Alvin Carvin’s business, XML Team Solutions, provides what he believes to be easy-to-use technologies for storing and transmitting sports-related data.
Carvin, along with his business’s partner, The Sports Network, was a vendor at the APSE convention this summer in Pittsburgh. He says XML can provide all sorts of information – everything from standings to weather updates.
"For newspapers, we can help a lot with the Web site," he said. "Whether it’s simply supplying scores or other information.
"And for the paper, we can provide agate, in the format the paper wants."
Carvin says his company does not gather sports data – that’s done by The Sports Network. Instead, it takes that information and packages it in ways that other companies can use. Along with basic scores and standings, this includes information such as betting lines and statistics for fantasy sports.
One feature Carvin says could be helpful for newspapers is a spinoff site, sportso.com.
The site describes its product as, "A web-based editorial and distribution system that supports entering results for hundreds of game per day."
A unique feature of sportso.com is it allows other people – for example, high school or recreation league coaches or youth league parents – to enter data.
"You get a lot of information both in your paper and on your Web site without a lot of work on your part," Carvin said. "It’s a great way to easily fill the Web site with local information, and save a lot of man hours on the print side."
For more information about XML Team Solutions, including pricing structures, go to the company’s site: xmlteam.com, or call Carvin at 1-800-xmlteam (965-8326), ext. 99.
