Sport Data API FAQs

Coverage and sports

Which sports does ALT Sports Data cover?

ALT Sports Data focuses on alternative and emerging sports -- combat sports (MMA, boxing, kickboxing), motorsports, jai alai, esports, and other non-mainstream leagues. The exact roster changes as new leagues are onboarded. Call the /sports endpoint for the current list, or browse Sports coverage in these docs.

What are sport archetypes?

Each sport is classified into an archetype (combat, racing, team, jai alai, etc.) that determines its market structure, settlement rules, and data shape. Archetypes help you build generalizable UI and logic rather than special-casing every sport. See Sport Archetypes for the full breakdown.

How do I find out which markets are available for a sport?

Query /sports to get the sport's archetype and metadata, then query /markets filtered by that sport. The response tells you exactly which market types (moneyline, totals, props, futures, etc.) the sport supports. See Money, Betting Lines, Markets for guidance on what to expect per archetype.

Getting started

How should I start if I only need one sport?

Start with /sports to confirm coverage and get the sport ID. Then call /events filtered to that sport to see the upcoming schedule. From there, attach event-level odds and participant data. The Integration Setup with ASD guide walks through this in detail.

Can I use the API in a staging or sandbox environment?

Yes. Your demo key gives you access to the full API surface with sample data suitable for development and QA. Use it for all non-production work. See Credentials Management.

What SDKs are available?

ALT Sports Data provides official SDKs for Python and TypeScript. Both wrap the REST API with typed methods, built-in retry logic, and pagination helpers.

Data and workflows

Is there a difference between live and historical data?

Yes. Live data (odds, event status, schedules) comes from the events and odds endpoints and reflects current state. Historical data (past competitions, match results, season records, player stats) comes from the Data API endpoints and is organized by competition, season, match, and player. Most integrations use both -- live data for the sportsbook experience and historical data for editorial content, analytics, and reconciliation.

How often is live data updated?

Odds and event status are updated continuously as the upstream sources change. Polling frequency depends on your rate-limit tier. For most sportsbook use cases, polling every 5-15 seconds per event provides a responsive experience within standard rate limits. See Rate Limits.

How do I handle event time changes, cancellations, and voids?

Monitor the event status field on every poll. ALT Sports Data surfaces time changes, postponements, cancellations, and voids through status transitions. Build your system to react to each status. See Daily Processes and Reconciliations for detailed handling guidance.

Operations and support

What does the Health endpoint tell me?

The /health endpoint returns the API's current operational status. Use it for uptime monitoring and deploy validation. A 200 response means the API is healthy. See Health.

How do I reconcile results?

After events complete, compare the results returned by the API against your internal settlement records. The Daily Processes and Reconciliations section covers the recommended cadence and patterns.

What if I need help?

Contact the ALT Sports Data team at connect@altsportsdata.com for onboarding support, production access questions, or technical escalations. For account provisioning, see Become an API Customer.

MCP Server

Can I connect the API to an AI assistant?

Yes. ALT Sports Data provides an MCP Server that exposes the API as tools for LLM-powered assistants. Connect it to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client. See the MCP Server Quickstart for setup instructions.