Text / Xue Yinbo
Editor / Guo Yang
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to play football without sound?
There is such a line in the micro-film "Sound Edge" filmed by the hearing-impaired - "I hate that I can't hear, and I hate that the daily hustle and bustle has nothing to do with me". The word "hate" expresses the feelings of the hearing-impaired people about football matches and even Renhe sports events, which are exciting, but lack some blood and passion.
Recently, Newcastle United's jersey sponsor Sela launched a "tactile jersey" to add a touch of color to the world of the hearing impaired and make football games more meaningful.
In the 33rd round of the English Premier League, Newcastle United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at home, there were two "special" fans in the stands, and like the team supporters, David and Ryan have been Newcastle United supporters since childhood. However, David and Ryan suffer from congenital hearing impairments, and they can only observe their team's performance on the pitch through their eyes. When Newcastle United scored and saw the cheering crowd, it was as if David and Ryan could only hide their joy and passion in their hearts.
Congenital conditions prevented them from fitting into the buzzing celebrations, but in this game, they were not wearing their usual cheering suits, but a Newcastle shirt with 'haptics' technology.
Source: Sela
According to Krypton, this special jersey shirt is able to convert various sounds in the stadium into "real-time haptics" through the vibration of the built-in chip. Of course, the home team's goal must be the moment when the decibel is the largest in the stadium, and at this time, the amplitude of the built-in chip also reaches the maximum, allowing the hearing-impaired to perceive the atmosphere in the stadium through the vibration of the muscles.
Specifically, this "tactile jersey" makes sound perceptible in six steps:
1. The built-in microphone of the jersey captures the sound around the court;
2. Use special software to convert "real sound" into "digital sound";
3. The built-in program of the jersey analyzes the sound in real time and converts the crowd noise into "data";
4. Transmit "data" in wireless form;
5. Each jersey has an "electronic brain" chip that is used to process the "sound data" generated in the previous step;
6. The "electronic brain" gives instructions to the built-in vibration module, so that the module vibrates with the cheers of the crowd, providing the wearer with a tactile sensory experience.
After all, as early as 2019, the British fashion company CuteCircuit mass-produced a "sound shirt" that can help the hearing-impaired perceive the concert, which works very similarly to this tactile jersey. Coupled with the accessibility design that has long been used in various electronic products, these mature technologies can make life easier for the hearing impaired.
The application of technology in sports is nothing new, especially in the field of football, such as goal-line technology, NFC smart chips, VR live broadcast systems, wearable smart training devices, etc., the application of these technologies not only makes football games more fair, but also fully takes care of the viewing experience of ordinary spectators. However, how to use technology to further address the actual needs of those special groups is a topic that needs to be considered by the entire sports industry.
During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Douyin launched an accessible subtitle live broadcast room, allowing the hearing-impaired group to experience the excitement of the World Cup through real-time subtitles in the live broadcast room on mobile phones.
Douyin's "accessible subtitles" launched during the World Cup Information source: Douyin
This technology is powered by Volcano Voice, Volcano Simultaneous Interpretation, and generates text subtitles in real time based on the commentary of the on-site narrator. Considering that hearing-impaired people read more slowly, these subtitles are also split into two lines to speed up their access to information. Perhaps for ordinary fans, game commentators are accustomed to it, but for the hearing impaired, it is very precious.
One hearing-impaired fan mentioned that in the past, he could not hear the commentary when watching a game, which made it quite difficult for him to identify the players and understand the progress of the game. And with the advent of accessible captioning technology, he was able to feel every moment in every game.
The continuous progress of science and technology is not only for the benefit of capital, it is also an important force to promote the progress of civilization, especially for those neglected and disadvantaged groups in society, the development of science and technology can bring more attention and support to them.
Tactile jerseys are part of a new project called 'Unsilence the crowd' launched by Sela, Newcastle Football Club's shirt sponsor. As the name suggests, the aim of the project is to help people with hearing impairments who love football to better feel the real atmosphere of the stadium and enhance their matchday experience.
According to a survey, one in five adults in the UK suffer from deafness or hearing loss, and they often face obstacles in life, which also includes watching sporting events live.
Newcastle players wearing RNID-branded shirts at the match Picture: Newcastle United
It is precisely because of this social issue that, on the one hand, Sela partnered with the RNID (Royal Institute for the Deaf and Dumb) to donate the Newcastle United shirt chest advertisement and the St James' Park stadium pitch to the latter, which also made the RNID the first charity to appear on the Premier League jersey, and more importantly, it can arouse people's concern for the hearing impaired around them. On the other hand, with the help of RNID's academic resources and experience in the application of technology in the field of deaf-mute research, Sela created this "tactile jersey".
According to an official statement from Sela, Sela, RNID and Newcastle United are all looking to promote the tactile jersey and use it in all future home games. From this point of view, the plan is not groundless, but the three parties hope to inspire other football clubs in the Premier League, Europe and the world to further improve the barrier-free construction of stadiums.
Last summer, Newcastle United signed a contract with Sela for the sponsorship of the shirt chest, and the sports event operator is Saudi Capital controlled by PIF (Saudi Public Investment Fund), which is also the fourth PIF subsidiary of the team to work with. "Spending a lot of money" is a common impression of oil capital coming to football clubs, however, since Sela became a Newcastle sponsor, both sides have begun to work hard to improve the fan experience.
Sela官网的Unsilence the crowd页面
Sela first pushed ahead with the construction of a new fan zone at St James' Park, with the planning application having been formally approved by the local government. At the same time, Sela upgraded the stadium's dining and entertainment facilities and hired a consulting agency to solicit input from fans and conduct a feasibility study for the stadium's expansion.
Whether it's launching the 'Unsilence the crowd' programme or promoting the renovation of the stadium, Sela's partnership with Newcastle United has made local fans feel valued by the club, and the story of David and Ryan has experienced the power of sport to care, which has invisibly deepened the cultural roots between supporters and the club.
As a product of human society, sports leagues, clubs, and events have social obligations to carry humanistic care, and how to effectively deal with these social events according to their different needs, and bring positive impact to the society by spreading the power of sports, is an important aspect of judging the construction of a league and club.
In fact, there is no shortage of such warm cases in the world of sports, both on and off the field. British sports radio station talkSPORT has long broadcast Premier League, boxing, MMA, F1 and other matches in the form of live audio.
The staff once told Krypton that the audio broadcast is not only for ordinary people who are commuting, but also for people with visual impairments to bring wonderful sports games. While enriching the form of live sports, it is also an event with public welfare value.
talkSPORT的英超直播
On the field, the players also expressed their love for the disadvantaged fans through different celebrations. In the first round of the 2022 World Cup, England defeated Iran 6-2, and after scoring the goal, Grealish danced a slightly magical dance to celebrate as agreed with a young fan with cerebral palsy. Such warm moments also appeared in players such as Neymar, Messi, and Rodrygo.
It has become customary for stars to celebrate as fans after scoring goals, and some stories are based on the club level, where ingenious details not only allow fans to experience the humanity of football, but also bring good reputation to brand values such as clubs and leagues.
Sunderland fan Bradley, who suffers from neuroblastoma, broke through Chelsea's goal during the club's pre-match warm-up and was even voted the Premier League's Goal of the Month.
The same is true for basketball. In 2014, the NBA Jazz also organized a tryout for JP Gibson, a young fan diagnosed with acute lymphoid leukemia, and signed him to a one-day contract. In the Jazz's preseason, players picked him up and dunked.
JP Gibson interacts with Jazz players Source: NBA
These stories were sensational at the time and became a heartwarming memory in the hearts of fans. In the context of Chinese sports, both the CBA and the Chinese Super League are making efforts at the level of public welfare.
During the epidemic, the CBA specially invited Zhang Jiacheng, a one-armed teenager with a high degree of attention on the Internet, to kick off the game. The original warm story attracted cynicism from netizens, and the reason was that the atmosphere was awkward. Zhang Jiacheng walked to the designated position under the guidance of the referee, threw the ball into the sky, and then hurriedly turned around and left the field, while the athletes on both sides did not really jump the ball, and the young fans did not communicate with the players present, as if they had become a "tool man".
From the above cases, it is not difficult to see that there is no shortage of stories worth telling, but we need to be more creative and meticulous in the details.
Just last April, Wu Zhonghua, a brain injury patient, was invited to the Liaoning team to play the game, as a Liaoning fan, he has always dreamed of playing a game for his hometown team. After the game, when all the members of the Liaoning team, including coach Yang Ming, hugged him and gave him encouragement, not only Wu Zhonghua, but also everyone who paid attention to this event deeply felt the power of sports.
Not long ago, Beijing Guoan fan Yang Xue unfortunately passed away due to illness, and the club mourned Yang Xue as soon as they learned the news, and permanently reserved Yang Xue's annual pass seat. Before the subsequent Guoan home game, the fans at the scene also used their mobile phones to light up the Gongti under the night sky to express their remembrance of her.
Sports is never just a simple competition, and the warmth it contains is even more moving. From Zhangjiacheng to Wu Zhonghua to Yang Xue, there is no shortage of heartwarming stories in our league, and when these stories appear in the league in different forms, it shows the social responsibility of sports leagues and professional clubs.
Although there is still room for improvement in some details, at the same time, we are happy to see more and more heart-warming emotions presented on the field, so that the power of sports can inspire more people to move forward.
※ Cover image source: Sela's official website