When the stakes are high, the world of sports turns to Elias
Elias by the numbers
Stats last verified September 15, 2023
Years ensuring the integrity of sports statistics
110
Elias historian’s average years of experience
40
Leagues that trust Elias to be their Official Statistician
8
Company with Elias’ depth of sports knowledge and expertise
1
What it means to be Official Statisticians
Accounting for accuracy
Accurate stats are the foundation of integrity and credibility for each league. Official stats have historical and financial implications, influencing league business decisions, player contracts, and the record books themselves.
When Seymour Siwoff led the company, 1952-2019, he brought with him the precision and clarity you would expect from a trained accountant. Under his leadership, Elias introduced the concept of checks and balances, and standardized data verification.
Today, technology allows us to automate much of the data collection. But our pre-internet experience means we still know when to go beyond the data feeds. As Official Statisticians, we have a burden of accuracy that no other sports institution has, and we carry this burden with pride.
Nothing without context
Elias has mastered the art of research beyond the surface. Our rich historical knowledge brings the numbers to life. We add context and depth to each athlete's performance and each team's achievements. Our research paints the full picture of the era and the competition in a way that connects the present with the past.
Partnerships built on trust
Elias has been a constant in a changing world of sports. Together with our league partners we've weathered market fluctuations, dozens of rules and statistics controversies, and two global pandemics 100 years apart. Through a deep understanding of league regulations and years of experience resolving statistical disagreements and rules disputes, Elias has solidified its reputation as one of the most trusted names in sports. Our company history is intertwined with the history of the leagues we work with, dedicated to preserving the integrity of sports played at the very highest level.
The year we became Official Statisticians for each league
MLB, 1916
NFL, 1961
NBA, 1970
MLS, 1996
WNBA, 1997
G-League, 2017
MiLB, 2023
PGA, 2020
Telling the story
behind the numbers
Institutional advantage
Elias has played a pivotal role in the evolution of sports entertainment. The stats we created and continue to record are the standard for record keeping and analysis widely used today. Fans increasingly engage with sports through statistics, whether in fantasy leagues, sports betting, trivia, or simply to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of the game. Elias’ media partners use our stats for analysis and our insights for storytelling, adding depth to their coverage online, on-air, and in print. Our research and insights are unique amongst the market, grounded in rigorously validated official data and backed by profound mastery of the rules and history of each sport.
Foresight driven by passion
In the world of sports entertainment, preparing to cover a game means preparing for any number of scenarios, including the unlikely and unexpected. It requires curiosity, diligence and foresight to do it well. Elias researchers know every notable event in sports history, as if they witnessed it personally, and in many cases, they did. This intimacy of knowledge has refined our intuition for what might happen in a sporting event, and inspires our comprehensive and insightful pre-game research. Being prepared for the unexpected is an ability that distinguishes Elias. Our personal curiosity, combined with our decades of collaboration with leagues and media partners, informs the creative ways we enter, score, and analyze the data. This expertise is why the world of sports turns to Elias for context and clarity, because the impossible happens when you least expect it.
