Fair Play Scoreboards

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Fair Play Scoreboards
Type Public (NASDAQ: TLX)
Founded Des Moines, Iowa (
Headquarters Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, United States
Key people John Long Chairman
Michael R. Mulcahy, CEO
Angela D. Toppi, CFO, Executive Officer
Industry Video Display
Products Sports Venue Displays
Display Marqueea
Sports Scoreboards
Variable Message Signs
Display Control Systems
Employees about 1700
Website www.fair-play.com

Fair Play is a company that manufactures scoreboards, video boards, and electronic displays. Fair Play is a subsidiary of Trans-Lux electronic displays.

Contents

[edit] History

Fair Play was born in 1934 after the company founder Elmer Foster saw his basketball team lose in the final seconds of the game. He created a basic scoreboard with a watch in the center to keep time and numbers that he held on a nail.[citation needed]

In 1997, the company merged with Trans-Lux Corporation of Norwalk, Connecticut.[1]

[edit] Sports Fair Play Creates Scoreboards For

[edit] Current Scoreboard Controllers

Fair Play introduced a new line of scoreboard controllers two years ago with a new technology. FP calls this "MP-70/50/30."

TheMP-70 controller is used to control larger scoreboards. This controller also has a handswitch on the back, and the ability to use Foul Memory (in basketball, that has the controller keep track of player fouls) and other little features.

The MP-50 controls smaller scoreboards and is most typically used for baseball since there is no need for a hand switch.

Both controllers run by using keypad inserts. Instead of having one control do only one sport, keypad inserts let one control do all sports. The controllers also feature a two-line 16-character display to prompt users to enter data and allow them to review data entry.

[edit] Previous Controllers

Fair Play's older controller, called the MP-69, was large and also had a two-line sixteen-character display. This controller operated all sports using 28 buttons, with many of them serving multiple functions.

The SP-69 was FP's older controller to control basketball statistic panels, which showed the player number, points and fouls.

[edit] Message Centers

Fair Play manufactures message centers and uses ProLine to control them and ISE Write II to control smaller ones.

[edit] Recent partnerships

Fair Play recently bought American Sign and Indicator scoreboards.[citation needed]

[edit] Misc. Equipment

Fair Play also offers a variety of other sports equipment like:

[edit] New Technology

About five years ago Fair Play updated its product lines, with all scoreboards being equipped with LED's (or Light-emitting diodes) in them. Now Fair Play's indoor scoreboards have a bar LED display, while the outdoor scoreboards have individual LED clusters.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trans-Lux Corp. History