{"id":1190,"date":"2018-06-25T18:29:39","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T18:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/?page_id=1190"},"modified":"2019-07-01T13:10:16","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T18:10:16","slug":"spratt-renovations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/2018\/06\/25\/spratt-renovations\/","title":{"rendered":"Spratt Renovations"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Elijah Smith<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2016-2017 academic year brought a big change to athletics<\/a> at Missouri Western \u2013 one that can be seen from up to 10 miles away. Spratt Stadium, Western\u2019s football field that was in desperate need of some TLC, got a facelift over the spring and summer of 2016, including a massive new video scoreboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Director of Athletics Kurt McGuffin<\/a> said the new stadium is a step in the right direction for Missouri Western athletics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor where we came from, what we had before, whether it was a year ago or 20 years ago, Missouri Western\u2019s grown up quite a bit,\u201d McGuffin said.<\/span><\/p>\n

McGuffin said that athletics is one of the few academic departments that has to generate its own revenue and doesn\u2019t get much help from state funding. That need to produce revenue was one of the factors that went into building a new football stadium. According to McGuffin, the stadium and video board were paid for through substantial private and corporate donations, as well as bonds that will be paid back over time, and no student money went into the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senior offensive lineman Travis Anderson<\/a> has played on both the old and new fields, and said the stadium improved the experience for both fans and players.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe renovations were surreal from our end,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cIt truly felt like a Division I atmosphere. We are incredibly lucky to have the facilities we do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McGuffin said one of his favorite aspects of the makeover is that the field itself is now 32 feet closer to the main grandstand, and that newfound proximity to the fans makes the atmosphere electric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou go into arenas or stadiums, and what do you really notice? You notice the sound \u2013 whether it\u2019s fan-generated, or sound-system generated,\u201d McGuffin said. \u201cIt\u2019s just an experience that, I think, touches everybody that comes to an event here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the largest parts (literally) of the new stadium is the custom-built 78-foot tall, 138-foot wide high-definition video scoreboard, the second largest in Division II athletics. Powered by a production crew about a dozen strong, including several Missouri Western students and as many as five camera operators, the video board offers fans an experience similar to an NFL television broadcast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Director of Athletic Communications Ryan Menley<\/a> calls the shots from the control booth. He said the goal is to have the fans watching the scoreboard more than the game itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe treat it like a television broadcast,\u201d Menley said. \u201cYou\u2019re getting fans that are in the stadium a different look, and kind of a unique look. We\u2019re taking them right in the middle of the action, on the field, in the huddle, in the middle of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Menley said he has received texts from people that were as far away as Buffalo Wild Wings in northern St. Joseph that could see the glow of the video board lighting up the night sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s on, you can see it,\u201d said Menley with a smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

McGuffin said he hopes the video board, paired with a beautiful football stadium, will ignite even more interest in the various athletics programs at Missouri Western. He and Menley both say they have heard a lot of positive feedback from those in the community, even from the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> during their summer training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey say it\u2019s top notch,\u201d McGuffin said. \u201cAnd it is. For our level, it\u2019s about as good as you can get in this league. . . in the end, I think it\u2019s about everything we wanted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t