PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have partnered with OneCourt to offer a tool that lets blind and low-vision fans follow the game by touch.
"OneCourt’s tactile broadcast is a brand-new piece of technology. We are the first team in Major League Baseball to bring this into our ballpark, and basically, it gives our blind and low vision fans a way to experience the game more holistically, providing spatial and tactile details through a series of vibrations. So, the device basically takes live gameplay data from Major League Baseball and turns that into a series of vibrations and audio bites, which the blind and low vision fans can then feel by putting their hands on the device," said Taylor Merwin, coordinator of Community Relations and partner programs with the Arizona Diamondbacks, in an interview with ABC15.
With the device, fans can feel where the ball is going and where the players are on the field, added Merwin.
Five devices will be available to fans on a first-come, first-served basis.
“If you have a ticket to the game, you can just go in there and reserve the device for use for the game or you can reach out to Sharon Holmes, our guest services manager, who will be taking reservations ahead of time, so her emails [is] SHolmes@dbacks.com, that way you can ensure that the device will be available before you get there,” said Merwin.
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation's collaboration with OneCourt furthers their mission of growing the game of baseball.
“This [device] is just another way to bridge the gap to a community in the blind and low vision fans who maybe have been overlooked historically. They've had listening devices, but this is just another step in bridging that gap to where they feel fully connected to our team, and so it really is a great partnership that fits right in with our mission to grow the game,” said Merwin.
ONECOURT IN THE STADIUMS
In the 2024-25 NBA season, OneCourt partnered with Ticketmaster to offer tactile broadcasts for fans of five teams, including the Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Brooklyn Nets.
“Fans [at Chase Field] now have access to something that they can't get anywhere else in the league right now, and we're hoping that changes soon, and our counterparts around the league will offer this, but we've seen it successful in the NBA with a few teams last season, and we're happy to be pioneers in Major League Baseball and be the first to bring it to our ballpark,” said Merwin.
The device will be available for the rest of the 2025 season, and the D-backs Foundation is excited to see OneCourt’s tactile broadcast used at every game to include all fans.
“We will work with nonprofits who serve the blind and low vision community to provide free tickets to those nonprofits, and we'll be able to reserve the device for them ahead of time if they reach out to us at [mlb.com/dbacks/community/foundation]. We can figure out which game works best and bring a group out for free,” shared Merwin.
