Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

It was announced on Monday the San Francisco 49ers reached a deal with technology company Yahoo! to be the exclusive online sports content provider at Levi’s Stadium.  The deal is a 10-year agreement that will begin when the new Santa Clara stadium opens in 2014.

The 49ers are thrilled to partner with Yahoo!, a locally-based, global brand that shares our vision for Levi’s Stadium. Yahoo! is a tremendous example of Silicon Valley innovation at work. Their experience in servicing the fan and wealth of resources will serve integral roles as we strive to present an unparalleled experience to visitors of Levi’s Stadium.

49ers Chief Executive Officer Jed York

The 49ers new stadium will be set up to be the most advanced and hi-tech stadiums in the NFL. Fans will be able to personalize their experience at Niner games by accessing a wireless network provided by Yahoo! using a smartphone or tablet to watch the game recorded through the thousands of HD cameras installed. With so many cameras fans can pick any point of view they like, which puts them closer to the action. Niner fans will also be able to look up stats and information on players.

In addition, Yahoo! will have the branding rights to the Fantasy Football lounge and the two adjacent viewing platforms, or “fan zones,” that will be in the stadium’s suite tower. The tech company will also help with enhancing the in-stadium experience for fans by allowing them to upload photos and videos to Flickr and to access Yahoo! Fantasy Football at the new stadium.

This partnership will no doubt enhance the fan experience at Niner games, but was Yahoo! the best tech company to partner with? Yahoo! is in the midst of repositioning itself as an important tech company after years of falling behind other tech giants. A more logical, and not so outdated, tech company to partner with would be Silicon Valley icons Google or Apple. Who knows if they even were considered or submitted a bid for the rights at the stadium, but when I think of Yahoo! I don’t think innovated tech company anymore. When I hear Yahoo!, I think of AOL and dial-up.

Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Just like its surrounding area in Silicon Valley, the 49ers new stadium will be high-tech to give Niner fans the ultimate experience.

Speaking at the D11 tech conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, 49ers owner Jed York described the new stadium as “software-driven.”

We want to be a software-driven stadium, not a hardware-driven stadium. We want to build out the infrastructure so you can plug into the stadium any way you want. Jed York

The new stadium in Santa Clara will allow fans to connect to a wireless network using a smartphone or tablet to watch the game recorded through the thousands of HD installed. With so many cameras fans can pick any point of view they like, which puts them closer to the action. Niner fans will also be able to look up stats and information on players.

We want you to bring your own smartphone, your own tablet into the game, and have the back end that just works. Jed York

Other information fans will be able to get include digital tickets and the best travel route to and from the game.

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers and Levi Strauss & Co held a press conference and pep rally on Wednesday to announce the company’s proposal for the Niners new stadium naming rights. The proposal will officially be presented to the Santa Clara Stadium Authority (SCSA) on May 9. The proposal is for a 20-year, $220 million naming rights agreement for the new place to be called “Levi’s Stadium.”

The SCSA oversees and approves the functions of the 49ers new stadium set to open in 2014. It’s a foregone conclusion the new stadium in Santa Clara will be called Levi’s Stadium and feature the company’s name throughout the stadium. One reason is because the 49ers basically run the SCSA. Plus, you don’t hold a press conference and pep rally to announce the proposal if you didn’t think it will get approved.

In attendance at the pep rally at Levi’s headquarters in San Francisco were 49ers players Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Colin Kaepernick, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis. Also at the pep rally were head coach Jim Harbaugh, general manager Trent Baalke and 49ers CEO Jed York.

No matter what the new Santa Clara stadium is called, I will likely refer it as The South Stick (Santa Clara is in the South Bay) or New Candlestick Park, rather than the official name. If Levi’s Stadium is the name I guess it’s better than names Candlestick Park had in previous years, like Monster Park and 3Com Park. Since the team is moving 40 miles south of The City, it’s great to see a partnership with a San Francisco based company. Levi Strauss founded the company in 1853 to open a dry goods store for gold miners in San Francisco. 20 years later, the company started making the first denim blue jeans.

One question I do have with the proposal is will the playing field be called Bill Walsh Field like it is now at Candlestick Park? In August 2007, then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had the city of San Francisco rename the playing field as Bill Walsh Field to honor the legendary head coach. It is rarely called that by TV commentators because the stadium is contractually obligated to retain Candlestick Park as its name. And from what I can recall there is only one sign in the stadium that refers to Bill Walsh Field. Let’s hope the new Santa Clara stadium continues the tradition of Bill Walsh Field.

Here is a picture released by the 49ers of what the signage in the new stadium could look like: