Some blind fans to experience Super Bowl with tactile device that tracks ball

Some blind and low-vision fans will have unprecedented access to the Super Bowl thanks to a tactile device that tracks the ball, vibrates on key plays and provides real-time audio.

The NFL teamed up with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to pilot the game-enhancing experience 15 times during the regular-season during games hosted by the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.

About 10 blind and low-vision fans will have an opportunity to use the same technology at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, where Seattle will play the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. With hands on the device, they will feel the location of the ball and hear what's happening throughout the game.

Scott Thornhill can't wait.

Thornhill, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind, will be among the fans at Levi’s Stadium with a OneCourt tablet in their lap and Westwood One's broadcast piped into headphones. He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was 8, and later lost his sight.

“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.”

Clark Roberts experienced it first hand.

The Seahawks fan was invited by the team to attend its home game against Indianapolis on Dec. 14 to experience the game with the OneCourt device that is the size of a thick iPad with raised lines outlining a football field.

“The device does two wonderful things,” said Roberts, who lost his sight when he was 24 due to retinitis pigmentosa. "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 is working on it.

It has partnered with NBA and Major League Baseball teams to provide its devices at games and is in talks to make them available with the NHL, along with other leagues and sports organizations all over the world.

OneCourt launched in 2023 after founder Jerred Mace saw a blind person attending a soccer match while he was a junior at the University of Washington.

The startup with headquarters in Seattle uses the NFL's tracking data from Genius Sports and translates it into feedback for the device to create unique vibrations for plays such as tackles and touchdowns.

The data is generated from cameras and chips embedded in balls, jerseys and elsewhere. The same technology is used by the NFL's NextGen Stats for health and player safety, statistics and gambling.

“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,” OneCourt co-founder Antyush Bollini said. “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 went toward underwriting the device to make it available to fans for free, according to senior client development director Scott Aller.

“This is a very, very big social impact win,” Aller said. "We hope that we can make an investment like this in every single one of our markets.”

After some teams approached the league about improving access for all, the NFL has spent the past few months piloting the program and ultimately decided to have the device make its Super Bowl debut.

“It’s not lost on us that we have blind to low-vision fans and we want to do right by them,” said Belynda Gardner, senior director of diversity equity and inclusion for the NFL.

Gardner said the league has been very encouraged by the pilot and potential of this technology.

“We’re reviewing what we learned and evaluating how it can be implemented going forward,” Gardner said. “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 Jaguars fans, who is blind, said he had a seamless experience with the OneCourt device at a game in Jacksonville. Rice picked up the tablet at guest services at EverBank Stadium and after settling in at his seat, he felt and heard football in a new way.

“When Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., I felt the ball travel through the air," Rice said. "When Travis Etienne ran the ball, I could feel it happen along the sideline.”

“It was like giving me my own pair of eyes.”

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A OneCourt tablet, a tactile device that translates gameplay into trackable vibrations along with real-time audio, is pictured at the T-Mobile Innovation Hub Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Bellevue, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Clark Roberts, a blind Seattle Seahawks fan, uses a OneCourt tablet, a tactile device that translates gameplay into trackable vibrations along with real-time audio, at the T-Mobile Innovation Hub Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Bellevue, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

OneCourt founder Jerred Mace, right, talks with Clark Roberts, a blind Seattle Seahawks fan who has had the chance to try out OneCourt tablet, a tactile device that vibrates on key plays and provides real-time audio of games, at the T-Mobile Innovation Hub Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Bellevue, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Clark Roberts, a blind Seattle Seahawks fan, uses a OneCourt tablet, a tactile device that translates gameplay into trackable vibrations along with real-time audio, at the T-Mobile Innovation Hub Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Bellevue, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Clark Roberts, a blind Seattle Seahawks fan, uses a OneCourt tablet, a tactile device that translates gameplay into trackable vibrations along with real-time audio, at the T-Mobile Innovation Hub Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Bellevue, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he's remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina.

“I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We've been able to get some things done the past couple days.”

The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn't release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.

Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.

Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they've handled this.”

“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.

“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”

Lloyd's comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night's national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis.

Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he'll “never respond to any job speculation.”

“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd watches during practice ahead of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game against against Michigan at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd waves as he cuts down the net after a win over Purdue in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd speaks during a news conference ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against Michigan at the Final Four, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)