Minor League Baseball has long been known, and oftentimes praised, for doing nontraditional things surrounding the game and making the in-stadium experience more enjoyable for attendees.
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"The at-home experience has gotten better and cheaper, while the in-stadium experience feels like it hasn't, " said Eric Grubman, the NFL's executive vice president of ventures and business operations.
Despite a disappointing 2011 season so far (the Rockies were 48 56 through July 26), ESPN ranked the team number 9 of 122 major North American sports teams in its annual Ultimate Standings roundup, which measures teams by the overall value they provide to fans through winning, affordability and stadium experience, among other attributes.
Wood's inclusion means that over a third of England's starting line-up will get their first experience of playing a Test in Cardiff, with Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Shontayne Hape, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole also new to the Millennium Stadium Test experience.
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Yet such criticism lives-off old assumptions about technological concepts that either interrupted the experience in the stadium or did little to enhance it.
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If they were, the items in the deal extension with ESPN and the renewed effort to bring the at-home experience to the stadium may go to show that their time has arrived.
As an owner, I looked at it as how do I enhance that fan experience to bring them to the stadium?
So often in their Blue Square North fixtures Redditch are the underdogs, so it will be an unusual experience going into Saturday's Valley Stadium clash (1500 BST) as clear favourites against the Midland Alliance high fliers.
In the future, MLS fans will be able to experience greater insight from the field of play as live, on-field player data will become an integral part of the game experience, whether watching from home or within the stadium.
"Joining the Millennium Stadium from the chief position at South Wales Police, Gerry brought a unique insight and experience to the role and he will no doubt leave some big boots to fill, " he said.
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