Speak Out: Should a School Scoreboard Cost $80,000?

When students hit the football field for ’s first 2012 home game this fall, they may find themselves dazzled by a multi-thousand dollar addition to their sporting experience.

The school is installing a new scoreboard this summer, funded by the school booster club, at the cost of $80,000, according to a Gazette report. The board, which replaces the school’s current 13-year-old scorekeeping device, boasts an LED screen that will showcase advertising and videos to the crowd, in addition to regular team scores and stats.

According to the Gazette report, the school sees the purchase as an investment that will pay for itself: The board will be used for a field that hosts football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams. Though advertising prices for the new school board have not yet been determined, business currently pay $1,000 for a banner that moves between sporting locals.

“We would not have considered buying the scoreboard had it not had the digital advertising component,” Jim Edwards, booster club president, told the Gazette.