NBA GO – Watch NBA in Your Terminal

I half expected to see something that took streaming video from the games and converted it to to ascii art on the fly.

Viewing sports and partaking in sports are two different things. I doubt many people in software are natural athletes (I'm generalizing here), but I don't see any particular deterrence from them being a fan of sports as a passive viewer - other than maybe their time will already be consumed with other intellectual pursuits.

I find the NBA to be full of things that draw my interest: it's all about stats, strategy, and basic data projections which is at least half of what draws my interest.

I'm always watching box scores and other numbers while watching live games and even when looking at yesterdays games I delve deeper into the stats more than I watch the highlight videos of fancy dunks (I do that too, it's just not my first stop like most people).

Sites like http://fivethirtyeight.com/ have made it easier to be a data science nerd and like sports.

Once you really get into the sport there's also plenty of advanced strategy and in-game mechanics that are invisible to casual viewers. There's way more going on in a game of basketball than guys throwing the ball into a hoop and running around.

Here's an example of more advanced basketball that is employing strategy, instead of fancy trick passes and dunks, something you wouldn't automatically notice as a non-fan casually watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSHt_tyZ25E (ball movement is used to draw the defenders into the middle, creating opportunities for shooters)

The other half of it was that it was the game I played with friends grow up. I feel that you need to have played a sport to truly appreciate the talent and skill involved when you watch as a fan. And it's possibly many smart kids were too busy to have the opportunities to play them, beyond chucking a few balls into the net for fun. They just don't get the opportunity to see the depth and complexity in the sport as the general population.

Personally, I love sports and exercise. I grew up playing basketball, football, baseball, soccer, etc. If I don't exercise (and maintain a good diet), it dramatically negatively affects my work. My mind is clearer, I'm able to focus longer, etc. Plus, a mid-day trip to the gym makes my afternoons much more productive.

In terms of sports, I like the competition, I like the strategy, overcoming the odds, and the idea of dedicating your life to mastering a skill. Though, I have strayed from football recently due to brain trauma concerns, and my kids aren't allowed to play it.

I also coach my kids basketball teams, which is a ton of fun, and has helped me with leadership and planning, plus is some extra exercise for me!

> Why is most of the geek population uninterested

This isn't my experience at all. I have worked in academia, and there is a nearly universal interest in sports, particularly the "local" college teams (Ohio State and Wisconsin, in my case). My PhD department could have fielded a competitive track and field team. At my current job as a software engineer at a prop trading firm, EVERYONE is interested in and plays sports. We have many corporate teams, our TVs often have sports on, and the devs behind me have an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball. Like literally, it is faster to ask one guy about baseball going back to the 50's than it is to google the question. The other guys on my team are very active, work out regularly, and play sports in their free time. The stereotypical "geek" in a Doritos-stained hoody and an extra 200 lbs ALMOST doesn't exist here.

For me, it is having a physical yin to the mental yang of problem solving all day. I meditate as well, but just DOING something physical is very cathartic, and meditative in its own way.

In terms of why some people get interested, it is probably environment. I like and play sports, so my kids do too. I don't push them to, but if Daddy is watching and excited about basketball, they will be too probably. One of mine isn't AS excited about sports, but is loving martial arts now, which I have never done.

I never played them or watched them growing up but have come to love them recently, in particular, college football. As a geek, I wrote them off as a dumb pastime for the masses, but as a recent convert, I've come to appreciate how incredibly cerebral and complex the games are. The play-calling, strategy, and on-the-fly decision-making required to consistently win football games is tremendous and really difficult to achieve in the major conferences.

There are just so many intriguing facets of these games and you won't appreciate them by flipping through the sports channels, but give it a chance: pick a local college team and go to a game. Try to find a radio station that does play-by-play coverage of the action and listen to that on your headphones. Football is great because the excitement of the big plays will hook you but the strategy will keep you. Like a good programming language, you can get some easy early excitement but find long-term enjoyment as you delve deeper and deeper into the details of what's going on out there.

You should post it to /r/nba