ESPN MCP Server

Real-Time Sports Data for Claude Code, Claude Desktop & MCP-Compatible Assistants

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What does ESPN MCP Server do?

ESPN MCP Server connects AI assistants like Claude Code, Claude Desktop and ChatGPT directly to ESPN's real-time sports data. It exposes 12 specialized tools covering scores, standings, team info, rosters, schedules, detailed game analysis, betting odds, athlete profiles, rankings, news and live scoreboards — all accessible through natural language prompts.

Instead of opening ESPN.com and navigating multiple pages, you ask your AI assistant: "What were last night's NBA scores?" or "Give me the full boxscore for the Lakers game." The MCP server fetches the data, formats it for AI consumption, and returns structured results — no ESPN API key required.

Without MCP	With ESPN MCP Server
Open ESPN.com, search for scores	Just ask Claude
Navigate multiple pages for stats	"Who won last night's NBA games?"
Compare tabs for game details	"Give me the full boxscore for the Lakers game"
Manually check odds on betting sites	"What are the odds for tonight's NFL games?"
Search for player career stats	"Show me LeBron's game log and season stats"
Browse different leagues separately	"Compare Premier League and La Liga standings"

One prompt. Every sport. Real-time data.

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How to connect ESPN to Claude Code (2 minutes)

Step 1: Get your Apify API Token

Go to Apify Console → Settings → Integrations and copy your API token.

Step 2: Add a custom connector

In Claude Code or Claude Desktop, go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add custom connector and paste:

https://mrbridge--espn-mcp-server.apify.actor/mcp?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN

Replace YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN with the token from Step 1.

Step 3: Grant permanent permissions (recommended)

By default, Claude asks for approval every time an MCP tool is called. To allow all ESPN tools permanently:

In Claude Code, run /permissions and add mcp__ESPN__* to the Allow list.

In Claude Desktop, click "Always allow" when prompted for the first tool call.

Step 4: Start asking

"What are today's NBA scores?"

That's it. The 12 ESPN tools are immediately available. Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client.

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Features

• 12 MCP tools — Scores, standings, teams, rosters, schedules, news, game summaries, odds, athlete profiles, rankings, search, and live scoreboards
• 25+ sports & leagues — NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, College Football/Basketball, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Champions League, MLS, UFC, PGA, F1, NASCAR, ATP, WTA, and more
• No ESPN API key — Uses ESPN's public data endpoints, no separate registration required
• Always-on — Runs in Apify Standby mode with ultra-low latency (~200ms response times)
• Smart caching — 3-tier in-memory cache (60s for live data, 5min for standings, 15min for static data)
• LLM-optimized — Formatted text responses designed to minimize token usage while preserving all important data

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What can you ask your AI assistant?

Live scores & game day

"What are today's NBA scores?"

"Is there a Monday Night Football game tonight? What's the score?"

"Show me all Premier League matches this weekend"

Deep game analysis

"Give me the full boxscore and player stats for last night's Lakers vs Celtics game"

"Who were the top performers in yesterday's NFL games?"

Team intelligence

"Show me the current NFL standings with win-loss records"

"What's the Golden State Warriors roster? Who are their key players?"

"What's the Lakers schedule for the rest of the season?"

Player research

"Show me LeBron James' career stats and this season's game log"

"Compare Patrick Mahomes' splits at home vs away this season"

Betting & odds

"What are the betting odds for tonight's NBA games? Show me the spread and moneyline"

"What was the over/under for the Super Bowl?"

News & rankings

"What's the latest NFL news?"

"Show me the current AP Top 25 college football rankings"

"Get the ATP tennis rankings"

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Available Tools

Once connected, your AI assistant can use these 12 tools:

Tool	Description	Example
espn_scoreboard	Live and recent scores for any sport/league	Today's NBA scores, yesterday's MLB results
espn_standings	Current league standings with W/L records	NFL division standings, Premier League table
espn_teams	List all teams or get detailed team info	All NBA teams, Lakers team details
espn_team_roster	Full team roster with player details	Current Warriors roster with positions
espn_team_schedule	Team game schedule (past & upcoming)	Remaining Celtics schedule
espn_news	Latest sports news headlines and articles	Top NFL headlines this week
espn_game_summary	Most detailed — Full boxscore, player stats, venue, officials, attendance, leaders, scoring summary	Full breakdown of last night's game
espn_game_odds	Betting odds from multiple providers (Consensus, DraftKings, Caesars, Bet365)	Tonight's spread and over/under
espn_athletes	Athlete profiles, game logs, splits, career stats	LeBron's season averages and game log
espn_rankings	College, UFC, and tennis rankings	AP Top 25, UFC pound-for-pound
espn_search	Search ESPN for players, teams, and leagues	Find a player by name
espn_live_scoreboard	CDN-optimized live scoreboard with real-time updates	Live scores right now

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Supported Sports & Leagues

Sport	Leagues	Codes
Football	NFL, College Football	football/nfl, football/college-football
Basketball	NBA, WNBA, Men's College, Women's College	basketball/nba, basketball/wnba, basketball/mens-college-basketball
Baseball	MLB	baseball/mlb
Hockey	NHL	hockey/nhl
Soccer	Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Champions League, MLS	soccer/eng.1, soccer/esp.1, soccer/ger.1, soccer/ita.1, soccer/fra.1, soccer/uefa.champions, soccer/usa.1
MMA	UFC	mma/ufc
Golf	PGA Tour, LPGA	golf/pga, golf/lpga
Racing	Formula 1, NASCAR	racing/f1, racing/nascar-premier
Tennis	ATP, WTA	tennis/atp, tennis/wta

Use these codes in the sport and league parameters when calling tools.

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Alternative Setup: Claude Desktop (Config File)

If you prefer Claude Desktop with a JSON config file, add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ESPN": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-proxy", "https://mrbridge--espn-mcp-server.apify.actor/mcp?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN with your Apify API token.

Restart Claude Desktop and test with: "What are today's NBA scores?"

Tip: Claude Desktop will ask you to approve each tool the first time it's used. Click "Allow for this chat" or "Always allow" to avoid repeated permission prompts.

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Architecture

Claude Code / Claude Desktop / ChatGPT
        |
        |  MCP (Streamable HTTP)
        v
+-----------------------------+
|   ESPN MCP Server (Apify)   |
|   +---------------------+   |
|   |  12 MCP Tools        |   |
|   |  3-Tier Cache        |   |
|   |  Retry + Backoff     |   |
|   +---------------------+   |
+-------------+---------------+
              |  HTTP GET (JSON)
              v
        ESPN Public API
     (site, web, CDN endpoints)

Key design decisions:

• Stateless transport — Each request gets a fresh MCP server instance, eliminating session issues during Standby container restarts
• Concise formatting — No raw JSON dumps; structured text optimized for LLM consumption
• Graceful errors — Every tool returns human-readable error messages, never crashes

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Privacy & Security

• No ESPN account required — The server uses ESPN's public data endpoints. No API key, no registration
• No data stored — All data is fetched in real-time and never persisted
• Read-only — The server only reads public sports data. No write operations
• Apify token — Only used for MCP authentication with Apify's platform, never shared with ESPN

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How much does it cost?

Pay-Per-Event Pricing

Operation	Price	Examples
Read	$0.005	scoreboard, standings, teams, news, rankings, search
Action	$0.01	game_summary, athletes, game_odds, team_roster, team_schedule, live_scoreboard

Cost Estimates

Usage	Monthly cost	What you get
Casual fan	~$1	Check scores daily, browse standings weekly
Sports enthusiast	~$3-5	Daily scores + game summaries + player stats
Power user	~$8-15	Heavy daily use across multiple sports and leagues

Free tier: Apify gives you $5 free credits every month — enough for hundreds of queries.

Example session cost:

• Check today's NBA scores (1 read): ~$0.005
• Get full game summary with boxscore (1 action): ~$0.01
• Look up a player's stats and game log (1 action): ~$0.01
• Full sports briefing — scores + standings + news (3 reads): ~$0.015

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Tools not showing up"	Verify your Apify token is correct. Check that the URL includes /mcp path
"Empty results"	Some endpoints require specific sport/league codes. Check the Supported Sports table
"Connection timeout"	The server starts in ~2 seconds on first request (cold start). Retry once. Subsequent requests are instant
"Game summary returns error"	Game summaries require a valid eventId. Use espn_scoreboard first to find game IDs
"Session not found"	The Standby container may have restarted. Disconnect and reconnect the MCP server in your settings

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ESPN MCP Server?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that bridges AI assistants and ESPN sports data. It exposes 12 tools that AI assistants can call to retrieve scores, standings, stats, news, odds, and more — all through natural language prompts.

Do I need an ESPN account or API key?

No. This server uses ESPN's publicly available data endpoints. No ESPN account, no API key, no registration. You only need an Apify account (free tier available).

Does this work with ChatGPT, Cursor, or VS Code?

Yes. Any MCP-compatible client can connect. Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI tools that support the Model Context Protocol.

How real-time is the data?

Live game data is cached for 60 seconds. Standings and rosters refresh every 5 minutes. Static data (team info) refreshes every 15 minutes. For live games, you get near-real-time updates.

Which sports are supported?

25+ leagues across football (NFL, college), basketball (NBA, WNBA, college), baseball (MLB), hockey (NHL), soccer (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Champions League, MLS), MMA (UFC), golf (PGA), racing (F1, NASCAR), and tennis (ATP, WTA).

Can I get betting odds?

Yes. The espn_game_odds tool returns odds from multiple providers including Consensus, DraftKings, Caesars, and Bet365 — spreads, moneylines, over/unders, and win percentages.

Is my data secure?

This server only reads publicly available ESPN data. No personal accounts are accessed. Your Apify API token is used solely for authentication with Apify's platform.

How much does it cost?

Apify gives you $5 free credits every month. Casual sports fans typically spend $1-5/month. See the full pricing breakdown.

Can I use it for fantasy sports research?

Absolutely. Use espn_athletes for player stats, game logs, and splits. Use espn_team_schedule to check upcoming matchups. Use espn_game_summary for detailed performance data. Ideal for weekly fantasy lineup decisions.

How do I find game IDs for the summary tool?

Use espn_scoreboard first to get today's games — each game includes an eventId. You can also find game IDs in ESPN URLs: espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401584793 → eventId is 401584793.

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Resources

• Apify MCP Documentation
• MCP Protocol Specification
• Get your Apify API Token
• Claude Code
• Claude Desktop MCP Setup

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Built for sports fans who want AI to do the research.