Sports API for real-time data streaming: March Madness

As the shots rain down, the spotlight will rightfully be focused on the athletes themselves. But how do those buckets turn into digits on the scoreboard, then travel onto the TV screens of millions of Americans without any interference? What’s happening behind the scenes? Sports APIs of course!

Each March in the US, we break out the brackets to kick off the start of the NCAA college basketball playoff season. Picks are made, bets are placed and watch parties are held in homes and bars all across the country. As the first jump ball is tossed in San Antonio, 68 college teams from across the country will fight for the spot as the 2018 national champion in basketball.

Sports API to keep fans updated with Game/Match information

There’s a ton of information flying around, and there are superstar performers working on the back end orchestrating safe passage of the billions of pieces of data compiled from dozens of scores, records and more. These unsung heroes of the college basketball playoffs are called Sports API (Application Program Interfaces). They might not mean anything to most individuals, but for an organization as large as the NCAA, they mean everything. To know more, check the different types of APIs.

As APIs allow software applications to talk to one another, they are critical for organizations and enterprises as they simplify how two different programs communicate, resulting in businesses to move more quickly than ever before. For example, when fans enter their credit card information to purchase gear through their favorite school’s online store, a specific API is used to transfer the customer’s data from the website page to the payment processing platform. In this process, the API needs to be built so that the information is not only transferred quickly but safely to prevent any potential security hacks. If the need arises to manage multiple APIs and secure them efficiently, API Management solutions come for help.

APIs are crucial components for enterprises as they help drive digital business, enable faster innovation by reducing barriers to change, support business ecosystems where more people can contribute to an organization’s success. In addition, it’s important that enterprise developers have well-run API management strategies that provide API security from unauthorized access and threats. Could you imagine what would happen if outside forces had the ability to hack into software platforms to alter scores and stats?  Think about Sports API while watching your favorite tournament.

I challenge you to think of all the different pieces of data that are being transferred from point A to point B and remember that Sports APIs are hard at work ensuring the games go off without a hitch.