by Jackson Fryburger
Woodward Academy
The college football landscape is a competitive space. Every team is trying to gain an edge in recruiting and home-field advantage through new facilities, uniforms, attractions and many other ways not listed.
With that being said, it does not come as a surprise that Georgia wants to constantly update their facilities. Sanford Stadium is currently undergoing renovations to the west end zone, where a new locker room will be built for the Bulldogs. On top of the locker room, there will be a pavilion for fans with specific tickets. In between the pavilion and the locker room is a recruiting lounge, which will feature a lot of interesting amenities.
Georgia has chosen to try and keep up with other schools like rival Auburn in gameday experience. The Tigers added a gigantic video board for the 2015 football season, which creates an enormous distraction during home games.
In 2010, the Georgia Bulldogs upgraded from a traditional scoreboard with a smaller screen to what was thought to be a huge video board (pictured below). However, as teams like Auburn got bigger bells and whistles, it became apparent to Georgia that they needed a new or upgraded scoreboard.
Georgia announced plans to get their new scoreboard last season, which might have been influenced by their trip to the Plains last November. Auburn’s obnoxious scoreboard played a key role in creating a harsh environment late in the season for top teams like Georgia and Alabama. The Tigers were able to beat both of them on the Plains and reach Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Ironically, the Tigers lost their next two big games away from their home-field advantage.
The new scoreboard for Georgia has been seen as a necessity for some fans, but others view it as a waste of money. However, this viewpoint is partially due to some misinformation. Many fans believe that the university is funding the west end zone project, but it is actually the athletic department. Hence, it really is not a bad move by Georgia’s athletic department because they do not have anything else as useful to purchase. Georgia can benefit from a positive fan experience at the games and a louder crowd. The sound system needed a new upgrade for our scoreboard and the Bulldogs get a much-needed home-field boost.
The new scoreboard has made a lot of progress. In fact, it is even close to being finished as opposed to where it was during G-Day. Now, the scoreboard has been outfitted in grey with Georgia logos.
The new addition to Sanford Stadium is set to be complete before the first game kicks off with Austin Peay on September 1st.
