specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: TheSportsDB
providerId: sportsdb
created: '2026-06-25'
modified: '2026-06-25'
reconciled: true
tags:
- Sports
- Sports Data
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of TheSportsDB spend. TheSportsDB bills a flat monthly (or annual /
  lifetime) subscription per tier rather than metering per request: a free,
  rate-limited tier, a $9/month Single Developer tier, and a $20/month Small
  Business tier. Cost is driven by tier selection rather than usage volume,
  though tier choice is constrained by required rate limits, data limits, and
  premium features such as V2 livescores.
notes: >-
  Subscription prices are flat per tier; verify current prices and billing
  periods on the TheSportsDB pricing page during reconciliation.
sources:
- https://www.thesportsdb.com/pricing
- https://www.thesportsdb.com/documentation
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: TheSportsDB
serviceCategory: Sports Data and Media
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: TheSportsDB API
  ServiceCategory: Sports Data and Media
  ProviderName: TheSportsDB
  PublisherName: TheSportsDB
  InvoiceIssuerName: TheSportsDB
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription-Based
meters:
- name: subscription_tier
  description: Flat monthly subscription per tier (Free, Single Developer $9, Small Business $20).
  unit: subscription
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - tier
- name: api_requests
  description: API requests per minute, capped by the active tier's rate limit (informational, not separately billed).
  unit: requests
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - tier
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track which subscription tier each account holds and the features it unlocks.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map the production / private API key to the team or product that depends on it.
- name: Optimization
  description: Stay on the lowest tier that satisfies required rate limits, data limits, and premium features (V2 livescores, highlights).
- name: Accountability
  description: Review tier selection periodically against actual request volume and feature need; consider annual or lifetime billing for committed usage.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com