September 22, 2023
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia Eagles have hired LED lighting specialist Sportsbeams to illuminate Lincoln Financial Field. The company's new LED lights debuted during the Eagles home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 14 and bathed the field, players and fans in glowing green.
When the Eagles took the field at Lincoln Financial Field for their home opener last week, the players and fans were bathed in glowing green light.
That LED display before "Thursday Night Football" was an extravagant way to ring in the new season, and fans can expect it to be part of the in-stadium experience for at least the next several years.
The lights were installed by Sportsbeams, a Texas company that manufactures and installs LED lighting systems for sports venues. In addition to creating displays like the one that had the Linc awash in green before the Eagles played the Minnesota Vikings, the company specializes in white-light fixtures that meet broadcast standards. The Eagles announced Friday they have hired Sportsbeams to handle regular lighting and these colorful displays at the Linc for the next three years.
Philly is lit. (Literally)#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/b2BXo1wBRz
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 15, 2023
Step into the light#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Hw4hHYO9Kt
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 18, 2023
LAST NIGHT WAS UNREAL#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/mVyRaZXcX3
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 15, 2023
For "Thursday Night Football," the Linc was illuminated in green during player introductions and after Eagles' touchdowns. The LED fixtures can be programmed for multiple dynamic light shows.
Sportsbeams made its NFL debut in 2021 during The Weeknd's Super Bowl LV halftime show at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, which at the time was the first stadium in the world to install tunable white and red, blue, green-capable LED lights throughout the arena, according to the company.
"I was right there on the 50-yard line, making sure everything either succeeded or failed horribly," Sportsbeams president Russell Schroader told the Sports Business Journal two years ago. "It's the biggest show in the world, and you've got your moment and you just hope everything goes according to plan. And it did."
Sportsbeams' chomabeam fixtures are computer controlled and can switch from white light to any of more than 2 million colors. Among the other arenas using their LED lighting systems are the stadiums of Mississippi State University and the University of Houston; Q2 Stadium of Austin FC in the MLS; and Chinese Olympic training facilities in Beijing and Shanghai.
Although dazzling light shows have been a part of the concert and entertainment business for years, they've recently become more common at sporting events. In addition to being the Eagles' home field, the Linc is used by Temple University football and it hosts concerts, like the performances earlier this year by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. The stadium will be used for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
The Eagles' schedule this season includes multiple primetime games and primarily late-afternoon starts, and if the team is successful this season expect the Linc to be glowing green often.
