Sending reporters into the newly opened Barclays Center, The Verge explores the intersection of technology and sports, examining the role it plays in shaping contemporary downtown Brooklyn. Aimed toward a lay audience, the video released is intended to sensationalize the Center, through upbeat, fast-paced music and enthusiastic endorsement. It is likely a reassurance to long-time Brooklyn residents who would potentially take issue with the project and its implications in gentrifying trends throughout Brooklyn neighborhoods. Technology is presented as a hallmark of success as well as a facilitator of future success, both for the Center and for Downtown Brooklyn. A clip of Mayor Bloomberg on opening day highlights this point, interjecting shots of giddy reporters and gleaming LED screens with his enthusiastic approval: “Brooklyn has arrived as a center of exciting entertainment, thrilling big-time sports, and thriving commerce.” His comment indicates both the supposed financial improvement of the area as enabled by the Barclays Center as well as attention from the government Brooklyn would now bask in as the pinnacle of entertainment venues.
