What is beep baseball? Boston team of blind athletes plays America's favorite pastime

CBS News

05-05-2025

The Boston Renegades baseball team plays beep baseball, an adaptive version of America's favorite pastime, designed specifically for blind and visually-impaired athletes.
From afar, it might look like any ordinary softball practice—players warming up, bats cracking and coaches shouting encouragement.
Beeping balls and bases
But take a few steps closer, and something remarkable comes into focus: blindfolded athletes, beeping balls and bases and a team united by passion, perseverance, and an unwavering competitive fire.
For Joe McCormick, a standout player for the Renegades, it's become more than a game—it's a life-changing pursuit.
"From the first contact of the bat, I was like, this is my future," said McCormick.
McCormick's journey into the world of beep baseball began with personal loss. In his senior year of high school, he was diagnosed with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, a rare genetic disorder that caused him to rapidly lose his vision.
Players guided by sound
In 2012, while studying at Harvard University, McCormick discovered beep baseball. The sport, which relies on sound to guide players, opened up a new realm of possibility. Since that day, he's been a key player for the Renegades, one of the most competitive teams in the National Beep Baseball Association.
"This is my 13th season now playing here and it's hard to turn it down. Every summer it's like, yup, I want to get back out there with the guys."
At the heart of the Renegades is longtime head coach Rob Weissman. For Weissman, coaching beep baseball isn't just about wins and losses—it's about helping athletes redefine what's possible.
"Some of the things that they've been through and the way they've handled it is truly amazing," said Weissman. "It's something that I wish I could do and I draw off from them."
Games are intense, filled with the crackle of anticipation and bursts of action. Players track a beeping ball by sound alone. When they make contact, they sprint toward buzzing bases while fielders rush to stop them—relying entirely on hearing, teamwork, and trust.
"It gives me the ability to combine a lot of different things that I like," said Weissman. "It gives me the ability to stay in the game, be a part of baseball and it gives me the ability to help people."
Though victories are celebrated, McCormick says the true rewards lie in something deeper: creating lifelong friendships and showing the world what they can do.
"I think there's just this community that people don't realize is there both if you're in the blind community or not," said McCormick. "And so I think one of the big things we want to do by having this event is to get the word out to both blind and sighted folks."