Getting Back to the Ballpark - The Los Angeles Dodgers introduce new stadium innovations and fan experiences
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Case study
Cisco public
The customer
summary
Customer name
Los Angeles Dodgers
Industry
Sports and Entertainment
Location
Los Angeles, California
Number of employees
550
Getting Back to the Ballpark
The Los Angeles Dodgers introduce new stadium innovations and fan experiences
© 2021 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Case study
Cisco public
Challenge: Getting fans back in the stands including probabilities for pitch type and batter
outcome. Those percentages and other statistics
On June 15, 2021, the Los Angeles Dodgers are dynamically updated after every pitch.
defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 following a
Challenges Mookie Betts go-ahead home run in the seventh
inning. And it all took place in front of 52,078
“It’s the game within the game,” says Esquibel.
“As a fan, it’s neat to follow all of the data points
• Deliver new stadium innovations fans, the largest crowd to attend a professional and probabilities and see what’s happening as
and fan experiences sporting event in the United States since the start it happens.”
• Enable real-time marketing of the COVID-19 pandemic.1
All digital systems within Dodger Stadium — from
and staffing decisions ticketing and point-of-sale to digital media and
The game was groundbreaking not only because
• Streamline data center maintenance of the capacity crowd in attendance, but also IPTV streaming — now run on the Cisco HyperFlex
and infrastructure patching because of the new technology-driven fan and Intel Optane technology infrastructure. And a
experiences and stadium innovations that were host of Cisco Meraki™ smart cameras and Cisco
unveiled for the first time. Wireless Access Points are helping the ballclub
better understand and accommodate
“We’ve had our new data center platform in fan preferences.
place for more than a year now, but without a
stadium full of fans, we hadn’t been able to put it
Solution to the test,” says Ralph Esquibel, vice president
of technology for the Dodgers, referencing the
• High-performance hyperconverged team’s Cisco® HyperFlex™ infrastructure with “As a fan, it’s neat
infrastructure with cloud-based management Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors and Intel®
Optane™ SSDs. “June 15 was exciting, like to follow all of the
getting a Ferrari on the road for the first time.” data points and
Fresh off a World Series championship in 2020,
the storied baseball franchise had used its new
probabilities and see
data center infrastructure to produce digital what’s happening
Results models of Dodger Stadium, helping establish
• Introduced dynamic, real-time game
socially distanced seating areas and crowd as it happens.”
management protocols during the pandemic. But
statistics and probabilities on digital
with restrictions now lifted, the ballclub is eager
displays throughout the stadium Ralph Esquibel
to show off its new fan-centric capabilities.
• Improved operational responsiveness Vice President of Technology,
via crowd analytics Digital screens in the Dodger Stadium sports
bar and concourses now display a variety of
Los Angeles Dodgers
• Shifted IT focus from infrastructure
real-time data analytics during each at bat,
maintenance to innovative fan experiences
© 2021 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Case study
Cisco public
“We can measure ingress and egress counts, wait times, abandonment
rates, and location-based engagement, all in real time,” Esquibel says. “That
“When they said we could get this
enables us to make informed marketing and staffing decisions on the fly.” type of performance with fewer
If a gate is crowded, for example, the team can shift additional ticketing and
security personnel — as well as “hawkers” wielding handheld devices with
nodes and less storage, it was hard
game day promotions — to minimize wait times. If lines for concession stands to believe. It’s amazing to have an
or retail stores become too long, portable Dodger Dog or merchandise carts
can be moved to reduce the congestion. eight-node array that serves all of
“In the past, we would test certain things. Now we’re analyzing everything in our needs, can be easily scaled,
real time and making decisions accordingly,” Esquibel says. “Data is such a
critical component of how we interact with our fans.”
and is managed collectively instead
of piece by piece.”
Streamlining technology operations
Cisco HyperFlex and Intel Optane SSDs have done more than supercharge Ralph Esquibel
the Dodgers’ stadium analytics and fan experiences. The platform has also
dramatically simplified the ballclub’s technology infrastructure and operations.
Vice President of Technology,
Los Angeles Dodgers
“The size and complexity of a technology stack can get out of hand quickly,”
says Esquibel. “We have a small operations team, and we used to have
one person — a senior member of my staff — dedicated solely to patch
management. It was a full-time job, but now it takes less than an hour to
update the entire environment.”
Instead of managing 30 legacy nodes individually, the Dodgers are now using
Cisco Intersight™ to manage eight nodes collectively.2 Two racks of physical
gear have been consolidated down to half of a rack.2 More than 30 hypervisor
hosts have been whittled down to six.2 And yet, the team has more computing
power and memory performance than its IT leaders could previously imagine.
“When they said we could get this type of performance with fewer nodes
and less storage, it was hard to believe. It didn’t make sense,” Esquibel says.
“It’s amazing to have an eight-node array that serves all of our needs, can be
easily scaled, and is managed collectively instead of piece by piece.”
© 2021 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.Case study
Cisco public
“We become more No longer encumbered with infrastructure
maintenance, the ballclub has shifted its focus
reliant on technology to fan engagement and operational innovation
— using its technology and data resources to
Product links
every year. We’re doing ensure Dodger Stadium delivers the best possible
• Cisco HyperFlex
things with Cisco and experience for every attendee.
• Intel Xeon Scalable processors
Intel technologies that “We become more reliant on technology every
year,” says Esquibel. “We’re doing things with • Intel Optane SSDs
didn’t seem possible a Cisco and Intel technologies that didn’t seem
possible a few short years ago, and they’ve
• Cisco Intersight
few short years ago, changed our way of thinking and how we run • Cisco Meraki smart cameras
our ballclub.”
and they’ve changed • Cisco Wireless Access Points
our way of thinking
and how we run
our ballclub.”
Ralph Esquibel Learn more about Cisco data
Vice President of Technology, center computing and networking
customer deployments.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Cisco and Intel work together to optimize solutions from the edge, through the network, to the data center. Cisco’s innovative UCS servers and HyperFlex hyperconverged
solutions, powered by Intel Xeon processors, Intel Optane technologies, and Intel Ethernet products, provide high performance with lower TCO, simplified operations, and a
modern, more secure data center. Customers can benefit from joint, scalable solutions, designed to solve key market challenges in multiple industries. Together, Cisco and
Intel create a trusted ecosystem for hardware, software, and services that bring intelligence and analytics to your business.
1
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/dodger-stadium-sellout-marks-america-s-largest-sports-crowd-pandemic-n1270998
2
Source: As reported by LA Dodgers from data and interviews provided in 2019 and 2021. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for
performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software,
operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in
fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more complete information
visit www.intel.com/benchmarks.
Your costs and results may vary. Intel does not control or audit third-party data. You should consult other sources to
evaluate accuracy. Results have been estimated or simulated. No product can be absolutely secure.
© 2021 Intel Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., and Los Angeles Dodgers LLC. Major League Baseball trademarks and
copyrights are used with permission of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, and other
Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL:
www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use
of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)You can also read
