Sports Reference

Sports Reference, LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Sports statistics, data
Founded	January 1, 2004 (2004-01-01) in Philadelphia, United States
Founder	Sean Forman
Headquarters	Philadelphia , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Sean Forman (Founder)
Products	Pro Football Reference, Baseball Reference, Basketball Reference, Hockey Reference, FBref, Stathead, Immaculate Grid
Website	www.sports-reference.com

Sports Reference, LLC is a U.S.-based company specializing in sports statistics, managing databases across various sports disciplines. Its platforms include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference dedicated to basketball, Hockey Reference focusing on ice hockey, FBref covering soccer, along with collegiate football and basketball statistics. Additionally, the firm offers Stathead, a subscription-driven statistical service, and hosts the online sports trivia game Immaculate Grid. Between 2008 and 2020, Sports Reference maintained an extensive statistical resource for the Olympic Games.

History

Established in 2004 in Philadelphia by entrepreneur Sean Forman and officially incorporated as Sports Reference LLC in 2007, the company has built an extensive collection of sports data products. Its databases provide a wealth of historical and up-to-date statistics, including more than 100,000 box scores on Baseball Reference and detailed NFL scoring play records dating back to 1941 on Pro Football Reference. The NCAA Division I men's basketball statistics extend to 1892, with women's Division I basketball data incorporated in 2023. In July 2023, Sports Reference broadened its portfolio by acquiring the baseball trivia game Immaculate Grid, integrating it to enhance user interaction and expand its product offerings.

Olympics

In July 2008, Sports Reference introduced an Olympics-focused statistics website, presenting data from the inaugural Games through recent events. However, due to alterations in its data licensing agreement, the company announced in December 2016 that it would discontinue this site. While statistics for the 2016 Summer Olympics were included, no updates were made for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Olympic statistics platform officially ceased operations on May 14, 2020.

The original data contributors, known as OlyMADmen, launched Olympedia in May 2020. This resource is managed by a dedicated group of Olympic historians and researchers and is owned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In December 2023, Bill Mallon of OlyMADmen revealed that their contract with the IOC to continue updating Olympedia would not be renewed after January 1, 2024, concluding their role in maintaining the database.