Brooklyn’s making its games more accessible and a bit of history at the same time
Even after closing the book on a season only a handful of days ago, the Brooklyn Nets are still doing their part to grow the game of basketball, specifically with how its consumed.
Thursday, in partnership with Ticketmaster and OneCourt, the team announced it’ll begin offering what’s called “braille for sports,” tactile broadcasts to blind and low vision fans during home games at Barclays Center free of charge.
Powered by technology from OneCourt, a Seattle-based startup, the tactile broadcast communicates live gameplay data audibly via an earpiece with live updates on the score and play outcomes. It also does so haptically: trackable vibrations that occur on tablet-sized devices. Collectively, this allows blind and low vision fans to follow along with the on-court action.
The technology was first used by the Portland Trail Blazers, as NBC News reported in February:
Now, the Nets are bringing the technology and opportunity to the East.
“All sports fans should be able to enjoy the in-arena, live action experience of their favorite sports teams, regardless of ability, and our collaboration with OneCourt will help unlock an entirely new world for blind and low vision fans,” said Keia Cole, Chief Digital Officer at BSE Global.
“Thanks to our partners at Ticketmaster, we are proud to bring OneCourt’s devices to the East Coast as we continue leading with a fan-first philosophy, ensuring that Barclays Center continues to remain an accessible and inclusive environment for everyone.”
Brooklyn is the first East Coast professional sports team to offer the style of broadcast. Others NBA teams currently featuring it include the Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns. At this time, it’s only available for home Nets games.
“OneCourt is proud to partner with the Brooklyn Nets and Ticketmaster to bring our tactile broadcast to Barclays Center, expanding our reach within the NBA,” said Jerred Mace, Chief Executive Officer at OneCourt. “The rapid growth we’ve experienced is a reflection of OneCourt’s impact on fans. It’s a privilege to work with partners who share our belief that sports should be inclusive, immersive, and truly for everyone.”
At the end of the 2024-25 season, Brooklyn invited individuals from VISIONS – Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired to a handful of games to pilot the tech, gathering feedback on their experiences in the process.
“So many blind and low vision sports fans choose to not attend live games because they feel that they are missing out on the live visual experience that is happening,” said Mike Cush, Chief Program Officer at VISIONS. “With OneCourt, blind and low vision patrons can ‘feel’ what is happening on the court and not have to rely on sighted assistance to know what is going on during a game.”
“As a blind basketball fan myself, I found OneCourt to be a ‘game changer’ in how I experience a live game,” Cush went on. “Kudos to the Nets for incorporating this technology and giving blind and low vision basketball fans a fully immersive experience.”
That extra mile which grants physically impaired fans an improved experience is something the Nets have traveled down before. In 2021, the ‘Clays became the first sports arena to open a designated sensory room for fans who may need a quieter, more secure environment during events. It also provides various support services including assistive listening devices, captioning, and audio descriptions.