Yankees, Cisco Partner, And The Crowd Goes Wild

In the immortal words of Yankee great Yogi Berra, "The future ain't what it used to be." Cisco Networks' CEO John Chambers confirmed that sentiment Tuesday when he announced that the company is outfitting the Bronx Bombers' new home with state-of-the-art technology, which includes video, voice, data and wireless services.



Chambers said that while the company already provides technology to 60 percent of the stadiums in the country, the Yankees' new stadium will have the newest and most advanced capabilities of any sports arena in North America, or possibly the world.

"We've been hard at work on this for the last year," said Hal Steinbrenner, Yankees executive vice president, treasurer and general partner. "We don't want to lose any nostalgia but at the same time we want to provide fan amenities that are second to none in the finest facility in the world."



Steinbrenner confessed that both he and his brother, Hank, are psyched about the tech upgrade even though he doesn't really understand it.



"Some of this is technology that I didn't know even existed," he said.

Yankee CEO Lon Trost also joked about not being up to speed technology-wise.



"My knowledge of technology ceased in the '60s," said Trost. "But we have made a decision to embrace technology, not chase it. You can't just say, 'If you build it they will come.' You have to be responsible for the technology that fans insist upon."



Trost said that the Yankees' new field of dreams will include video scenes of not only live games, but warm ups and batting practices, as well as interactive chat capabilities for fans and trash talkers both inside and outside the stadium -- additionally, retailers can take advantage of these features with sponsorship of some content.

Ron Ricci, Cisco's vice president of sports and entertainment marketing, said the new technology was, "As Capt. Kirk put it, the final frontier."



That brave new world includes putting in 1,100 video screens throughout the stadium, beginning with box seats and in the team's locker room. Bleacher creatures will also get their due in the near future, Ricci said. And, oh yeah, the screens will also be in restrooms. (Insert joke here). And if you need to map out your escape after the game, the videos will also provide live traffic streams.

Ricci also said that Cisco is working on a Yankees widget for the future, which will provide video and content via mobile phones, as well as placing orders from the concession stand. Get yer hotdog here!

"It's been an honor to be associated with the Yankees franchise," Chambers said. "We are thrilled that the new stadium for the New York Yankees will implement technologies from Cisco to bring fans closer to the action and help the team transform the way it operates the venue."



Or as Yogi once said, "I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary."