In 2018, I attended a Major League Baseball (MLB) game while visiting St. Louis, where I got to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the Atlanta Braves. On that trip, I had the opportunity to learn about MLB baseball game accessibility for visually impaired spectators, how a blind person watches a baseball game, and ways to enjoy MLB baseball with low vision. Here is a list of my tips for going to a MLB baseball game with low vision and watching MLB baseball games with low vision at home using assistive technology.
Getting to the game
I attended this baseball game as part of a group event for other blind and low vision attendees, so I purchased tickets as part of my registration and didn’t have much control over where I ended up sitting. While venue staff directed me and the other group members to our seats, I really wish I had taken the opportunity to grab water or food before sitting down as I didn’t leave my seat for the entirety of the game. However, since I had brought my iPad, Android phone, and sunglasses/sunscreen, I was prepared to watch the game!
It’s worth noting that blind/low vision individuals absolutely can leave their seats and get assistance if needed, especially through things like visual assistance applications or traveling with a human guide. Since I was in an unfamiliar area, had never been to a professional sporting event, and didn’t know anyone else there, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving and instead just kept my cane folded in my lap the whole time.
Related links
- College Game Day and Sporting Events: College O&M
- Twelve Blindness Cane Storage Solutions
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
The view from my seat
When talking about the view for my seat, it helps to understand what the view looked like from where I was sitting, and how it compares to what I could actually see with low vision. From where I was sitting, the baseball diamond was at the far-left side, and there were no significant barriers blocking the view from the second tier of seats.
That said, I had a lot of trouble following along with the game from a primarily visual perspective, as the intense summer heat made it more challenging for me to focus my eyes on any meaningful information or movement from a far distance. Having my sunglasses on helped, but my primary way of accessing information at this event was through auditory modalities or enlarging visual content on a personal device. If someone asked me to describe what was going on through visual cues alone, I would not have been able to follow the game at all.
Image description: View of baseball diamond at Busch Stadium in 2018. From the second tier seats, the diamond is in the far left corner and surrounded by lots of green space and fans dressed in red clothing
Related links
Using sound cues with low vision
Even though following along with a baseball game visually was challenging, using sound cues and music played by the organ or speakers helped me a lot with understanding what was going on at any given moment. Specific tunes and riffs on the organ helped to signal when the next inning was starting, which team was at bat, and whether someone had scored. Verbal information about the game was not announced over the stadium intercom, but the music helped serve as an environmental “earcon” so I could follow along, not to mention participate in crowd events!
Listening to announcers on the radio
Many of the people in the group brought handheld or personal radios that they either held up to their ear or listened to with headphones. Many sports teams have official radio affiliates that broadcast coverage of the game live, which are designed to be enjoyed nonvisually or without looking at the game. This is ideal for those with visual impairments, as these radio broadcasts can provide audio description or descriptions of visual content they may have otherwise missed.
Major League Baseball team websites have a listing of official radio affiliates, stations, and streaming partners for games that visitors can tune in and listen to on their own devices- I linked an example for the St. Louis Cardinals below. However, it isn’t just MLB teams that have radio broadcasts; Minor League Baseball teams, college baseball teams, and other sports teams often have a list of radio affiliates that they advertise for providing live coverage of different games.
Related links
- Cardinals Radio Affiliates | St. Louis Cardinals (mlb.com)
- Listen Live to Minor League Baseball | MiLB.com
- Fast Facts About Audio Description
Watching a baseball game with Aira
Aira is a professional visual interpreting service that can provide verbal descriptions of live visual content visible within the view of the user’s smartphone camera. In 2018, I listened to Aira provide a description of a portion of the game through their smart glasses (exact model no longer offered) and was able to ask questions about what was going on and get additional details about what the stadium looked like. Aira is a paid service (meaning users would have to purchase a plan to use it at a baseball game or anywhere else), but as of 2024 has announced Hadlock Field as their first stadium partner for the Aira Access service, which would allow attendees to use Aira services at no cost to them.
Disclaimer: I previously received free Aira service through a now-defunct program for college students in 2018/2019 and spoke at an Aira-sponsored event in 2018.
Related links
- More Accessible Sports Games with Visual Interpretation – Aira
- Accessible Maps and Wayfinding Tools For Low Vision
Streaming live radio coverage
There are a few options for streaming live radio coverage of MLB games, including the TuneIn Radio app, radio affiliate websites, and Sirius XM satellite radio, which would all require either a cellular data or Wi-Fi connection to access (some also require paid subscription plans). I accessed a free trial for TuneIn Radio and made sure to check that I was listening to the live game and not a previous game from another day, and used my headphones to listen along. If the stadium Wi-Fi was slow, I could adjust the streaming quality to minimize the buffering or audio cutting out.
I didn’t own them at the time, but if I was going back to a baseball game I would bring my bone conducting headphones that allow me to listen to both the audio input from the radio and the environmental noise around me more easily, instead of having one earbud in for the game. Alternatively, if I was watching the game at home, another option would be to listen to the streaming radio on my Amazon Echo Dot, which offers skills for accessing TuneIn Radio, Sirius XM, and the option to connect headphones.
Related links
- MLB Baseball Radio | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn
- Listen to MLB Games: Live Play-by-Play Radio & Schedules | SiriusXM
- Audio and Nonvisual Entertainment Ideas For Blind and Low Vision
Using the MLB app with low vision
The MLB app for iOS and Android is a great option for watching a MLB baseball game with low vision as it combines the radio broadcast with additional graphics and live updates presented in a text-based format. The MLB app also highlights other information in real time, such as:
- How fast the ball was thrown in miles per hour
- Location of players on the field
- Types of calls or details
- Information on players
- Video replays
- Location of different positions on the field, and where the ball was thrown
I used Zoom magnification to enlarge this information on my iPad, though I could also use read the live text updates using VoiceOver or Speak Text- I preferred using my iPad as the screen was larger than my phone. I could also read the box score with VoiceOver by swiping through the column layout, but users who aren’t familiar with baseball (like me) may need to research or have someone pre-teach what the different acronyms or numbers mean in different contexts.
Related links
MLB subscriptions
MLB At Bat is a paid subscription for listening to live audio for MLB games on a personal device, as well as listening to previous games on their website. There is also the MLB TV program, which offers a free live game of the day and paid subscription option for listening to and/or watching live games from multiple teams.
In 2018, I paid for one month of MLB At Bat to follow along with the game, which is now $3.99 as of 2024. There is also a student discount available for annual plans, with additional information posted online.
Related links
More tips for watching MLB baseball games with low vision
- Wondering what a Major League Baseball diamond would look like as a braille or tactile graphic? Learn more from the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired at What is the layout of a Major League Baseball field?
- At Busch Stadium, audio description is offered for select St. Louis Cardinals games through a local partnership with MindsEye. I hope more baseball teams will offer this in the future! Learn more at Audio Description Games at Busch Stadium | St. Louis Cardinals (mlb.com)
- Another option for following along with a baseball game is to bring a tactile model of a baseball diamond and have an interpreter mark it with different textures or raised components so that the user can explore the model by touch. This would be helpful for family members or teachers to use with kids or those not familiar with baseball. This can be built out of Lego or another material.
- Want to play baseball with visual impairment? Learn more about beep baseball at Home – National Beep Baseball Association (nbba.org)
Published July 6, 2018. Updated February 2025