander has always challenged us to find innovative ways of improving the fan experience, and this new scoreboard is quite simply going to be the best-in-class among indoor arenas in the country."
Like I said, maybe this idea was cooked up when the Rockets thought they might get Dwight Howard and could actually be good, but what’s the point of spending all that money to put in a huge video screen if the team isn’t going to compete?
I know the Rockets are trying hard to become one of the solid, big market teams. They went after the superstar and failed and now they’re trying this gimmick to land more attention. It may work and people may flock to the Toyota Center in droves to see the giant TV, but what will they be watching? Probably not a playoff team.
If you’re a San Antonio Spurs fan, are you a little jealous of the Rockets’ new video board, or would you rather have the team’s money focused elsewhere?
(photo via Fox Sports)
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