

Ask HN: Who are hackers who also like sports? - mickhagen

It seems like hackers and sports just don't go together. I don't know why. I hack. And I love sports. I'm curious to know who are the hackers out there who are total geeks but also into playing/watching sports. Seems like a rare breed. I'm curious who's out there. I wanna meet you. Speak up.
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g0atbutt
I've found that a lot of my hacker friends are huge fans of fantasy leagues.
Being able to track all that data (stats) and put together a coherent team is
very challenging. It's the mixture of hard numbers ("Dirk is averaging 27.7
points a game but I really need to win the 'steals' category to edge out a
victory) and gut feelings ("Although he has been on a week long cold streak")
that draws in nerds like myself.

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kjell
I've played soccer all my life. Everyone talks about flow when coding, but
I've never come close to how it feels when I'm in a soccer game.

I've played a bit of softball and kickball and I'm not a huge fan. Likewise
most dodgeball. Otherwise it's all great.

I'd like to see an adult renaissance in capture the flag and other 'kid'
games.

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kooshball
I love sports and have always loved it.

I get the same kind of rush when I'm playing a sports game and when I'm
coding. Sometimes, you just go into a sweet mental zone where you feel
unstoppable. and winning a close sports game at the very end is very similar
to when you get a complex app to run and functioning. The moment when
everything just works out is pure bliss.

Video games are also similar. I remember the same feelings playing DOTA, where
you have a super close game at the very end and both teams are going for the
final push, and you end up executing a perfect plan. Pure bliss.

For all of these though, you need to have a certain level of competence
through practice or coaching. I'm guessing a lot of people, not just hackers,
just never gets to that stage and give up.

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dirkdeman
I hack and I'm actively involved in MMA. It's a rare combo, but I like the way
it is so completely opposite to hacking. With hacking, a lot of time goes into
the thought process. With MMA, you don't have time for thinking, it's all
about training your reflexes. I also like the way there are a lot of physics
involved: leveraging, momentum, et al.

The sport has a bit of a knuckelhead image to it, but the guys I train with
vary from construction workers to sales/IT guys. We all have to show up at our
jobs tomorrow, so we don't beat the crap out of each other, although things
can get pretty tough sometimes...

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webspiderus
I'm very into association football (both watching and playing), although I
attribute that more to growing up in Europe as a boy more than anything else.
I also spent 4 years studying jujitsu (ended up taking a break because of
school, but am hoping to be back into it once I graduate). I have found it to
be a great way to stay in shape both physically and mentally, and was also
lucky enough to find a great community of people to train with.

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brlullo
I as well love sports. And I feel like there are definitely hackers out there
that do like sports. I think that sports have barely been touched by hackers
and feel like there are a lot of cool possibilities out there for people to
pursue.

Mike, Hope things are going well with the new digs and everything is going
smoothly.

brett

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safetyscissors
I'm into a lot of stuff besides programming. I surf, wakeboard, I train in
capoeira (had to postpone that because I had to move places) and I'm also into
boxing. I find that doing other things besides purely coding helps with mental
flow.

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aorshan
I do both as well. I love sports in all forms. I go to the University of Miami
and haven't missed a home football or basketball game yet. Also I am always
ready to play a game a pickup anything really.

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vishaldpatel
I surf. If anyone likes to go surfing and thinks that they'd go more if they
knew someone at the break.. drop me a line. I surf at Pacifica.

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chetane07
I'm very into sports as well, in particular soccer and bboying/tricking.

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nurik
I love to play Basketball, if you are in Germany lets play :)

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Mz
I'm somewhat surprised at the general lack of response (so far) to this
question (on the other hand, it is like the middle of the night basically
where I am).

There are people here who do Parkour:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2857239>

There is an old-ish poll indicating people pursue a variety of sports/fitness
activities: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2178056>

There are people into rock climbing and surfing:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2287603>

I notice these types of comments constantly on HN. I hadn't noticed that
hackers are particularly non-athletic or something. I do personally know an IT
professional who is not very fit/athletic. On the other hand, this person had
a childhood health issue which undoubtedly places significant limits on them.
Off the top of my head, it seems like people in the IT department at the
company I work for are generally slimmer and trimmer (and presumably more
active/athletic) than is true on average in other departments I am familiar
with.

(Edit: Maybe it's partly the title? "who ... like sports" could be interpreted
as being a fan who watches sports rather than a participant.)

