Take a guess. For those who watch high-school athletic games and events in person, how many times do they look at the scoreboard, if it’s working, during the action? A dozen, two or three dozen, 100 hundred or more?
That probably depends on the type of game or event.
If it’s basketball, the scoreboard is likely peeked at much more often (dozens or hundreds of times) during the course of a game because the score changes so frequently. For football games, the board probably gets fewer views, likely more for lacrosse and far less for soccer matches, when sometimes there is no scoring at all.
The score doesn’t change a ton in baseball and softball either, but the scoreboard still gets many regular looks so spectators can keep track of the balls and strikes, and the number of outs.
If there is a scoreboard for swim meets, then that’s viewed during and at the end of races to keep up with a swimmer’s time. Wrestling scoreboards are watched a lot to keep track of the time left in a period more than anything.
So basically, regular scoreboard watching is must see stuff, no matter what the sport, at high-school events for those knowledgeable and interested spectators.
What’s real frustrating are the occasions when those scoreboards aren’t working or there aren’t any on site. Then, spectators don’t know where to look.
– Dave Facinoli
dfacinoli@sungazette.net