Notre Dame Stadium is Getting a Jumbotron
Ever since the Campus Crossroads project was announced in the spring of 2013, speculation ran wild that the addition of a jumbotron to Notre Dame Stadium would be part of the upgrades. On Tuesday that speculation became reality when Notre Dame announced the addition of a new “video board” in the south end-zone for the 2017 season among other much needed upgrades.
So there you have it. Notre Dame will finally have a Jumbotron in the stadium for in-game replays, pre-game introductions, and other in-game fan entertainment. Such an addition has long been debated, and staunchly opposed by many traditionalist fans, but based on everything Notre Dame said in its announcement today, it’s hard to argue with the addition.
Just like the video boards in Purcell Pavillon and the Compton Family Ice Arena, one thing that will not be featured on the new video board is advertising. Notre Dame successfully added video boards in both venues without introducing any sort of advertising. So rest assured Irish fans. There will not be a “kiss cam” coming into the House that Rock Built anytime soon.
For any fan who has sat in Notre Dame Stadium during a prolonged instant replay wondering what the heck actually happened on the play in doubt, they will soon be able to see replays in brilliant display in the near future.
Other Notre Dame Stadium Enhancements
The new jumbotron was not the only improvement to Notre Dame announced on Tuesday. All of the following enhancements are on their way as well.
- Improved sound system. Another much needed improvement ever since Notre Dame started playing in-game music during games in 2011.
- Vinyl Seats. Notre Dame will be replacing the wooden benches with vinyl covered bleachers.
- 18 inch seating spaces. Each seat in Notre Dame Stadium will be at least 18 inches wide.
- Improved Wifi throughout the stadium. No more need for a mophie pack to make it through a game.
- Renovations to restrooms and increased women’s restrooms.
- Renovations to the concessions throughout the stadium.
All in all, it is hard to argue with any of these enhancements and yes that includes the Jumbotron. Many old school fans don’t think it makes a difference or that it shouldn’t make a difference on the recruiting front, but other schools hammer home little things like the lack of Jumbotron as reasons that Notre Dame is behind the times. So from a recruiting standpoint, it’s a no-brainer.
From a fan experience standpoint, having the ability to see replays and have highlight reels or in-game highlights during those lengthy NBC TV timeouts will no doubt help keep the energy level high throughout the game. If you don’t agree, just wait until the first pre-game Notre Dame historical highlight package put together by the WatchND folks is displayed throughout the stadium. Those guys can make a 90 second video featuring the top plays from a single day of practice entertaining, just wait til we see what they can do with creating a pre-game hype up video.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Apologize for the respectively misspell.
I grew up with Rock’s House and I’ve lived through one addition, which was done well, respecting that stadium with a needed addition. Kelly, Swarbrick and Jenkins aren’t seeing the big picture. College football capitalism has officially overtaken the beautiful simple tradition that is Notre Dame… something that never needed to adapt to the “change or die” attitude. We need people in charge that love this place for what it was and what it is, not for what they can do to leave their stamp. While no doubt architecturally sound and attractive in its own right, this building design is not representative of Notre Dame football. Turf fields and Jumbotron’s are nothing more than ploys to save and make more money, respcctively… plain and simple. The fact that Notre Dame would associate itself with such weak ideals is not only in direct opposition to Catholic (and Hesburgh) values but appalling to people who believe in leading by example and optimizing for the good of all. $75 for a college football game? Despicable. At least we know what the money is going to. Until they start advertising on the jumbotrons which is of course an inevitability. Then I don’t know where all the money will go to… maybe another great idea.
If it does explode, they could replay it on the jumbo trim
It will be a faint noise, so pay close attention.
Notre Dame our mother, pray for us.
If you listen carefully you can hear bj’s head exploding !