Baseball is a game highly reliant on sight—so what happens when you adapt it for the visually impaired? You get beep baseball, an accessible version of baseball driven by sound instead of sight.

Origins

Beep baseball originated in the 1960s when Charlie Fairbanks, a telephone company engineer, implanted a speaker in a softball in the hopes of encouraging blind players to get more involved with the sport. This adaptation gained traction in the 1970s, with the first convention for beep baseball was held March of 1976 in Chicago. At this convention, the National Beep Baseball Association was founded.

How It’s Played

While it uses the same framework as baseball, beep baseball has some key differences in scoring, play, and equipment.

Equipment

The first, and most apparent difference, is the baseball. It’s oversized, lightweight and houses a beeping device to guide fielders chasing the ball.

A second, less expected adaptation, are the bases. Only the first and third bases are used, placed along their respective foul lines, with the second being removed. Bases are 4ft tall padded towers with the purpose of absorbing the impact of an incoming runner. When a ball is hit, an operator with activate one of the two bases, causing it to emit a buzzing sound to guide the runner.

Finally, all fielders and batters are required to wear a blindfold. Why is this, you might ask? Blindness is a spectrum, and only 15% of people with eye disorders experience total blindness; the other 85% of people have some remaining sight, and even then, the symptoms of blindness vary. The blindfolds are to equalize the playing field.

Play

Each team consists of six fielders, a pitcher and a catcher. The pitcher and catcher are both sighted and on the batting team. This is to give the batter the highest chance of making contact.

Before throwing the ball, the pitcher verbally announces when he is getting ready by saying “set.” Then, a split-second before the ball is released, he says “ball” or “pitch” to indicate that the ball has been thrown.

When the ball is hit, the runner will race to whichever base (first or third) has been activated.

While this is happening, the fielders chase the ball down with the help of spotters. There are two spotters, one on each side of the field. Their job is to call out a number assigned to a specific part of the field, giving the fielders a general idea of where the ball is headed. They are allowed to call one number one time.

Scoring

There’s also a difference in scoring. Rather than fielders tagging a runner out or the runner making it safely back to home plate, it’s a race between players to either reach the base or locate the ball. The runner earns a run by reaching whichever base is buzzing before fielders gain control of the ball. If the fielders control the ball before the runner can reach a base, the runner is out.

Today

As of 2026, the NBBA celebrates its 50th year of overseeing beep baseball leagues in the US and hosting the annual Beep Baseball World Series. There are currently 25 beep baseball teams in the US, and the World Series will take place from August 2-8.

If you’re curious about beep baseball or want to get involved, visit nbba.org to find out more.