I had just finished checking my email on my Blackberry, confirmed a web conference appointment for tomorrow and sent a text message to our manager to remind him of an important matter. Upon returning, I confirmed a new project and elevated it to the web on my laptop. Now that the day was done, I dashed over to attend the neighbor’s son’s t-ball game. In an age of constant electronics, out there in the field was one of the manual scoreboards and a volunteer mom waiting to turn the cards. I guess I was stopped in my tracks to realize that there are a few venues where manual scoreboards might still be good for a sporting event.

We are so accustomed to being surrounded by high tech electronics that viewing something that was still manual was a bit of a shock. Whether we are fans of sports or go to a concert, I realized that the electronic scoreboard, with all of its pizzazz and colors was so much a part of the extension of experience.

In the past, manual scoreboards were the only way that an attendee could validate the game status. We usually looked at the scoreboard only when a point was made. If you have attended a concert or sports event today, you simply have to walk into the venue and the high resolution colors, streaming information, witty sponsor ads and the excellent audio and video are what we have come to expect. Sitting there on the bleachers, watching my neighbor’s son come up to bat took me back to an earlier time in life when I watched my Mom’s softball team. A lot more simple, a lot less complicated of a time.

The age of electronic and high quality LED scoreboards are part of the professional presentation of any sports or concert event. They are available for small to huge venues, with an array of selections from permanent to wireless and even portable. Sponsors and fans alike love the colors, sound and video. There are, however, just a few reasons to still have a manual scoreboard.

It wouldn’t make sense for the t-ball game to have an electronic scoreboard. The field is small and the venue is small. You could look through the crowd and see the parents eagerly watching with anticipation as their child came up to bat. In this case, the focus was totally on the kids, with the scores being a secondary item.

There aren’t that many places that a manual scoreboard would be appropriate any longer. The manual scoreboard seemed sturdy and was probably in the price range of the organization. However, the field is not solely used for t-ball, but for the older games. While the manual scoreboard was fine for those of us watching the smaller kids, a larger game relies on sponsors and fan attendance. An electronic scoreboard should be used to draw in the crowds, offer team colors and news and bring those sponsors to help back the teams.

When the game was over I checked my email again.