A popular way sports arenas engage their fans is by flashing a crowd-o-meter on the jumbo screen. Most major league sports have a fan-meter with a goofy thermometer that ‘measures’ the best dancer by way of applause, or perhaps it is simply used to pump up the crowd. I always thought the monitors were of stock footage that contains the same tired graphics with the struggling needle that blows past ‘Weak’ and struggles between ‘Loud’ and ‘Louder.’However there is actually technology behind those O-Meters which translates that noise into a scale from green to orange-red depending on decibel. Microphones are placed around the arena to obtain a reading of the noise throughout the stadium. One such company that manages this type of crowd-O-Meters is Mitchell Crowd Meter. They describe on their site how the technology works:
“The microphones transmit the sound information to noise analyzers housed in the venue’s sound booth. The analyzers filter out unwanted noise and transfers “clean” crowd noise information to the Mitchell Crowd Meter computer. Here, the noise is measured and converted into a quantitative, patent-pending figure, known as Crowd Energy Level (CEL). The CEL, along with visual graphics and animations are displayed on the existing Electronic Message Centers. Fans can watch the animations rise and fall with the energy level of the crowd."
It is amazing to me that this is an actual technology. For some reason I always assumed the real volume of a stadium had little to no impact on moving the needle. Next time I am at a White Sox game or cheering on the Bulls, I will do my part to max out the meter. REF. mitchellcompanies.com
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