An addition long awaited by Oxford students and community members, new Daktronics video boards–jumbotrons–are being installed on the football field, the soccer field, and in the gym for both basketball teams and the volleyball team. These jumbotrons will replace the scoreboards currently standing, and give OHS’s facilities a modern-age upgrade.
Since the 1980s, video boards have been the lead runner for scoreboards all around the world. These video boards serve to show player statistics, replays, hype videos, or highlights. With many surrounding high schools installing video boards in their facilities over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before Oxford decided to do the same.
“So the first need was the interest of many people in our community, whether it be from a parent or a fan, they go to all these other places that we go to that have video boards,” Co-Athletic Director Chris Baughman said. “It’s 2025, and the want and the desire to have a video board increases.”
These video boards provide local businesses with an opportunity to have their advertisements played during games. These advertisements are courtesy of Oxford’s athletic department who have received donations from these local businesses.
“Our community is top of the line in terms of supporting our athletes, athletic programs and our activities,” Baughman said. “We want them to have something that they can get in return. So us having the ability to run a 15 second commercial in between innings or in between quarters of a basketball game or at a soccer game just gives us the ability to provide something in return for these businesses’ support.”
Another advantage these video boards give teams is the ability to see replays on a larger display. Whether it be in a game or in practice, having a big screen on the field or court to display replays or videos can make teams much more efficient.
“Football is a practice oriented game,” head football coach Chris Cutcliffe said. “You play once a week. A lot of other sports, you play a lot more frequently. The way football works, you’re really only gonna play as well as you practice throughout the week. So I think you can improve performance by improving practice, and I think being able to get more reps in because we can display things up on the screen and move quicker will be a big benefit to us.”
The stadium atmosphere is enhanced by these additions to each facility. Having large scale video boards to display videos or messages to the crowd serves as a motivating factor to get the crowd more active during the game.
“I think you can do things that highlight different times, like when it is third down and you are on defense and you want the crowd to get louder, “Cutcliffe said. “Think about going to a college football game in a much larger stadium, and how much those things add to the atmosphere of the game with music and lights. I really do think it can enhance the fan experience.”
Bringing a new type of digital media to Oxford High School sports brings new opportunities for the Charger Media Group, the team behind all media at Oxford High School. The Charger Media Group will now be able to present their media during games.
“I would say another big thing that we’re really trying to focus on is trying to get people more engaged into the game,” head director of the Charger Media Group Anderson Shows said. “Not just sitting and watching the game, but being a part of the game and helping build that atmosphere that makes people dread wanting to come play at Oxford because it’s a hard place to play. I think that’s really the ultimate goal of what I try to achieve personally.”
