Did you know the first live sports event with closed captioning was the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1981?

The game was played in the New Orleans Superdome where the Georgia Bulldogs met the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. A special system connected to the stadium’s electronic scoreboard provided information in the TV captioning about the down number, yards to go for a first down, the yard line on which the ball is being played, and other details about the game that were displayed on the scoreboard.

Real-time captioning of commentary on a live sports event was provided for the first time on the Super Bowl that aired on January 20, 1985.

In September 1985, ABC’s Monday Night Football became the first sports series to include real-time captioning of commentary. 

Did you know National Captioning Institute is a mission-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit?

Mission:

National Captioning Institute is a nonprofit corporation whose primary purposes are to deliver effective captioning services and encourage, develop and fund the continuing development of captioning, subtitling and other media access services for the benefit of people who require additional access to auditory and visual information. As its resources permit and opportunities unfold with the development of new technology, NCI will support services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and others who, for whatever reason, wherever situated and irrespective of their economic conditions, are limited in their ability to participate fully in the world of auditory or visual communications.

Support NCI:

We appreciate the support we have received throughout the decades. It is our advocates that help push our mission tangibly forward and further media access to those that rely on or simply enjoy it. We’re passionate about what we do, the quality we provide, and we look forward to many decades to come!