The Ballpark Stadium of the Future

The Oakland A's sign a deal with the technology company Cisco to replace the Oakland Coleseum for a high-tech new ballpark which will set the standard for future stadiums.

2 minute read

November 14, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"...Chambers led a lively presentation last month demonstrating how Cisco technology and intelligent networks would enable fans at the hypothetical stadium to buy and upgrade tickets through smart cell phones, access real-time scorecards at their seats and buy pictures of themselves from crowd cameras and pay to show them on the Jumbotron.

...Cisco and the A's both have declined to comment about the reported agreement, which would create a 32,000- to 35,000-seat ballpark surrounded by homes and shops on a 143-acre parcel currently held by Cisco."

One observer on Slashdot notes: "The A's are a perfect example of why we all should stop watching baseball. First they threaten to leave Oakland, so the city dumps money into them on the condition that they sell last minute tickets at a price Oakland residents can actually afford. Then a year or so later they complain they need more money and that selling tickets people can actually buy is cutting into their profits and they also want more money to pay off more players because the MLB doesn't have salary caps on players or teams. So Fremont opens their checkbooks and buys the team, and Cisco comes along and to create a new field that will insure nobody from Oakland or Fremont will ever afford a ticket. In a couple years the A's will just pull this crap all over again."

Thanks to Shashdot

Sunday, November 12, 2006 in CNN

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