Elias Sports Bureau

The Elias Sports Bureau (ESB) is an American company that provides historical research and statistical services in the field of professional sports.

In 1913, Al Munro Elias and his brother Walter established the Al Munro Elias Bureau in New York City. At first they sold printed scorecards with baseball data directly to fans, until The Telegram daily newspaper purchased their weekly compilation of "averages" in 1916. Elias was appointed official statistician of the National League and International League in 1919 with the American League and other minor leagues to follow.

In 1937, Elias assumed publication of Charley White's Record Book, the so-called Little Red Book, after the death of its originator. It became an official (authorized) source for major league records. In 1938, the Bureau began producing the Pocket Cyclopedia of Major League Baseball, and for many years published the official Green Book, the National League's annual summary.

Today, ESB is the official statistician of Major League Baseball, as well as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and the Arena Football League. More recently, ESB added pro women's basketball (WNBA) to its list of league clientele.

ESB also is a primary source of statistics for national newspapers, magazines and websites, as well as dozens of broadcasters of MLB, NBA and NHL telecasts. With Sporting News having phased out its record book publishing business during 2007, The Elias Book of Baseball Records appears to be the sole hard-copy source of official baseball records. This book is available only through the company website.

Executive vice-president Steve Hirdt has branched out into writing. He started by writing for ESPN's Page2 website briefly before moving to ESPN The Magazine to write a column titled "Do the Math" which focuses on statistics.