Texans to Best Cowboys, Construct Largest Video Screens in NFL at Reliant Stadium

They say that everything’s bigger in Texas, and the Cowboys and Texans are taking that quite literally.

When Cowboys Stadium opened in 2009, it was the crown jewel of Jerry Jones’ legacy, and, in appropriate Texas-sized manner, included the world’s largest high-definition video board. That record has since been surpassed by the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and it looks to be topped again — this time from within the state.

On Wednesday the Texans announced that for next season they will be installing two new video displays, one in either end zone. Likewise, when they’re installed they will be the largest screens in the NFL — beating the Cowboys Stadium’s by 3,000 feet — and widest in all of sports.

Now, the “widest” aspect of this record comes with a caveat. While the video boards will technically be the largest in football, because of their shape — Dallas’ are effectively proportioned to a wide-screen TV — only part of the video boards will actually be used for video. The rest? For advertising, of course.

What’s even more fun about the $16 million installation is that the team won’t even have to pay for it. While 61 percent of the stadium’s construction was funded by taxpayers, the entirety of its upkeep costs are on the public’s dime.

Wonder how conservative Texas feels about those taxes?

Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Reliant Stadium

Photo of the Night

Somebody please take this kid’s lunch money.

Quote of the Night

“It’s combination of things but I wouldn’t use the words ‘didn’t work’ at all. We had a plan going into this thing. … Tim [Tebow] has worked really hard out here, he’s done a good job, he’s worked hard on the practice field, but that’s where we are.”
–Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, on the Jets’ wildcat plan that most fans would indeed say “didn’t work”