Stadium accessibility is important. A lot of people who go to games think about that. Not every team owns the stadium, and that can slow down change because of budgets and other factors. Thankfully, there are advocates out there, and New Orleans is one city that has made a difference.

“The biggest challenge across the NFL are stadiums that are older and haven’t been updated. New Orleans just finished a major renovation to the Super Dome, and it’s so much more accessible than it’s ever been,” said Mark Raymond Jr., President and Founder of the Split Second Foundation. “The older stadiums didn’t have the seating capacity because they were built before the ADA.”

Mark is a champion for this cause, and he’s hoping to see change occur in other cities.

“I am interested in accessibility holistically, as a person with a disability. I actually encounter these barriers when I am trying to participate in society,” Raymond added. 

The New Orleans Saints do have options for disabled folks, and that’s something that should occur more around the NFL.

“The Saints stadium is so much more updated than it ever has been so my experience was great,” Raymond stated. “If we can get more NFL stadiums to invest in these infrastructure upgrades to make stadiums more accessible and have more accessible spaces for people to enjoy the game without being too inconvenienced, then it will improve the experience for people with disabilities.

“The Saints added a lot of seats that were ADA compliant or spaces for wheelchairs,” Raymond explained. The Superdome went under five or six phases over the last five years. With the culmination of being ready for this year’s Super Bowl.”

Football games can be challenging to go to if you have a disability, and Mark highlighted that. 

“The planning can be painful at times. The seats are limited and still first-come, first-served. I need a wheelchair accessible van, and some cities don’t have as many of them. Uber doesn’t operate that service like their normal service,” said Raymond.”If you go to New York, every other cab is wheelchair accessible.”

My hope is that the NFL spearheads this. They have the most money and influence and can make this change happen if the league just works with the various teams and municipalities.