Sports Phone began in New York City, but expanded to offer programming in numerous other locations, including Chicago and Detroit.
New York Telephone later allowed for information service operators to retain part of the call fees, and Sports Phone was relaunched in 1975.
Future broadcaster John Giannone claimed that, among New York City sports enthusiasts, "Everyone 45 and over can recite" the number.
It appealed strongly to sports bettors, as it allowed users to access updates on games from the West Coast of the U.S., which frequently ended after broadcasts of television news programs.
[5] Sports Phone had competition in the field by 1983, as a three-year-old national rival service, Dial-It, was receiving approximately 350,000 calls weekly.
The initial concept for the station included score updates every 15 minutes, which were inspired by Sports Phone.
[4] A Boston-area number was introduced in 1988, to coincide with the Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks heavyweight championship fight.
[1][2] The reduction in time allowed customers to hang up within 60 seconds, the length of a message unit as defined by the Federal Communications Commission.
Sports Phone announcers initially received scores through ticker tape, but later placed employees in press boxes at events for quicker reporting times.
Along with updates on baseball games that were in progress, announcers incorporated news and editorial content, in addition to interviews.
According to announcer Mike Walczewski, the series led to a 400 percent spike in Sports Phone's call volume.
Other information that the service provided included statistics, harness racing results, and listings of pitchers in upcoming baseball games.
[2][3] An announcer asked a trivia question during an update, and callers contacted a different phone number to answer.
"[1] In the final years of Sports Phone's existence, announcers often obtained score information on the Internet before recording updates.
[1] Writer Joe DeLessio described Sports Phone as "a launching pad for young voices looking to break into broadcasting.
[11] Mets announcer Howie Rose, who began working for Sports Phone in 1975, likened his position to "anchoring the CBS Evening News".
[2] Some Sports Phone announcers who provided updates to southern locations, including Papa, applied pseudonyms in an effort "to sound less ethnic.