Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, shown here during the 2017 El Clásico, is one of four NFL stadiums with Ephesus LED lights.
(Photo by Rodrigo Varela / ESPN Images)
The Miami Dolphins, who were among the first three NFL franchises to install Eaton’s Ephesus LED lights prior to the 2016 season, are now working with the Syracuse-based power management company to award a free installation to a South Florida area high school.
The Arizona Cardinals were the first football team to use the Ephesus LED (light-emitting diodes) system, implementing them prior to hosting Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. Eaton will now power the next three Super Bowls: Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this February, followed by Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2019 and Super Bowl LIV in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in 2020.
Eaton’s Ephesus Lighting is a nominee for a SportTechie Award in the Outstanding Sports Technology category. The lights are said to be around 70 percent more energy efficient, require minimal maintenance and don’t need any warmup time.
In addition to the four NFL stadiums, Eaton, whose 2016 sales approached $20 billion, has installed Ephesus LED lights in five MLB ballparks (the homes of the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers), nine arenas that host an NBA team and/or a NHL team (Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Pistons, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Nashville Predators, New Orleans Pelicans, Ottawa Senators and Utah Jazz) and NASCAR’s Martinsville Speedway.
To be eligible for the free installation, high schools must be in either Miami-Dade or Broward County and submit an essay prior to Dec. 23 highlighting “the limitations, problems and issues with their current lighting system, and how an energy-efficient LED lighting system can benefit the school, its students and the entire community.” More details can be found at Dolphins.com/LightLikeThePros.
“We look forward to providing one deserving high school football field in South Florida with a state-of-the-art LED lighting system offering many of the same benefits of the system at Hard Rock Stadium,” Mike Lorenz, Eaton’s Ephesus Lighting business president, said in a statement. “Over the past five years, professional sports teams have learned to understand the benefits and reliability of an LED lighting system. It’s now time for high schools and municipalities to have the same benefits available to them.”
“Here within the Miami Dolphins we support a mission to transform the lives of youth football players by instilling character building and reinforcing safety standards that help to increase football participation and grow a new generation of Dolphins fans,” Miami Dolphins senior vice president of communications and community affairs Jason Jenkins said. “We’re supportive of this community initiative to better illuminate a high school field in South Florida for the betterment of their athletes and we commend Eaton for stepping up and supporting high school football in South Florida.”
Eight minor league teams in the American Hockey League have Ephesus lighting, and in conjunction with that relationship, the AHL and Eaton are hosting a similar promotion for skating rinks within 120 miles of any AHL arena to receive a free LED upgrade.
