Springfield Cardinals pen deal for large LED scoreboard

The Springfield Cardinals announced yesterday it signed a deal with Brookings, S.D.-based Daktronics Inc. (Nasdaq: DAKT) for a video scoreboard that dwarfs its current display.

The Hammons Field LED screen would measure 34 feet high by 66 feet wide and contain 2,244 square feet of digital space. According to a news release, the screen would be one of the top five largest displays among the 160 minor-league teams. The price of the screen was undisclosed, and Cardinals Vice President and General Manager Matt Gifford could not be reached for comment by deadline.

"The Springfield Cardinals are grateful to John Q. Hammons Industries for having made this upgrade possible in the spirit of celebrating Mr. Hammons' legacy and his immense passion for sports,” Gifford said in the release. “The new display is going to both enhance the landscape of the ballpark and allow us to continue to improve our fans' entertainment.”

The display would be about three times the size of its current screen, which was installed prior to the Cardinals’ inaugural season in 2005.

Daktronics spokesman Justin Ochsner said prices for the company’s video screens typically range from $100,000 to $5 million. He declined to disclose the price of the screen for the Cardinals. He noted the company’s largest screen to date, a 21,000-square-foot scoreboard for the Jacksonville Jaguars, eclipsed $5 million.

Ochsner said Daktronics would begin shipping the screen in pieces in about two weeks. Crews would then install the scoreboard, which is expected to be complete by the end of January.

In the release, Gifford said the sign would be ready for the Cardinals’ opening night on April 14.