‘New level of fan experience.’ What UK fans can expect from LED floor at Big Blue Madness.
By Caroline Makauskas,
2 days ago
Last weekend, seven large flatbed tractor trailers took off from a warehouse in Indianapolis toward Lexington. Inside those seven trucks were media servers, electrical mechanics, venting units and flooring for an up-and-coming innovation in athletic flooring technology — ASB GlassFloor.
Not only will Friday’s Big Blue Madness in Rupp Arena mark the official debuts of new University of Kentucky basketball coaches Kenny Brooks and Mark Pope, it will also showcase, for one night only, an interactive hardwood alternative.
The flooring technology was previously put to use for the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, the 2024 Basketball Champions League Final and the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The company hopes its product will someday serve as the norm for athletic competition — as opposed to an all-star showcase or fan engagement event such as Big Blue Madness. ASB GlassFloor allows for video display, advertising and collaborative graphics not possible with the traditional hardwood courts familiar to basketball and volleyball fans.
The Herald-Leader spoke with Chris Thornton, ASB GlassFloor director of Americas this week to answer any questions Big Blue Nation might have about the technology that will be on display Friday night in Rupp Arena.
What is it, really?
According to Thornton, the ASB GlassFloor, which is approved by FIBA for international use, is “a full-on athletic basketball court made for athletes.”
“That’s true, and first and foremost, that’s what it was engineered for,” Thornton said. “It’s for athletes to play a competitive, professional and elite game of basketball, volleyball, basically any indoor, hardwood sport. And beyond that, because it’s an LED floor, you can imagine the capabilities that are available with it. So from designing new content, to video, to sponsorship activations, that’s kind of like the cherry on top of the floor. Because it gives the university or the professional team or the league, whoever’s using it, an additional layer of a new fan-, and what we call, athlete-experience as well, right? Because it’s new for the athletes, it’s new for the fans. But the heart of ASB GlassFloor is that it’s a true athletic, competitive, elite court first and foremost, all of that fun stuff comes with it.”
Why UK? Why now?
In a basketball city such as Lexington, with its winning tradition, the classics often reign supreme. Even in the wake of change, whether it be the men’s team’s move to Rupp Arena back in 1976, or the recent $82 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum, UK Athletics seems inclined to highlight its rich basketball history whenever possible.
Big Blue Madness, a beloved annual tradition each fall, officially opens a new year of Kentucky basketball, representing new beginnings and high hopes. A spokesperson for UK confirmed to the Herald-Leader that UK’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Brand and Content first discussed the collaboration with ASB GlassFloor in summer 2023 following the FIBA U19 World Cup, and visited with the team at the NBA All-Star Game last February in Indianapolis.
“And at that time,” Thornton said. “They met with the team from ASB, and that’s how it all started.”
In Indianapolis, the LED floor was used for both the celebrity game and All-Star Saturday Night. Thornton said the collaboration with UK truly began there. What’s in it for ASB GlassFloor? The company’s first foray into college sports. In it for UK basketball? The chance to captivate loyal fans in a new way.
“This is something that’s never been seen in college basketball before,” Pope said in a UK press release. “Big Blue Madness is one of the great spectacles in all of sports. We are so excited for Kentucky Basketball to be the first college program to partner with ASB GlassFloor, bringing this exciting technology to Big Blue Nation.”
This year’s edition of Big Blue Madness will be played on an LED video court inside of Rupp Arena. UK Athletics
More than another advertising board
If you’re finding yourself concerned about UK’s use of the GlassFloor being “just another advertisement,” you’re not alone. When asked to speak more to the fan experience, Thornton noted the desire to speak directly to the fans.
“The fans are seeing something new,” Thornton said. “It’s speaking to them. There’s custom content, and it’s not just about putting another sponsor on the floor. Like when we are speaking with teams who are interested in using this, a sponsorship, of course, comes at a premium, and we understand that we want to use that for sponsorship. But I think it’s an important part to not put too much sponsorship, right? Because the fans, we see it all, the fans just don’t want another screen, putting another ad in front of their face.
“So what we’re trying to do, and you’ll see this in Big Blue Madness, we’re also tapping into local creatives and artists to design and create content that is local to the university that we’re going to display on the court. And that’s one thing that’s really unique about it. You can’t do that on a painted floor, but we can tap into the local creative community, design graphics and design something, whether it’s an art piece, whether it’s a promotional piece, or whether it’s something about the logo and the authenticity of the university.”
For the past several weeks, Thornton said, ASB GlassFloor has been working alongside UK Athletics’ graphics and creative teams to both use UK-provided media assets and invent new media assets for Friday night. Thornton did admit that, “a majority of the creative, though, is done by ASB GlassFloor.”
“That’s probably our largest production here aside from installing the glass court at Rupp Arena,” Thornton said. “The other big production here is behind the scenes. It’s all of these motion graphic designers designing all the content. And luckily, (UK Athletics has a great) graphics team and creative team, but they’ve never designed something for a basketball court, right? They’re used to doing the scoreboards and the Jumbotrons and the ribbons of Rupp Arena. This is sort of a new medium.
“So we have a team that’s working in conjunction with ASB GlassFloor that is designing graphics for the University of Kentucky at the same time. And that’s helping guide creative direction, getting all the assets from the University of Kentucky and then putting it onto the screen and just making it a little bit more creative ... again, it’s a new medium for some of these designers. And we’ve got the team there that’s done this a few times with the NBA and some of our partners in Europe.”
“We look forward to putting on a show for Big Blue Nation at our first Big Blue Madness with the ASB GlassFloor as part of the spectacle,” Brooks said. “Big Blue Madness is famous throughout the college basketball world. Since we saw the ASB GlassFloor at the U19 World Cup last year we’ve been intrigued by the possibilities playing on this court. We’re excited to add this exciting technology to what promises to be an entertaining night in Rupp Arena.”
Is it different for the athletes?
Short answer, yes. But Thornton said athletes have enjoyed the playing experience, even though it may not feel quite like the hardwood court they’ve always known.
“They’re always used to playing on hardwood court,” Thornton said. “Whether it’s a gymnasium court or whether in an arena. They now have a new surface, and it’s different, and it feels a little bit softer, but the ball deflection comes back at them a lot harder.
“All of the athletes that have used this, whether they’ve been in Europe or whether they’re here in the States, at NBA All-Star, all of the athletes had a very positive reaction to it. They like it. And it just takes, when you’re at that elite level, it only takes an elite athlete maybe five or 10 minutes to adjust. So they like it. It’s new for them, and it’s something cool to play on. You know, it’s not just your painted hardwood court, so they’re excited by it.”
According to Thornton, UK Athletics has scheduled time ahead of Big Blue Madness for the players to be on the court.
“Big Blue Madness is also a production,” Thornton said. “There’s player intros, there’s dance team and cheer team routines, so a lot of the rehearsal time is going toward the overall run of the show, as they say in event business. So because there’s a little bit more production around Big Blue Madness, there are some rehearsals that take place.”
Thornton also noted that coaches can get in on the action as well, and specifically cited a coach’s ability to send a specific play call directly on the floor itself.
“A coach could have an iPad in his or her hand and draw up the plays on the iPad,” Thornton said. “Draw up their X’s and O’s. And while they’re drawing that up on the iPad, the X’s and O’s are appearing on the floor underneath the players. So if I need to tell Player B to go over to the spot, you’re able to do that in real time on an iPad and show them exactly where to go on the court. So it’s a real life whiteboard. That’s a really huge benefit for coaches and player development.”
Thornton called the GlassFloor “the future of potentially where basketball is going to go,” by putting new tools in the hands of players, coaches and fans. He acknowledged that traditionalists may appreciate the hardwood court, but encouraged them to embrace “a new level of fan experience.”
“This is not just a sporting event,” Thornton said. “We want to create and elevate the new way athletes are performing at events. So what better way to give it to them than the latest technology? It’s the only floor in the United States that exists, and it’s right here in Lexington.”
Big Blue Madness starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 at Rupp Arena. It will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
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