The OneCourt device combines haptic feedback with audio descriptions to provide a comprehensive experience for blind and low-vision fans.
Blind and low-vision fans of the Phoenix Suns will now have the opportunity to enhance their home game experience.
The Suns have teamed up with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to become the third professional sports organization to provide OneCourt’s haptic display at PHX Arena (formerly Footprint Center).
“We are excited to further the fan experience with OneCourt’s innovative technology and offer more fans the opportunity to feel connected to the game,” said Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation Executive Director Sarah Krahenbuhl. “The devices help make Suns games more accessible, which is part of our continued commitment to elevate the game experience one fan at a time.”
As the largest partnership with OneCourt thus far, 10 haptic devices will be available at no additional cost, an increase from the five offered at Moda Center in Portland and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“I think the blind and low vision community in the Phoenix area – with a combination of organizations like Saavi Services for the Blind and the Foundation for Blind Children – combined with the Suns just being a very forward-thinking organization that really thinks about innovation … contributed to the Suns being the biggest partnership we have yet,” said Antyush Bollini, COO and co-founder of OneCourt.
OneCourt designed a way for blind and low-vision NBA fans to further enjoy the game. Powered by Ticketmaster, the device transforms real-time gameplay into trackable vibrations that fans can follow live through their fingertips. Using generative audio and haptics, users can track everything from score updates to the ball’s location. The device even indicates when a player shoots, and if the shot goes in, the hoop will vibrate twice.
“Ticketmaster is dedicated to connecting fans with the moments that matter most,” said Ticketmaster Senior Director of Client Development Scott Aller. “Through our partnership with the Phoenix Suns and OneCourt, we’re transforming how Blind and Low Vision fans experience the game through innovative technology. We’re proud to support initiatives like this that make the live events more accessible and engaging for all fans.”
Until OneCourt, the only way blind and low-vision fans could experience live sports was through the radio or by having a friend or family member describe the game. In-venue, aside from assistive listening devices, which are primarily for the deaf and hard of hearing, there aren’t – or weren’t – many existing solutions for the blind community.
“Audio description is really good at many things, like describing strategy and emotion,” Bollini said. “But it can’t convey the spatial details of the game, especially in real-time. In a sport like basketball, where players are moving so fast on the court and the ball is moving back and forth, you can’t describe that with words as it happens because as soon as you say it, the ball is somewhere else.”
OneCourt offers a combination of haptic technology and an audio experience with connectable headphones that give fans short, auditory phrases describing the action.
As a Seattle-based company, OneCourt made its first NBA partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 11. The Sacramento Kings were the next to offer the technology for fans beginning on Feb. 24.
“We believe that sports are for everyone, and last year’s pilot proved that OneCourt doesn’t just make live games accessible, it makes them more enjoyable for fans of any age, background, or visual ability. Many fans feel more empowered than ever before to join in on the action,” Jerred Mace, founder and CEO of OneCourt, said in a press release after the Trail Blazers’ partnership. “This success highlights what’s possible when innovation meets inclusivity, and we’re excited to bring this proven technology to more teams and venues across the country.”
In September 2021, Mace was in his junior year at the University of Washington. He came across a video of a blind and deaf man at a soccer match sitting with a sighted woman. The woman watched the game and simultaneously moved the man’s hands across a tactile game board to represent the action on the field. Mace constructed a team from within the university and thus began OneCourt’s mission of making live sports accessible to all.
“Sports is community and sports is social connection, and those are things that everyone deserves the right to have access to,” Bollini said.
OneCourt’s haptic device was designed so the display can be adjusted to any sport just by changing the interface on top. Early in its development, baseball, and football were tested with the device, and Bollini says they are excited to expand to sports like soccer and hockey.
As a young and ever-growing company, OneCourt is motivated about all the possibilities their technology can bring to the blind and low vision community.
“This is a key step toward a more inclusive future, and we’re excited to continue expanding access and enhancing the fan experience through innovation and impactful partnerships,” said Kurt Schwartzkopf, executive vice president and co-head of sports at Ticketmaster.
Anthony Ferraro, who was born blind, is a Team USA Para Judo athlete, guitar player, skateboarder, and social media star, but he is also an avid sports fan. In a viral TikTok video, Ferraro showcased OneCourt’s haptic device at a Trail Blazers game.
“So easy a blind man can do it,” Ferraro said in the video.
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