A world-class game night should welcome every fan.
〰️
A world-class game night should welcome every fan. 〰️
The situation
Access is not a niche concern. More than one in four U.S. adults, over 70 million people, reported having a disability in 2022 [1]. Access also shapes how fans plan their night. In a 2024 survey of 1,924 disabled sports fans in England and Wales, 71% said accessibility considerations affect when they arrive at or leave live events, and more than a fifth said inaccessibility leaves them unable to attend some venues [2].
Teams are responding. ESPN canvassed 136 teams across five leagues, including the NBA, between November 2023 and July 2024, and 120 responded. The results show where the NBA leads and where fans still run into gaps [3].
What evidence shows
The basics are covered: In ESPN’s survey, 100% of responding NBA teams offer assisted-listening devices, and all 29 responding teams have or are building sensory rooms. Cleveland’s arena became the first sensory-inclusive arena in the U.S. in 2017 [3].
The gaps are in the details: In the same survey, 45% of responding NBA teams said they offer dedicated entrances for fans with disabilities (teams that said all entrances are accessible were not counted), 34% provide printed menus at concessions, and 28% offer badges that let fans with invisible disabilities signal their needs without explaining. Across all leagues, 42% of teams offer such badges [3].
Accommodating isn’t the same as understanding: In Gaming Today’s 2023 survey of 1,000 NFL fans with disabilities or who bring guests with disabilities, nearly two-thirds rated stadium accessibility good or better, yet 46% did not feel the stadium understood their or their guest’s disability and 31% had difficulty reaching their seat [4].
The takeaway
Access can be graded like any other part of game night. Most teams have the features. The question is whether they work for every fan at the gate, in the seat and at the concession stand. Allcourt audits the access & Inclusion category, scores accessible entry and seating, adaptive tools and welcoming experiences against the team’s standard experience, ranks the gaps and helps the team fix them with the data and tools it already has. Progress is measured against the team’s own baseline: accessibility satisfaction, entry wait time and the access & inclusion grade.
How the Allcourt Grade Applies
| What gets graded | Connect | Grade | Advise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessible entry and seating | Accessible-entry scans and wait times, plus accessible ticket sales and seat-location data the team already holds. | Wait times and ease of reaching accessible seats, scored against the team’s standard entry experience. | Rebalance staffing for accessible lanes before tipoff and offer accessible seating across price points and sections. |
| Adaptive tools and information | The tools offered, such as assisted listening, sensory rooms, badges and printed menus, and the information the team publishes about them. | Whether each tool is available, easy to find and used, scored against the team’s standard experience. | Add what is missing, such as invisible-disability badges or printed menus, and put accessibility information where fans buy tickets. |
| Welcoming experience | Fan feedback, staff training records and survey data the team already holds. | Accessibility satisfaction and how well staff understand and respond to fans’ needs. | Train staff on invisible disabilities and follow up with fans who gave feedback. |
Ready to build the future for your fans? Be the first to learn how.
Sources
[1] CDC, “CDC Data Shows Over 70 Million U.S. Adults Reported Having a Disability,” (cdc.gov).
[2] Level Playing Field, 2024 Annual Fan Survey (1,924 fans; England and Wales), (levelplayingfield.org.uk).
[3] ESPN, “ESPN survey: Venues fall short on invisible disability needs,” (espn.com).
[4] Gaming Today, “NFL Accommodates but May Not Understand ADA Stadium Accessibility, Survey Says,” (gamingtoday.com).
