Fenway Park is synonymous with the “Green Monster,” and sports fans everywhere know that it’s not referring to Oscar the Grouch. While best known in baseball, this famous outfield wall is iconic in the sports world and is frequently cited as inspiration for unique elements in football and multi-use stadiums.
An employee poses next to the Green Monster at Fenway Park in Boston (Image via Flickr). On the show ‘Futurama,’ the Green Monster was literalized as an actual monster (Image via Reddit.)
The “Green Monster” accomplishes what many franchises hope to when undergoing a new sports complex design — it creates a cult-like experience that expands outside of the stadium, touching every gift shop, sports bar, and man cave in Boston. During games, the iconic scoreboard is the focus of broadcasts, commentary, and fan photos, with people traveling all over the world to visit the stadium for themselves.
Outside of the stadium, the “Green Monster” has been replicated on keychains, posters, drink koozies, postcards, books, and within pop culture. It feeds the fan loyalty of Boston, acting as an invaluable part of the team’s brand identity. The wall, which incorporates an old-school scoreboard, accomplishes what many sports franchises fail to: it keeps fans coming again and again, despite the growing preference for watching games at home.
The Miami Dolphins’ historic Miami Orange Bowl from above (image via Reddit). An actual dolphin once lived in a tank at the stadium and performed tricks during the game (image via Facebook).
Football Stadium Design: Tapping into the Analog Experience
After a new football stadium design, a study conducted by the Tinbergen Institute found that there’s a residual “honeymoon effect,” where attendance temporarily increases, mainly out of curiosity. Fans are interested in new amenities, but when the novelty of the “new” goes away, attendance usually goes back to the average. A part of this can be attributed the shift to digital solutions. With stadiums heavily investing in screens, the possibility of creating a landmark, a “Green Monster” experience, dissipated. While digital has proven itself to be essential in the sports arena for increased visibility and engagement, the magic that once came with going to a game in person has seemed to have diminished.
As a result, what is unique to Boston is becoming increasingly difficult for teams to recreate. Now, whether you’re sitting at a stadium bar in Green Bay or grabbing some food near SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, you could literally be at any stadium. How unique is your trip to the game if you’re just staring at a screen a majority of the time? Does anyone enter a stadium and think, “wow, look at all of the screens!”
The neon sign of the Rose Bowl in California, pictured during the day (Image via Sports Illustrated) and at dusk (Image via The New York Times).
Accidental Green Monsters: Unexpected Offline Moments Across America
Aside from Boston’s “Green Monster,” there are other stadiums with memorable, “offline” signature features that fans know them for. A few really good examples of these include:
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Kidd-Brewer Stadium (Appalachian State): Nestled into the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, App State students can enjoy a scenic view during games.
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The “Black Hole” Fan Area: The Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland) are notorious for this fan area, where the most intense of fans congregate to cheer on their team.
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The Colonnades at Soldier Field: This striking architecture is one of the most memorable features of a stadium in the United States.
However, for teams that don’t have the advantage of out-of-the-ordinary structures built within the stadium, like Soldier Field or unique placements like App State, mechanical displays can be a great solution.
A Picture Flap display behind glass at the renovated Banner Club in Toronto.
Where Analog Tech ‘Fits’ in Stadiums
Without replacing a state-of-the-art scoreboard at the stadium, displays can be used within high-volume areas throughout the stadium, which typically include:
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Standing-room Social Spaces: Modern stadiums increasingly include open areas for standing, mingling, and watching from communal bars or railings. These areas can be complemented by mechanical displays that provide real-time updates on scores.
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Fan Clubs: At renovated Banner Club within the Rogers Centre in Toronto, a 5 ft x 17 ft mechanical Picture Flap rotates through imagery of José Batista, Tony Fernandez, as well as key highlights from the ‘92 and ‘93 World Series.
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Stadium Bars and Restaurants: A custom-built Split Flap display hangs behind the bar at Pass & Stow within Citizens Bank Park, which shows pixelated imagery of the Phillies Phanatic and real-time scores.
This analog technology contributes to the authenticity of the in-person fan experience, with the audible sound of the flaps rotating into place. The sound can be accentuated or softened by speeding up the rotations or slowing them down, ideal for spaces where fans are likely to cheer and gather.
A Split Flap display behind the bar at Pass and Stow at Citizens Bank Park.
Why Mechanical Stadium Signs Create a Signature Feature
For the teams that we talk to, it seems the ultimate measure of success during a football stadium design is whether features can put more fans in seats. In our experience, analog touchpoints can contribute to creating a more immersive, highly interactive fan experience by:
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Creating a must-see landmark for tours and broadcasts
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Balancing the traditional feel and charm of tactile displays with the convenience of digital innovation in a single installation
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Amplifying anticipation and the excitement of the game through the sound and motion of rotating flaps
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Encouraging social media engagement with a cool visual that fans photograph and share
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Integrating into the stadium’s identity as a low-maintenance infrastructure piece that won’t need to be replaced within a few years (our test display has undergone 43 million rotations since 2016 without breaking)
Going Analog in 2025
Whether fans are taking a video of the changing score on their phone or chanting as the flaps flip into place with every touchdown, mechanical displays bring tactile energy, tradition, and identity into one cohesive brand experience. Just as Boston’s “Green Monster” has become synonymous with Fenway Park, mechanical displays can be the signature feature that teams are searching for.