LOUD AND CLEAR
Gary Noll Advocates for Fellow Deaf Sports Fans
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By Kevin Czerwinski
ary Noll doesn’t need to hear the crowd at Citi Field to know that Jacob deGrom is one of the best pitchers in baseball nor does he need to hear the cheers at Madison Square Garden to appreciate the type of player that Kevin Knox is. What Noll does need, however, is assistance in other auditory aspects of enjoying a professional or collegiate sporting event, whether it’s baseball, basketball, hockey or soccer. The Wood-Ridge resident is deaf and grew up in a deaf family so being able to completely take in everything that a stadium or arena has to offer can sometimes be challenging. While Noll may not be able to hear what’s going on at stadiums around the country, he has no problem being heard. Noll has been an advocate for the deaf, asking, pressing and cajol-
32 Talk of the Town SUMMER 2019
ing sports organizations, universities and arenas/stadiums to provide better services for the hard of hearing. If anyone knows about the quality of services in arenas and stadiums around the tristate area, it would be Noll. He’s what can best be described as a “super fan.” He loves all sports and while he has his favorites, it’s not unusual to see him at Madison Square Garden one night, The Prudential Center the next and then The Rutgers Athletic Center the following evening. Noll says he attends many games each year though he doesn’t keep track as to how many. He stays in New York and New Jersey – road trips really aren’t his thing – and his influence can be felt at many of the arenas/stadiums in the area. He’s successfully worked with MSG, the Prudential Center, Red Bulls Arena in Harrison,
The Big East, The Big 10, Rutgers and Seton Hall to help get closed captioning on scoreboards, ribbon crawls and other electronic signage. His advocacy efforts – including writing letters, talking to stadium and arena management, guest services, fan experience departments and fan clubs – have helped produce incredible results. “When I was growing up, I attended all sports and was always an advocate for a great fan experience,” said Noll, who works as a scientist in the food industry though confidentiality issues prevent him from elaborating. “At that time, the technology wasn’t available. When the technology became more available and possible, I advocated more. I think I like to be every other fan who enjoys the game experience. You want your money, time and experience to be worth it. When I recog-