Sarah, Mini, Trent, Sam W.<\/p>\n
Understand Levi Stadium<\/b><\/p>\n
Levi stadium is introducing a comprehensive wireless experience, with a stadium that can handle massive bandwidth and an app\u2026\u201dthat will enhance your gameday experience with features including mobile tickets and parking passes, mobile ordering of food and beverages, wayfinding to navigate around the building, and a \u201cgame center\u201d for high-definition video replays.\u201dInitial thoughts on the game and the 49ers<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a turf war\u201d<\/p>\n
Making symbolic hay here, but the 49ers used to play in Golden Gate Park on the corner of Haight and Ashbury Street. Those days were really cosmic. There aren\u2019t even parking lots around the stadium. Steve Spurrier, their quarterback for 9 years in the mid 60s and 70s, used to park in front of some hippies\u2019 crash pad before games. Characters, he said, \u201cyou couldn\u2019t figure out with a slide rule.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1970 the team moved to Candlestick from Kezar Park. It\u2019s interesting to note the 49ers have never had their own dedicated stadium until now.<\/p>\n
That the stadium has moved from Golden Gate Park to the south side of the city, down to Santa Clara is something to pay attention to. The SAP tower has a view out the back to look out over Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
Expert Interview<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Levi’s stadium is introducing a comprehensive wireless experience, with a stadium that can handle massive bandwidth and an app\u2026\u201dthat will enhance your gameday experience with features including mobile tickets and parking passes, mobile ordering of food and beverages, wayfinding to navigate around the building, and a \u201cgame center\u201d for high-definition video replays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our team spoke with Ran Henry, football aficionado, journalist, and author of the upcoming book, \u201cSpurrier: How The Ball Coach Taught the South to Play Football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Top Level Insights<\/b><\/p>\n List of User Activities<\/b><\/p>\n Initial thoughts on the game and the 49ers<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cIt is a turf war\u201d<\/p>\n Making symbolic hay here, but the 49ers used to play in Golden Gate Park on the corner of Haight and Ashbury Street. Those days were really cosmic. There aren\u2019t even parking lots around the stadium. Steve Spurrier, their quarterback for 9 years in the mid 60s and 70s, used to park in front of some hippies\u2019 crash pad before games. Characters, he said, \u201cyou couldn\u2019t figure out with a slide rule.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1970 the team moved to Candlestick from Kezar Park. It\u2019s interesting to note the 49ers have never had their own dedicated stadium until now.<\/p>\n That the stadium has moved from Golden Gate Park to the south side of the city, down to Santa Clara is something to pay attention to. The SAP tower has a view out the back to look out over Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n (Side note: Jerry Walker is the curator of the new SF\u2019s 49er museum at Levi, and we can get in contact with him if need be.)<\/p>\n Full Expert Interview<\/b><\/p>\n Can you take me through a typical game day? List as many details as you can.<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s a huge difference in my experience, if you have tickets or if you\u2019re out scalping. It must be stated immediately that it\u2019s a huge differential. If you have plans to tail gait or not is also a huge variable.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just unbelievable what people bring to the area around the stadium\u2014kitchen utensils, cooking gear.<\/p>\n Territoriality is a huge concept here\u2014who gets to park closer to the stadium? There\u2019s a pecking order among fans.<\/p>\n The ticket scalping experience is all about getting close to the action, and tailgating experiences are the same.<\/p>\n Think about the hotel situation\u2014the tiniest room in a holiday inn will rent for $400-$500 on game day.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know how those tailgating spots work out\u2014-but there about to spend about 14.5million dollars to tear up the concrete and install grass around the stadium at the University in South Carolina.<\/p>\n There was one couple that was really upset about being moved back from the stadium 70 yards or so in the new configuration, after years of tailgating.<\/p>\n Once the team starts to warm up, the more hardcore fans head into the stadium. The starting quarterback might be based on how the warmups happen. That\u2019s about 20 minutes before kick-off.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a full day\u2014people show up with their slow cooker. There\u2019s a lot of football actually being played\u2026from ball passing to full games. Families are there with kids.<\/p>\n And the jerseys\u2026people are in team jerseys. They\u2019re wearing shirts by the players they identify with. They’re taking on the qualities of the mascots.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something soulless about representing cities.<\/p>\n How do people relate to being a 49er?<\/b><\/p>\n I guess the whole thing with them was the gold rush. If you haven\u2019t seen A View to a Kill lately, you should.<\/p>\n The incredible power of your rival is that they are the mirror image of you. The chomp and the chop\u2026UF and FSU. But back to those rituals\u2026everyone knows the chants and the cheers\u2026it\u2019s the group assimilation idea. Spurrier is always saying that football is the ultimate team sport.<\/p>\n Take the Florida fans\u2014they are so loud when the other team has the ball\u2026humming out Ommmmmmmmm. And it\u2019s quite loud. The crowd can get so loud, the player\u2019s helmets will rattle. But when the home team has the ball, its pin quiet.<\/p>\n The idea is that the fan in the stands can indeed influence the outcome of the game. Like in Louisiana, they\u2019re just loud there.<\/p>\n I think NFL fans are a little bit more bloodthirsty. There\u2019s what, 2,000 jobs in the NFL in the full-time squads? The guys that make it are incredible athletes. The hits are harder, and it causes your average spectator to celebrate a major collision between two human beings. You can\u2019t downplay that. All those weekday frustrations find an outlet. That\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n All NFL stadiums sell alcohol, and I\u2019ve seen some serious dust-offs. If you wear a jersey of a visiting team, you\u2019re going to get some serious talk back.<\/p>\n What about during the game?<\/b><\/p>\n To elucidate the idea of fans\u2014there\u2019s always some schmuck who will try to kick a field goal for $25,000, and they always fail. Fans get to cheer, and jeer. That\u2019s become a game day staple. And the subwoofer\u2014it\u2019s mind-bending how low and subsonic that can get. There\u2019s gotta to be something going on every minute. For example, South Carolina put in a giant<\/p>\n In Candlestick, they had to change the wind patterns with screens. The projector was pretty antiquated. You\u2019d think it would be the opposite.<\/p>\n Of course, now at Levi you get to watch on wifi. But you\u2019re at the game??<\/p>\n What\u2019s the value?<\/b><\/p>\n The replays have a different camera\u2026but really, it\u2019s savoring those great moments. Football is a hard game to watch. Most people might just know the quarterback got sacked, but there\u2019s so much set-up going on.<\/p>\n What about looking at a phone versus a massive video screen?<\/b><\/p>\n You can\u2019t under-appreciate the way the NFL induces communities to put huge resources into these stadiums and the big carrot there is the Superbowl. How much is Levi paid for by the Valley versus the 49ers?<\/p>\n Spectacle of the video screen?<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019ve never spent a game looking at my phone, so I don\u2019t have an emotional connection.<\/p>\n I snuck into the Superbowl in 1989 and the half-time trick was to turn the seat cushions over in synchrony. The idea of spectacle can\u2019t be leaned on too heavily. This whole idea that people will be looking at their phones versus a video board would be radical.<\/p>\n I do notice the people I\u2019m around though, and one thing about phones is that everyone has to know about scores, even from other games\u2026particularly the ones that affect your team. Phones are a conduit to knowing and in that I\u2019ve seen a lot of people on their phones. The idea that phones being used to keep up with the game right in front of you, in Levi Stadium, that would be a new thing.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your understanding of how the fans fit into the tech vision<\/b><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that they do. The locals at Candlestick were the arbiters of legacy, but I don\u2019t where they fit into this new stadium. The locals are going to affect the demographics of the people in the stadium.<\/p>\n At Candlestick it was not hard to find people wearing old jerseys. Where are the people who watched when the games were at Kezar?<\/p>\n And the hardcore fans who would travel? Their tech experience is lower. I wonder what the pricing structure is different from Candlestick.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t talk to anyone at Candlestick who would pay $500 for a sushi meal at Levi. Not one. It\u2019s a different breed of person.<\/p>\n How vociferous will these new Silicon Valley folks be versus your hardcore fan?<\/p>\n How much is this a TV experience? How does the stadium look on TV?<\/p>\n What would people want in their new stadium?<\/b><\/p>\n I just don\u2019t think that for the average football fans that amenities are that big of a thing. Like think about aluminum slates versus having chair backs. Something as simple as that would work for the hardcore fans.<\/p>\n What about food?<\/b><\/p>\n I think to junk food out is their goal\u2026to go back to that idea of the weekend release. It\u2019s very primal\u2014nachos, big slices of cheese on your hamburger.<\/p>\n I sense very strongly that Levi stadium would be the antithesis of that.<\/p>\n There\u2019s some sociological import to food selection. Certainly. The traditional stadium fare couldn\u2019t be more elemental.<\/p>\n Tell me a bit about Candlestick Park. Was there anything about it that stuck out to you? Or seemed unusual?<\/b><\/p>\n Yeah, those video screens were tiny. Again, the whole idea of bringing the TV experience to the stadium. And the bleachers were designed to be reconfigured for baseball. The stadium didn\u2019t fully look like a football stadium. Stadium design matters in influencing the crowds ability to be right on top of the action, and to have an impact on the game. At Candlestick it was the other side of the field, the visiting team\u2019s side, that the baseball configuration matters. Fans were more removed from the game.<\/p>\n What would you expect to be able to experience in the new Levi\u2019s Stadium, based on your experience in Candlestick?<\/b><\/p>\n Any fan would say, first and foremost, just a great seat. The closer you are to the game the fewer distractions there are, but the further up you get the more distractions you need, because the players look like ants down there. Configuration matters there.<\/p>\n How is watching a game at an arena different than watching with a bunch of friends at home? What are the key activities?<\/b><\/p>\n The commentators are typically ex-athletes, and it\u2019s an entirely different experience when they\u2019re not there. Another aspect of the arena experience is that people will wear headsets to get that auditory experience. They can\u2019t watch the game without it. Maybe that\u2019s where a phone could come in. The announcer is nothing like a TV commentary.<\/p>\n I feel when I watch with friends that I haven\u2019t really watched a game. There\u2019s less focus. That\u2019s a definite. Friends are distracting and football is a hard game to watch. There\u2019s 11 different battles going on in each play. There\u2019s a camaraderie but you don\u2019t get as much of the game.<\/p>\n What about groups of people at the arena?<\/b><\/p>\n Season ticket holders are the same people week in and week out in the same section. To me it\u2019s probably a huge social thing, but they\u2019re less focused. The number of season tickets at Levi would be something to look into, and how they apportioned those tickets would be a big deal. These are your real fans.<\/p>\n They\u2019re rowdier. They bring a lot to the stadium experience. They\u2019ve had those same seats for years and decades.<\/p>\n What do you during downtime between plays while you\u2019re at an arena?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n There barely is. The advent of the hurry-up offense is a big factor here. The number of plays has gone up over time. There\u2019s always something going on. Great care and choreography is taken to not have a second of downtime. At the very least you\u2019re going to hear a snippet of a song.<\/p>\n What about while you\u2019re watching with friends at home? \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n That\u2019s the commercials. At the stadium you feel that. That the game gets dragged on because at home they\u2019re seeing more commercials. In the bigger games there\u2019s more downtime because there\u2019s more commercials being sold and you can definitely feel that.<\/p>\n The commercials definitely do take you out of the game. There has to be at least three and a half to four minutes of commercials per break.<\/p>\n What get the fans in an arena most excited?<\/b><\/p>\n I would say some kind of highlight clips that perhaps recount the first half. Other than that it would be something on the field. Highlight clips generally have slow-motion. \u201cDid you see that hit!\u201d They have amazing production values considering it just happened. And never forget, there\u2019s that camera on the field now, and it feels like a video game. It can see what the quarterback sees and it can swoop around very quickly.<\/p>\n I would be very interested in how the advent of video games has affected multiple aspects of the game, even the training aspect.<\/p>\n Do you have any stories about a bad time you had during a football game?<\/b><\/p>\n Losing. The air goes out of the building. Neurologically and biologically, a man\u2019s testosterone goes up and down 20-40% based on whether the team wins or loses. That\u2019s a big part of it. People screaming? For four hours? And in a pro football game, the teams are so damn good that teams lose all the time. And there\u2019s no comparison between winning and losing in a pro stadium. And home field advantage is going to be an interesting thing to watch at Levi.<\/p>\n People are talking about the small details. There\u2019s vicarious experience and everyone\u2019s an armchair commentator or quarterback. There\u2019s a great manly code being expressed.<\/p>\n If you could collect any kind of information on fans at a game, what would you collect?<\/b><\/p>\n This is something I\u2019ve thought carefully about. It\u2019s just that rare, incredibly unfiltered random outbursts. Where the truth cannot be contained. What we all look for in literature\u2014that raw emotion and how people express that.<\/p>\n In 2008 a fan stood up at a Carolina game and yelled, \u201cJesus himself couldn\u2019t coach this football team.\u201d The game in some way empowers people to have a Howard Beale moment. \u201cI\u2019m mad as hell and I\u2019m just not going to take it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of one fan’s thought about the University of South Carolina losing on a Saturday night to Missouri:<\/p>\n \u201cI’d been fooling myself the last three or four years. I thought I’d finally matured as a fan and had moved beyond the ugly days of screaming out loud, huffing and puffing, pacing, fuming, cursing and generally behaving like a serial killer during Gamecock games. After all, I’m 41 years old now. It’s been two decades since I was a student at USC. I patted myself on the back after the Texas A&M debacle for watching quietly and saying things like “It’s a long season, let’s just let it play out,” perhaps forgetting that I’ve always handled blowouts better than nail-biters. There’s also the fact that we just haven’t lost many games over the last few years. I simply haven’t had too many opportunities to implode. Well, we reached Full Implosion Mode on Saturday night. Let’s just say that there was a lot of yelling, enough that our neighbors may be making plans right now to have me evicted. When our last-ditch, final fourth-down pass fell incomplete, I ripped off my shirt and hurled it against the wall, overcome with such fury that I felt like one of those werewolves in the “Twilight” movies (I’m sorry to say that this actually did happen). All the while, my girlfriend glared at me with one of those “I’m strongly contemplating packing your stuff and putting it out on the sidewalk” looks. You never want to be on the receiving end of those. All in all, I had the worst night of anybody, even worse than the offense. \u201c Creation Myth<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Sports connect us in a myriad of fashions, playing, entertaining, teaching, and communicating. More than three-fifths of U.S adults claim to have a relationship to sport activities*. Sports empowers our lives.<\/p>\n What about the space the sport is in, could that place provide direct access and a more meaningful experience to the qualities that sports gives us?<\/p>\n With Levi\u2019s Stadium, we are going to do just that. This stadium will remove barriers that get in the way of why you\u2019re here. But here\u2019s the real kicker, it\u2019s all under your control. Getting your tickets, parking passes, ordering food, stadium\u2019s map, and never missing a moment on the field will be at your command with just a tap. You do all this and more under our new app for your mobile device.<\/p>\n You are now connected to everything around you and using it to your needs. Giving you the ability to focus on what you love most, the game.<\/p>\n *2010 USADA commissioned a survey of 9,000 Americans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sarah, Mini, Trent, Sam W. Understand Levi Stadium Levi stadium is introducing a comprehensive wireless experience, with a stadium that can handle massive bandwidth and an app\u2026\u201dthat will enhance your gameday experience with features including mobile tickets and parking passes, … Continue reading \n
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\nFindings<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n