SportsPort FAQ




  1. What kind of information does SportsPort get?

SportsPort aggregates sports information from dozens of sporting and fantasy gaming websites, saving fantasy players a significant amount of time in making their weekly gaming decisions, as well as in tracking their status relative to friends & competitors.  SportsPort features sports headlines, game schedules, analysis, and player news, including statistics, injuries, and player notes.


  1. How does it work?

SportsPort is downloaded to your computer just like other applications. It includes direct sports data feeds to speed that information display. It also incorporates the ability for you to enter RSS (really simple syndication) feeds into certain areas of the application, directly delivering that data to you. Finally, portions of SportsPort work like a typical browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape), but are pre-loaded with numerous reference sites you use the most.  

Every time you turn on your computer the SportsPort logo is placed in your computer system tray right next to your clock. By being there it is always active and opens instantly when double-clicked, as opposed to you having to wait for a browser to open, type in a Web address (URL) for each individual site, wait for the page to load, and then request your data. You might compare this to how a dial up modem works compared to broadband connectivity, which is “always on.”

SportsPort saves up to 95% of your time when you search for sports data. This makes your Internet experience faster, easier and more enjoyable.


  1. What does it cost?

      SportsPort is free.


  1. Why should I use it?

      SportsPort is a downloadable application that will allow fantasy gamesmen or other sports enthusiasts to enter all the players, teams, analysts, fantasy leagues & games, etc., into a personal profile. Then the application will automatically gather information from our purchased data feeds and almost 100 web sites regarding all the detail requested. For fantasy sports players the SportsPort should save hours every week, providing most of the information needed to make ongoing gaming decisions. For regular gamesmen it will organize their interests and make access, schedules, statistics, etc. easier.


Features - Reference:            

  1. Can I use the application on more than one computer?

Yes, you can access your SportsPort profile on multiple computers.  All you need to do is download SportsPort on your other computer(s).  When you launch it for the first time, you simply need to enter your SportsPort login and password that you have already created.  Then, select “Load.”


  1. How can I communicate with you?

Contact us via e-mail at webmaster@theSportsPort.com or courtney@thesportsport.com.  We will respond quickly.


Downloading Instructions:

1.      What are the system requirements?

  • Operating System: Windows98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP, Windows ME
  • Processor Speed: 166Mhz Pentium or equivalent
  • RAM: 128MB of system RAM for Windows 98 or 64MB of system RAM for Win 2000, ME, XP, or NT
  • Hard Drive Space: 15MB available
  • Monitor: High Color (16 bit)
  • VERY IMPORTANT:  Screen Resolution: 1024x768 or higher
  • Internet Explorer: IE 5.0 or later
  • Internet Connection: An active Internet connection is required for information retrievals. SportsPort is optimized for broadband. It will perform at 56kbps or faster, but you will notice significant system slowdown during updates.
  1. Screen resolution - what can/should I do if SportsPort is filling my entire screen?

SportsPort was designed to be viewed on a minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels, since by far the majority of computer screens are this size or larger. If your screen resolution is smaller than this and cannot be increased, DeskPort will take up your entire screen when open. You can still use it, but you must scroll to see some data.

You can probably increase your screen resolution by doing the following:

  • Minimize or close any other applications you are running so that you can see your computer desktop. (You can leave this browser page open so you can still read these instructions. Just move the page around your desktop enough to see an open area of the desktop.)
  • Right-click on any open area on the desktop. This will open a small dialogue box with the word "Properties" at the bottom. Left-click on "Properties."
  • The "Display Properties" dialogue box will open with some tabs across the top. Left-click on the "Settings" tab.
  • Below the picture of the computer you will see "Screen Area" with a down-facing arrow. Put your cursor on that arrow, hold your left mouse-button down and move the arrow to the right until it is at least 1024x768. (The further right you push the arrow, the higher your screen resolution and the smaller the amount of desktop space SportsPort will require.) Click "Okay."
  • Another box will come up telling you that the screen may flicker while it changes size. Click "Okay" in this box.
  • The screen resolution will change and you will be asked if you wish to keep it at this resolution. Click "Yes" and your screen will now be at the larger size.
  • Double-click the SportsPort icon on your computer desktop to re-open SportsPort.
  1. How long does it take to download?

Estimated download times:

  • 28.8 - 20 minutes
  • 56K - 9 minutes
  • Broadband – 40 seconds
  1. How do I install the application?
  • Using the Windows Explorer or similar file viewer, locate the folder where you've stored "SportsPort.exe". If you installed the application to your computer desktop, look for the SportsPort icon on the desktop and/or in your system tray (bottom right-hand corner of your screen, next to the time display).
  • Double-click the file or SportsPort icon. This initiates the installation wizard.
  • Follow the on-screen prompts to install SportsPort.
  • The application will automatically place the SportsPort icon on your computer desktop. Just double-click the icon to run SportsPort. Thereafter, SportsPort will go into your system tray next to the computer clock each time you start your computer.
  1. How do I un-install the application?

There is a “Remove” feature. Take the following actions:

  • Click on the "Start" button at the bottom left of your computer.
  • Select "Programs."
  • Scroll down the list of your various programs until you find "SportsPort," and place your cursor over this.
  • Select “Remove SportsPort.”

To remove the application using the Control Panel, take the following actions:

  • Click on the “Start” button at the bottom left of your computer.
  • Select “Settings.”
  • Select “Control Panel.”
  • Double-click “Add/Remove Programs.”
  • Scroll down the list to “SportsPort” and select it.
  • Click on the “Add/Remove” button.

Personal Profile:

  1. What does the profile do?

“My Profile” is where you customize SportsPort to track your fantasy sports teams, your real-life teams, and your analysts.  You can also edit your account preferences.  My Profile consists of five components.

“My Logins” is where you input your logins and passwords for your fantasy sports websites (Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS SportsLine, e.g.). 

“My Teams” is where you can list all of the fantasy sports teams you would like to track.  Please note that you can only watch teams that are in the same league as you.

  • SportsPort will automatically display the teams located for you using your logins.
  • If you would like to watch other teams, select the “League or game” from the drop-down menu, enter the team’s name in the blank field, and click “Add.” 
  • You can do this for all of the teams you would like to watch. 
  • When finished adding teams to watch, please select “Next.”

“My Account” is where you can change your password, log out, and adjust settings, such as remaining logged in at all times and how often you would like to check for news.

“My Analysts” is where you can setup which analysts you would like to use.

  • To add an analyst from the list of “Available Feeds,” highlight his or her name and click on “Add.” It should appear in the “My Feeds” field.
  • To add a custom feed (*must be any valid RSS or Atom feed), enter the Name you would like to use and the appropriate URL.  Click “Add.”
  • To edit a feed, highlight it under “My Feeds” and select “Edit.”
  • To remove a feed from “My Feeds,” highlight it and select “Remove.”

“Watch Teams” is where you choose which real-life teams you would like to follow.

  • First, select a sports tab to the right.  Now you can enter your favorite, preferred, and despised teams for that sport.
  • To add a team to “Favorite Team” category, highlight it in the real-life teams listing and then click on “>>” next to “Favorite Team.”  Please note that you can only have one team listed as your favorite for each sport.  To remove your favorite team, select “<<” next to “Favorite Team.”  You can then add a new favorite team, if desired.
  • To add a team to the “Preferred Teams” category, highlight it in the real-life teams listing and then select “>>” next to “Preferred Teams.”  You can have several preferred teams.  To remove a preferred team, highlight the team you wish to remove in the “Preferred Teams” listing and select “<<.”
  • To add a team to the “Despised Teams” category, highlight it in the real-life teams listing and then select “>>” next to “Despised Teams.”  You can have several despised teams.  To remove a despised team, highlight the team you wish to remove in the “Despised Teams” listing and select “<<.”
  • To add your favorite, preferred, and despised teams for another sport, simply click on that sport’s tab to the right and follow the same steps.

  1. How much of the profile do I have to complete?

      In order to use SportsPort, you will need to create a login and a password. The amount of the profile you choose to complete is up to you.  The profile is utilized to tell SportsPort what information you want retrieved.  If you do not complete the profile, you will not be able to maximize its utility.


  1. Do I have to complete the profile each time I use the application?

Once you complete the profile, you will not need to do it again.  If you want to edit your profile, click on the red “My Profile” button and then select which part of your profile you wish to change from the drop-down menu.


  1. How do I customize the “Headlines” section?

SportsPort will automatically report news headlines sorted by sport.  To view the headlines of a different sport, simply click on that sport’s tab to the right. 

To add customized feeds, follow these steps:

  • Click on the “Custom Headlines Setup” tab.
  • To add a news source from the Available Feeds menu, click on it and then select “Add.”
  • You can add any or all of the available news feeds to “My Feeds.”
  • To remove a feed, highlight it in the “My Feeds” section and select “Remove.”
  • To edit a feed, highlight it in the “My Feeds” section and select “Edit.”  You can then change the name or the URL of the feed.
  • To add feeds for a different sport, click on that sport’s tab to the right and follow the same steps.

To add a custom feed, you must have a valid RSS or Atom feed.  Enter the Name you would like to refer to this feed as.  Then, enter the URL associated to this feed and click on “Add.” 

 

You can also see the headlines of non-sports feeds.  Under the “Gen.” tab, you can add feeds for horse racing, world news, or anything else.  For example, to add Google Entertainment news, you simply need to find where the have their RSS feeds.

 

In this case, Google lists links for RSS and Atom feeds.  Simply click on the link.

The RSS feed webpage should look like something above.  Simply copy and paste the URL (only the page location, not the data on the page) into SportsPort, enter a name such as “Google Entertainment,” and then click “Add.”  When you click on the “Headlines” tab, under the “Gen.” category, you should then see Google Entertainment headlines.  You can do this for any website’s headlines as long as you can find the associated RSS or Atom feeds.


  1. How do I customize the “Player News” section?

Click on the red “Player News” button and then select the “My Players Setup” tab.  “My Watch List” is a list of all of the players you will see statistics for.  Please note that players on your fantasy teams are automatically on your watch list and you do not need to select them here.

  • To add a player to “My Watch List,” highlight it in the real-life players listing.  Click on “>>.” 
  • To remove a player from “My Watch list,” highlight it in “My Watch List” and click on “<<.”
  • To find a player, enter the player’s name in the blank field and select his or her team. 
  • You may choose to search “-any team-” if you do not know the player’s team.

When setting up players, you begin by selecting the sport (such as MLB).  To switch sports, click on the different tabs to the right.  You should see MLB, Auto, PGA, NFL, NBA, and NHL as options.  Add players from any and all of these sports to “My Watch List.”

To view statistics of your players, click on the “Player Stats” tab.  SportsPort automatically lists all of your watched players by sport.  To view only one player’s statistics, click on that player’s name in the side slide to the left.

To view player news and notes, click on the “Player News” tab.  Change sports by clicking on the tabs to the right.


  1. How do I customize the “Analysis” section?

      Click on the red “Analysis” button and select the “Analyst Setup” tab.

  • To add an analyst from the Available Feeds menu, highlight his or her name by clicking on it.  Then, select “Add.”
  • You can add any or all of the available analysts to “My Feeds.”
  • To remove an analyst, highlight his or her name in the “My Feeds” section and select “Remove.”
  • To edit an analyst’s feed, highlight it name in the “My Feeds” section and select “Edit.”  You can then change the name or the URL of the feed.

To add a custom feed, you must have a valid RSS or Atom feed.  Enter the Name you would like to refer to this feed as.  Then, enter the URL associated to this feed and click on “Add.” 

To view the articles by a different analyst, simply select his or her name from the list on the side slide to the right.


  1. How do I view the standings and points associated with my fantasy sports teams?

      SportsPort will report a summary of your teams’ standings and individual team profiles.  Click on the red “My Teams” button.  On the “Summary” page, you can view the individual team summary by clicking on the “view” link to the right.  You can login directly to your teams’ fantasy sports websites by clicking on the “login” link.  You can also refresh the data by selecting “refresh.”

To view information about a specific team, you can either click on the team name on the “Summary” page or select the team from the drop-down menu.  Here, you can see the rankings and points of all of the teams in your league.  You can also see if any teams have moved in the rankings.


  1. How do I know when my real-life teams are playing?

Click on the red “Schedules” button to view daily, weekly, and seasonal schedules.  SportsPort displays the schedules of all teams.  To view the schedule of another sport, select that sport’s tab to the right.  Please note that game times are displayed in your local time zone.

Games will be highlighted by different colors if you have entered your favorite, preferred, and despised teams into SportsPort.  If you have not done this, you can do so by clicking on the “Watch List Setup.”  For more detailed instructions, please refer back to the “Watch Teams” section of question 1.

  • A bright pink bar will highlight games in which your favorite team plays.
  • A blue bar will highlight games in which your preferred teams play.
  • A light pink bar will highlight games in which your despised teams play.
  1. Do you collect usage statistics by users of SportsPort and, if so, what is done with this information?

Yes, but only anonymously.  SportsPort collects anonymous usage statistics.  We use these statistics to improve our software products and services.  These statistics are limited to direct usage of SportsPort only, such as how many people installed SportsPort this month.  We never collect any personally identifiable information of SportsPort users.


  1.  Do you sell or share my personal information with anyone?

Because SportsPort functions as an online communications mechanism, we are required by Federal law to receive your permission on an opt-in basis and to maintain your e-mail address.  Absolutely no other personally identifiable information is collected, sold, bartered, or shared.  Nor is it maintained on DeskPort servers or those of any other third party.  For further details, take a look at our Privacy Policy.


11.  Is my profile information secure?

Yes. All information resides securely on your own computer. Only anonymous information is sent to Internet sources to retrieve the data you have requested in the profile setup. No personally identifiable information is sent during this process.

 

  1. How do I delete my leagues or teams at the end of the season?

Your fantasy leagues and teams will continue to be viewable in SportsPort as long as they are displayed on the fantasy gaming web sites. When the fantasy sites remove your teams or display them as old or archived, you will no longer be able to view them in SportsPort. Currently, there is no way to manually remove or hide a team, although you may be able to do so via the individual sites.


 

SportsPort Security:

  1. Who has access to my profile?

Your profile is stored on your PC or laptop.  Anyone you allow to use your computer may have access to this information.  Also, anyone who has your SportsPort login and password will have access to your profile.


  1. What is your privacy policy?

      See our privacy policy.


Updating the application:

  1. Will I have to re-install the application for future updates?

      No. SportsPort updates itself automatically as new features become available.


  1. How do future updates work?

When new features or functionality are available, SportsPort will automatically update itself.  Updates will consist of text and graphics only for the SportsPort application.  No spyware or adware is ever installed on your computer as a SportsPort user

Download Now!

SportsPort is completely free. It's not trialware, or limited until you buy it. There's no annoying messages to purchase it ever. It's 100% FREE! SportsPort is absolutely guarenteed to be free from any spyware or malware, because we hate this stuff as much as you do! So what are you waiting for, download your copy of SportsPort now and begin to experience fantasy sports the way it was meant to be...

Share SportsPort

If you think SportsPort is cool, then take a minute to invite a friend or fellow sportsman to check it out.

 

Questions?

If you have questions about SportsPort please feel free to contact us. We want to assist you in getting the most from your SportsPort Experience! Just send us an email at Courtney@sportsport.biz