Sports Fans Going On-Line Stats, Trivia And Replays Just A Hint Of What You’ll Find On The Internet

Welcome to sports cyberspace, a place where you can overdose on athletics 24 hours a day in nearly any manner you wish.

If you want stats, they are available in nearly every imaginable form. Results? Coming up in a matter of seconds. Trivia? No problem.

All you need is a computer, a dialup modem and access codes.

Then go grab info from ESPN SportsZone or The Olympic Games Server or Winner’s Circle.

“Interest about the 1996 Olympic Games is worldwide and that interest is increasing rapidly as the summer of 1996 moves closer and closer,” says Donna Johnson, deputy managing director of communications for the Atlanta Olympic organizing committee. “The Internet is an extremely effective means of responding to that interest and providing the most up-to-date information possible.”

Up-to-date is the key for fans who already have access to television coverage of all major sporting events. Nearly 1,000 cable subscribers in Southern California can hook into an interactive system that allows them, through the remote control, to call up replays or isolated camera shots or, of course, gobs of stats.

During last month’s draft, NFL Sidelines, an interactive system set up by the league, provided subscribers with instantaneous information on all players selected. For draftniks, watching ESPN’s coverage hour by hour no longer will be enough.

CBS Sports, which established a computer site for the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer last year and for this year’s NCAA tournament, plans to do the same for the upcoming college football season.

The most extensive sports use of the Internet probably is being done by ESPN SportsZone, which went on-line at the Final Four. It was unveiled by Starwave Corp., a company that creates interactive consumer services and is owned by Portland Trail Blazers chairman Paul Allen - reputedly the richest man in sports. Starwave also has an entertainment service, Mr. Show Biz.

Anyone dialing into the SportsZone has access to upto-the-minute scores in all major team sports, plus golf, tennis and auto racing. The SportsZone system features a collection of statistics and player profile information that would do the Library of Congress proud.

As far-ranging as that data might be, creators of the service say they are most proud of their ability to pair subscribers with stars of the sports world in direct computer conversation.

“The tie-in with ESPN is crucial for our system,” says Geoff Reiss, publisher of the service. “Nobody has better access to the participants in sports - the athletes and management and celebrities - than ESPN.

“ESPN does a great job of creating a presence for itself at major events. The people who work for them do a good job of creating contacts in a lot of sports industries.”

SportsZone makes use of those contacts by setting up direct question-and-answer dialogues between subscribers and, say, Hank Aaron, John Wooden or Patrick Ewing, all of whom were available in the first weeks of the service. Or fans can converse with ESPN personalities on a regular basis, something they almost certainly couldn’t do by telephone.

“We constantly work to set new standards for delivering sports news, programming, entertainment and information to fans,” says Richard Glover, ESPN Enterprises’ senior vice president.

All of this info is great for the serious fan and, of course, fantasy league participants. And while it might be unintended, it also opens up a new world of data for the gambler, who would pay a reasonable price for any informational edge.

SportsZone, for instance, offers such in-depth statistical analysis that an NBA player’s performance from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter of away games easily could be accessed. Or a pitcher’s ability to throw strikes against left-handed batters in a specific ballpark, or a quarterback’s success in 2-minute drills.

Most of the on-line services seek to be sponsor-supported. NFL Sidelines already has heavy hitters Coca-Cola, Visa and Reebok on board. ESPN SportsZone has Gatorade and is negotiating with several other sports-oriented brand names. Is it possible that, eventually, fans will dial in to such

services rather than tune in to the games? Reiss doubts it.

“There will always be a reason to check into our service, because of how passionate fans are to get information,” he says. “But we have to expect it to be used as a complement to actually watching the games. Hopefully, they will do both.”