Knoxville, Tenn. (WATE) — Positioned in the middle of the outfield at the newly opened stadium for the Smokies sits the largest video board in Minor League Baseball.
\”You aim higher, yet you realize that someone will surpass you the following year. Still, we\’ll embrace that setback this year and find joy in it,\” stated Chris Allen, the president of the Smokies.
It\’s not just any video board; the centerpiece of the outfield takes the form of Tennessee’s outline.
“It was honestly something on a whim. We obviously had been talking about developing a stadium for a long time. Our executive team has been traveling all over for a couple of years now, looking at other ballparks and if you travel to Nashville and you see their videoboard which is a guitar which I think is very fitting,” Allen said.
That’s when the perfect idea hit.
We began brainstorming, and I suggested having a videoboard shaped like Tennessee because I felt it would appear quite impressive. We both agreed it was a thoughtful addition and provides a distinctive visual element for spectators as they enter the stadium.
As the team transitions to Knoxville, they will henceforth be known as the Knoxville Smokies. The new videoboard incorporates a subtle reference to their former identity, yet primarily opts for an approach that felt like a natural progression.
Tennesseans have such immense pride in their state,\” he stated. \”I believe this is appropriate, even if we used to be referred to as the Kodak Smokies at the former stadium. So, I think they will continue to feel very proud, and I\’m confident the fans are going to adore it.
The video board introduces a unique element to the new stadium.
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“This is a unique ballpark. If you come and visit this ballpark, you’re someone like me, you go to a lot of minor league ballparks you come here were gonna have something you’ve probably never seen before.”
A videoboard that sets the Smokies apart in more than ways than one, just as it was intended to.
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