For a decade, Beau Broton has been attending Atlanta Hawks games at State Farm Arena. He takes Uber and MARTA to get there. Hawks staff meet him with wheelchair assistance. He sits in his seat, listens to the crowd, and follows the game as best he can. Broton, a 51-year-old former IRS agent who lives in Chamblee, has been blind for twenty years — born prematurely in the mid-1970s with limited eyesight that deteriorated over time until it was gone entirely.
In 2026, the Hawks gave Broton something that changed his experience of basketball: a haptic board from OneCourt, a Seattle-based company that translates live play-by-play into real-time vibrations. Broton describes it as "Braille for sports." The board sits on his lap during games, and for the first time in two decades, he can follow the movement of the ball, the rhythm of possessions, the geography of the court.
First in Atlanta
The Hawks are the first Atlanta franchise — and the first team at State Farm Arena — to adopt OneCourt technology. Nine NBA teams now use the system nationwide, but the Hawks' adoption carries particular significance for downtown Atlanta, where State Farm Arena sits at the intersection of the city's sports and entertainment district, steps from Centennial Olympic Park and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Accessibility at major sports venues has historically meant wheelchair ramps, accessible seating, and assistive listening devices. OneCourt represents a different category of inclusion: technology that makes the live experience — the thing that distinguishes attending a game from watching one at home — available to fans whose disabilities previously limited them to audio broadcasts and crowd noise.
What State Farm Arena Represents
State Farm Arena, originally built as Philips Arena in 1999, underwent a $192.5 million renovation in 2018 that transformed it into one of the most modern arenas in the NBA. The renovation added premium seating, a new entrance plaza, improved concessions, and technology infrastructure throughout the building. The OneCourt adoption extends that investment into accessibility — ensuring that the arena's modernization includes fans who experience the game differently.
Broton's journey to State Farm Arena — from Chamblee via public transit, guided by Hawks staff from the entrance to his seat — illustrates both the possibilities and the effort required. MARTA's rail system connects the northern suburbs to the arena district, and the Hawks' hospitality staff bridge the gap between the station and the seat. The OneCourt board bridges the final gap: between being present at a game and being able to follow it.
"The board changes all that," Broton told GPB. For a fan who has spent ten years showing up to games he could hear but not see, the technology did not add a feature. It completed the experience.
Original reporting by Georgia Public Broadcasting / Hullinger's Musings, January 30, 2026.