XML is the eXtensible Markup Language. A World Wide Web standard for adding markup to documents, XML allows publishers to describe unambiguously what each component of a document is about.

For decades, publishers of sports data had made up their own proprietary mechanisms for differentiating between a team and a player, a field goal and a touchdown, a win and a loss.

But in 2001, members of the IPTC, an international association of news publishers, embarked upon an effort to standardize how sports data is communicated. IPTC members include such global publishers as The Associated Press, The New York Times, AFP, dpa, Reuters, PA, UPI, and many others.

In March of 2003, the Sports Markup Language was ratified. Version 1. Finally, with SportsML, publishers and content receivers could rally around a single open, modern and internationalized standard for exchanging sports information.

XML Team Solutions' founders have been participating in the SportsML standardization process from its inception. XML Team President Alan Karben is SportsML's current and founding Chairman, and he spends a great deal of time cooperating with representatives from other publishing companies to ensure that SportsML grows steadily and intelligently.

Because all of our technologies revolve around this open standard, XML Team's clients have an added comfort that the systems they depend on are reusable, expandable and understandable.