Latest news with #Jumbotrons
Boston Globe
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
On Coldplay and Jumbotrons: don't you shiver?
Every teardrop is a waterfall This shot, of Chris Martin, is from a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in July 2016. No affairs were outed that night. Timothy Tai for The Boston Globe This shot, of Chris Martin, is from a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in 2016. No affairs were outed that night. Timothy Tai for The Boston Globe Unless you were on vacation last week … on a remote island with no wifi … you probably saw the The awkward big-screen discovery became a ubiquitous meme within 48 hours. Advertisement Within days, the CEO had resigned. I guess I should weigh in on all of this, as a relationship writer. My thoughts on this breaking, local adultery news, in no particular order. Cheating aside, I have long had a fear of Jumbotrons . I worry that if a camera pans to me, it would find me picking a wedgie or blowing my nose. Even worse, it might find me unenthusiastic about the event — or not paying attention. That's my real fear, that I'll be caught in apathy. It's a strange thing to panic about, but it relates to the anxiety I experience when Worth noting: I despise Kiss-Cams, which I always fear will land on siblings. Advertisement My enemy, the Jumbotron, in 2021. This on at the TD Garden. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Elise Amendola/Associated Press This whole thing reminded me of how much I love the Coldplay song ' My real thoughts about this: We posted a callout on the how they'd caught someone cheating (or how they were caught cheating). The post was meant to be fun, but someone said, in the comments, 'You know … for people who've had this happen to them, all this joking about affairs can be a little triggering.' I've thought about that quite a bit, that if you suffered through a major betrayal, this past week — and the jokes that went with it — might have been tough to take. I will also say: A lot of people said they've felt vindicated seeing cheaters exposed. My PERSONAL feelings are less about the cheat and more about the workplace/power of it all. Because people cheat — and get cheated on — all the time and get over it. They might not talk about it, but they do. There are OTHER terrible things that can happen in relationships, and while I do not endorse affairs, some of my favorite long relationships have survived them. What I truly worry about is abuse of power in the workplace, the assumption that those who report to you are fine with whatever happens. I do hope that this Coldplay situation is a reminder to people with great power that whatever you do affects the people around you … … and that even if you think something's cool, people might be telling you it's cool because they feel they MUST, because you are the one issuing their paychecks . Basically, I've seen a lot of people posting about workplace misery caused by executives behaving as if there are no consequences. If this Jumbotron fiasco helps people process those bad experiences — if it exposes that they happen — maybe something good can come of it. Related content This whole situation reminded me of a podcast episode we did in Season 2, about two people who fall in love at work. It's called ' ' I highly recommend it. This is the This is an This is a GREAT time to Advertisement Pickled I'll leave you with a photo from last night's event at Lovestruck Books. I moderated a talk with Kate Spencer about her new romance novel, 'All's Fair in Love and Pickleball.' It is a book that does make pickleball sexy. Thanks to everyone who came to the event. -Meredith Meredith Goldstein can be reached at Find her or to the Love Letters column.
Newsweek
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
List of Notable Jumbotron Controversies and Mishaps
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After tech CEO Andy Byron went viral for being caught in an affair during a Coldplay concert's kiss cam, other notable Jumbotron incidents are being remembered as past controversies. On Thursday, Astronomer CEO Byron was shown romantically holding his company's chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, at a recent Coldplay concert. Astronomer, a private data infrastructure startup, secured "unicorn" status in 2022 with a $1 billion or more valuation, and is now headquartered in New York City. However, the company's rush to the limelight for its executives' behavior has sparked conversations over Jumbotron usage and ethical corporate behavior. Why It Matters Jumbotrons are large video displays used around the world, most commonly at sports stadiums and concert venues. While many guests at a concert might want to be shown in what essentially works as a Jumbotron guest spotlight or kiss cam, the public showcase of Byron and Cabot appeared to be the opposite of what they wanted, with both individuals immediately ending their embrace and ducking from the camera. "Oh, look at these two," Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said at the time. "All right, come on, you're OK," Martin said after the pair immediately scattered away from the camera. "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." A screen announces the attendance of 81,118 spectators during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A screen announces the attendance of 81,118 spectators during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Marvin Ibo Guengoer -What To Know Minor League Break Up Other notable Jumbotron events include a Minor League breakup message in 2021. During an Akron RubberDucks game at Canal Park, one man used the Jumbotron to part ways with his partner, paying to deliver the message, "Alyssa, this relationship is OVER-Tim," across the screen. The stadium announcer had no warning and read the message to thousands of people in the audience. Failed Proposals Another Jumbotron mishap proved the video displays might not be the most couple-friendly when a man proposed to his date at a Cubs-Red Sox baseball game in 2017. The couple showed up on screen with the proposal, but it was an awkward situation as the duo didn't hug or smile, and the camera quickly cut away. Another proposal failed Jumbotron-style at New York City's Barclays Center in 2021 when the WNBA's New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics were playing. While an attendee appeared to ask his girlfriend to marry him, it did not go as planned, and she leaned down to kiss him and then promptly walked away. A Groom Disappears There are many ways Jumbotron proposals have gone wrong in the past, with one potential groom-to-be missing his own planned proposal at a Dolphins and Jets game at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021. Dolphins fan Luis Llorens had planned to propose to his girlfriend Christine Dobrin at the game, but when the video display played a photo of the couple with the caption "Christine. Will you marry me?" and then panned to the live shot, only Dobrin was sitting. Her boyfriend was in the tunnel beneath, under the mistaken idea that he was supposed to meet with a video crew. "I didn't know what was going on because he wasn't at the seats, and looking all around, between the crying and the happiness, I didn't know where he was, so it was a whole big mix of emotions," Dobrin told Miami FOX affiliate WSVN. Vikings Prank The Minnesota Vikings fell victim to a Jumbotron mishap when featuring one Twitter user's fake tribute to service members and veterans. "We're honoring our nation's service members, veterans, and their families during Sunday's game against Dallas," the Vikings wrote leading up to the game. "Share photos and stories of your loved ones who have served or are currently serving using #SkolSalute for a chance to have them featured on the video board Sunday." "This is my cousin Joel who served in the Army," Twitter user @kylerulz4h wrote. "He has always been an inspiration and someone I look up to for his heroism. He is also a HUGE Vikes fan #skolsalute." However, the mentioned cousin Joel was actually Steven Wolfe, who is better known by his stage name Johnny Sins and played a service member in one of his many adult films. Olympic Fail There was also an embarrassing mix-up at the 2012 Olympics when London organizers mistakenly featured the South Korea flag instead of North Korea when players were about to begin their game against Colombia. The North Korean team walked off the field and refused to play until the error was fixed. "Today ahead of the women's football match at Hampden the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen instead of the flag of North Korea," a Locog statement read at the time. "Clearly that is a mistake. We will apologise to the team and the national Olympic committee and steps will be taken to ensure no repeat." As it concerns Astronomer's future, it's a bad look for the CEO and his chief people officer to get caught in an affair, Jumbotron style, experts say. "Sure, it was just a kiss cam. But when your CEO is ducking a public embrace with their HR chief, that's not a vibe. It's a red flag," HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek. "This isn't about romance. It's about power, ethics, and brand trust. When leadership plays fast and loose with boundaries, it guts morale and invites scrutiny. In 2025, your values are your executives' behavior. The internet just makes the hypocrisy go viral faster." Newsweek previously reached out to Byron, Cabot and Astronomer. What People Are Saying HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: "Jumbotron scandals aren't common. But maybe they should be because they rip the mask off corporate culture in ten seconds flat." Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "Based on the sheer amount of social media posts it garnered, I think it's going to put other CEOs on notice. While alleged affairs of this nature have been the topic of gossip for decades, we live in a more interconnected and tech-friendly world than ever before. Moments like this can quickly gain traction and be the buzz of millions of people, not just a select few at the office. Whether this has an impact on Astronomer's business remains to be seen, but it's a headline the company, along with many others, don't like seeing." Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of told Newsweek: "It's like watching a slow-motion car crash that could've been avoided if someone had just taught executives about stadium cameras 101." "When Andy Byron got caught on that jumbotron with his HR chief at the Coldplay concert, it was a $1.8 billion wake-up call, because that's the average shareholder value companies lose when CEOs get the boot unexpectedly. And let me tell you, there's nothing planned about getting busted on live TV while Chris Martin's serenading 50,000 people." What Happens Next Ryan said the full ramifications of the Astronomer CEO affair Jumbotron event are unclear, but there could be rippling effects on the company. "It's all about what it says about leadership, judgment, and company culture. When your CEO and HR chief are the ones making headlines for questionable behavior, employees start wondering what else is going on behind closed doors," Ryan said. "The thing is, smart companies see this stuff coming. They invest in succession planning, they have ethics training that actually means something, and they create cultures where this kind of drama doesn't happen in the first place. Literally, HR's job."
USA Today
26-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
The new president: He won fair and square, and his agenda should be heard
The new president: He won fair and square, and his agenda should be heard | R. Bruce Anderson I did not watch the inauguration, actually. Well, not in real time. I got to 'see' it from the point of view of a number of people – via phone with my family, via reports in my email from friends, and a flood of social media. It was Martin Luther King day, for one thing, and anyway, I was sulking. My day started early — for this crowded semester, my weekends and holidays are crammed with grading. So, was in the middle of reading through a paper in "Political Parties and Interest Groups" — something on how the first political parties developed in the U.S. — when my friend Sarah (she and her husband live and work in DC; not in politics) reported in. She was out for an exploratory walk down to the Capitol to check on the situation. The new president had decided that it was too cold to hold the thing outside (as a fellow adopted Floridian, I totally sympathize) so he'd moved things indoors. 'All these people walking around aimlessly,' she said, 'There's no rendezvous point. I seriously don't know what their objective is. Especially since the Park Service took away the Jumbotrons.' Folks kept trying to hand her 'Commemorative Programs' (she demurred). Her vague purpose was to check to see if the flags were, in fact, at half mast for Jimmy Carter's memorial and she fed me a running count: Florida House had theirs at half-staff; the Capitol itself was at full, etc., etc. Symbolism means something? And 'wandering aimlessly' pretty much covered my day as well. I did not vote for the guy, I did not want him to win and it would be forgivable, I think, to simply soak in self-pity, or anger, or spew apocalyptic visions from my own dark crystal ball into this space. I was loser in this game, this time, and 'entitled' to run amok. No. That's cheap, childish and un-American. But how should losers view the 'new era'? From here, for the moment, I'll take a note or two from Joe Biden, a cat I hugely admire as a lifelong servant to the nation – not always right, not always on target, not always my fave – but a servant of the people, calling the shots as he saw them. Dangerous drivel: Tying California disaster aid to a change in policy | R. Bruce Anderson Biden did not avoid the inauguration, he went, he smiled, he paid tribute to the office and to the people who had put both men on that stage. Donald Trump is no longer 'Mr. Trump.' He is president of the United States, and all that goes with that. For the next four years, he is the face of this nation, and of the American people, and he deserves an even break. It's not a question of whether Trump 'deserves' this — it's that the American people do. He won, fair and square, and his agenda should get its hearing. But it has to be heard, and not simply dismissed by those who were on the other side of the ticket. Politics will play out (more or less) as the founders intended: with debate, ugly reality checks, court battles and political punches thrown. We're a fractious nation, and we always have been, but somehow, we've managed to keep it interesting for almost 250 years. A Republican senator said the other day that he was 'ready to look forward to the next four years, not backward at the past,' and we can take a note from him as well. As with all politicians, Trump is going to say things and do things I strongly disagree with, but I am happy to wait until he says and does them. When I meet someone for the first time, and they discover what I do, they say — without fail — 'wow, you picked a heck of a time to be a political scientist!' And you know what? Whether it was 1995 or 2005 or 2025, they have always gotten that right. R. Bruce Anderson is the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr. Endowed Chair in American History, Government, and Civics and Miller Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Florida Southern College. He is also a columnist for The Ledger and political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio in Lakeland.
