Extreme Networks Helps Rekindle Old Memories and Create New Traditions at the Field of Dreams

Sometimes it is tough to distinguish life from fiction, and this is one of those moments for me. I am grateful to have grown up in Iowa. I have also been fortunate to spend most of my career in technology – a path that has led me far from the Midwest. Today, those two paths will intersect in the most unique and visible way as I watch the Yankees and White Sox play in Dyersville, Iowa – a game powered by Extreme Networks. Beyond serving as the Field of Dreams movie site, the first MLB game in Iowa is being played just a few miles from where my father grew up, in a town I had counted as a high school football rival. This is no ordinary place and no ordinary day.

For almost a decade Extreme has been fortunate enough to work with the NFL. More recently we’ve been trusted by Major League Baseball to power in-game Wi-Fi across all 30 ballparks. And today, MLB launches a new chapter for baseball by creating an 8,000-seat stadium in the middle of a cornfield to recreate the iconic game from the Field of Dreams movie. Extreme will be there to ensure this game in a cornfield in Iowa will be just as connected as it would be if it took place at Guaranteed Rate Field or Yankee Stadium by providing Wi-Fi 6 access points in bullpens and dugouts.

Today, the bright lights will come on and the emerald-green cornstalks will stand tall as the players emerge from the rows of corn as they depart one pristine field to step on to another. Extreme will be counted on to ensure the players, coaches, and staff have seamless access to the information, devices, and applications they require to look at their last at-bat or check the release point of an opposing pitcher. MLB has been as advanced as almost any organization on the planet in its use of technology over the past decade. And we get to be part of that journey thanks to my incredible colleagues at Extreme who are leading the way as cloud, mobility, and data intersect to re-shape how organizations connect and engage – a technology vision we call the Infinite Enterprise.

At Extreme, we have the privilege of serving the world’s most trusted brands. We help power, inform, and connect the schools that educate our children, the healthcare entities that care for us, the companies who make sure our favorite goods and services arrive at our door, and even those who keep us entertained. Regardless of the organization type, size, or location, we like to think that we do our very best work when the lights shine brightest because we know connections are mission-critical and every day should be treated like game day.

Maybe it’s because the game will take place in the middle of an Iowa cornfield that I will have just a bit more pride to be part of Extreme today. Yes, Extreme shines brightest when the lights come on. As a bonus, I will be joined at the game by fellow Team Extreme member and Iowa resident, Scott Firmstone. And I am also taking my dad, who really has no idea what I do for a job. He worked as a welder his whole life and choked up when I told him we were going to the game. For this one day in Iowa, Extreme will be playing our part in helping connect past, present, and future generations to the unique history of baseball. Though Every Day Is Game Day, this one is just a bit more special.