Latest news with #Tennessee-shaped
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Covenant Health Park boasts largest video board in minor league baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Sitting in center field of the new home of the Smokies lies the biggest videoboard in minor league baseball. 'You want to go bigger but you know someone is gonna trump you the next year but well carry that fall for a year here and be happy about it,' said Smokies president, Chris Allen. Not just any videoboard, the focal point of the outfield is the shape of Tennessee. A look at what Covenant Health Park could do for Knoxville's economic future 'It was honestly something on a whim. We obviously had been talking about developing a stadium for a long time. Our executive team has been traveling all over for a couple of years now, looking at other ballparks and if you travel to Nashville and you see their videoboard which is a guitar which I think is very fitting,' Allen said. That's when the perfect idea hit. 'We started thinking and I said we should go with a Tennessee-shaped videoboard I thought it would look really cool. We just thought it was a nice touch and it gives us something unique to look at when you come into the ballpark.' Residential developments around Covenant Health Park bring new life to neighborhood With the team moving to Knoxville, they will now be referred to as the Knoxville Smokies. The videoboard a bit of a nod to the old name, but also one that simply just made sense. 'Tennesseans are so proud of their state,' he said. 'I think that is fitting even if we were called the Kodak Smokies back in the old ballpark, so I think they are very proud and I think the fans are gonna love it.' The videoboard adds a distinctive component to the new ballpark. ▶ See more top stories on 'This is a unique ballpark. If you come and visit this ballpark, you're someone like me, you go to a lot of minor league ballparks you come here were gonna have something you've probably never seen before.' A videoboard that sets the Smokies apart in more than ways than one, just as it was intended to. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction of East Knoxville multiuse stadium enters final phase
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Nearly 20 months after the official groundbreaking, construction work on the multiuse stadium in East Knoxville is rounding third base and headed for home. The $114-million, 7,500-seat future home of the Knoxville Smokies and One Knoxville SC is nearly ready to host thousands of fans this spring. The Knoxville-Knox County Sports Authority held their first meeting of the year on Tuesday and project remains on track to be completed ahead of the inaugural Smokies game on April 15. Officials said that the new stadium should receive a certificate of occupancy by the end of March. A few remaining tasks around the stadium must be completed before then, including the massive Tennessee-shaped scoreboard. Business owners, residents excited by Downtown Knoxville's future as stadium nears completion 'Very close to being complete. We are working on the audiovisual system, the wiring for the audiovisual system, the last bit of sidewalk of the concourse area behind the right field bar, and some signage,' said Barry Brooke of the commercial property development firm LawlerWood. Ground was broken at the East Knoxville site near the Old City in June 2023. The stadium will be publicly-owned by the city and county. It was funded in large part by $65 million in public bonds from the city and county as well as a $13.5-million economic grant from the state. One Knoxville SC 2025 schedule released ahead of move to Covenant Health Park In August, officials announced a stadium naming rights agreement with Knoxville-based healthcare system Covenant Health. Covenant Health Park will welcome Smokies baseball back to Knoxville after more than 20 years in Sevier County. One Knoxville SC, a third-division professional soccer team, will play their home matches at the stadium after two years at Regal Soccer Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus. It will also host concerts, festivals, and other community events. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
