Tactile Device Transforms Super Bowl Experience for Blind and Low-Vision Fans
In a groundbreaking move for sports accessibility, blind and low-vision fans will enjoy unprecedented access to the Super Bowl through an innovative tactile device. This technology tracks the football, vibrates during key plays, and delivers real-time audio commentary, creating an immersive game-day experience.
Pilot Program and Super Bowl Debut
The National Football League has collaborated with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to pilot this game-enhancing experience at fifteen regular-season matches. These games were hosted by teams including the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, and Minnesota Vikings. Approximately ten blind and low-vision supporters will have the opportunity to utilise the same technology at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, where the Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots on February 8th.
By placing their hands on the device, users can feel the ball's location and hear live updates throughout the match. Scott Thornhill, executive director of the American Council of the Blind, is eagerly anticipating this experience. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at age eight and later losing his sight, Thornhill will be among the fans at Levi’s Stadium with a OneCourt tablet on his lap and Westwood One's broadcast streamed into headphones.
"It will allow me to engage and enjoy the game as close as possible as people who can see," Thornhill told The Associated Press. "As someone who grew up playing sports before I lost my vision, I'm getting a big part of my life back that I've been missing. To attend a game and not have to wait for someone to tell me what happened, it's hard to even describe how much that means to me. It's a game-changer."
First-Hand Experiences and Technological Innovation
Clark Roberts, a Seahawks supporter who lost his sight at twenty-four due to retinitis pigmentosa, tested the device during a home game against Indianapolis on December 14th. The OneCourt device, roughly the size of a thick iPad, features raised lines outlining a football field.
"The device does two wonderful things," Roberts explained. "It vibrates in different ways for different plays and through headphones, I was able to hear Seattle's amazing announcer, Steve Raible. Real-time audio is the real beauty of the device because usually when I'm listening to a game, there can be a delay of up to a minute or more and that can be challenging to constantly ask family and friends what happened. Can you imagine how this can open up everything, not just football?"
OneCourt, founded in 2023 by Jerred Mace after he observed a blind individual at a soccer match, leverages the NFL's tracking data from Genius Sports. This data, gathered from cameras and chips embedded in balls, jerseys, and other equipment, is translated into feedback for the device, generating unique vibrations for actions like tackles and touchdowns. The same technology underpins the NFL's NextGen Stats for health, player safety, statistics, and gambling.
Expansion and Future Prospects
OneCourt has already partnered with NBA and Major League Baseball teams to provide devices at games and is in discussions with the NHL and other global sports organisations. Antyush Bollini, co-founder of OneCourt, expressed pride in the product's evolution.
"It's a testament to the maturity of the product and our company that we have gone from delivering this to a handful of teams throughout the last year or two to having it at the largest event in American sports," Bollini stated. "The Super Bowl is such an amazing event and now blind and low-vision fans can use our technology in a way they deserve."
Ticketmaster's funding for the NFL pilot has subsidised the device, making it available to fans free of charge. Scott Aller, senior client development director at Ticketmaster, highlighted the social impact.
"This is a very, very big social impact win," Aller remarked. "We hope that we can make an investment like this in every single one of our markets."
League Commitment and Fan Testimonials
Following requests from teams to enhance accessibility, the NFL has spent months piloting the programme, culminating in the device's Super Bowl debut. Belynda Gardner, senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the NFL, emphasised the league's dedication.
"It’s not lost on us that we have blind to low-vision fans and we want to do right by them," Gardner said. "We’re reviewing what we learned and evaluating how it can be implemented going forward. There aren’t any definitive next steps and we will use the offseason to determine where this technology sits in the NFL’s suite of offerings."
Thomas Rice, a blind Jacksonville Jaguars fan, reported a seamless experience with the OneCourt device at a game in Jacksonville. After collecting the tablet from guest services at EverBank Stadium, Rice felt and heard football in a novel manner.
"When Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., I felt the ball travel through the air," Rice recounted. "When Travis Etienne ran the ball, I could feel it happen along the sideline. It was like giving me my own pair of eyes."
