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Sports & athletics: videos Hacker News recommends
Sports: Olympics, running, marathons, sports history, extreme sports, climbing, cycling races, soccer, basketball, athletes, records and feats of human performance. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (13 demos, 8 videos, 4 talks), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- Stand-up & sketch comedy 244
- Satire & parody 362
- Music performance & songs 239
- Music theory, synthesis & production 103
- Film & TV clips 310
- Film analysis & criticism 39
- Documentaries & storytelling 202
- Literature & writing craft 43
- Visual arts, photography & architecture 42
- Magic, puzzles & curiosities 34
- Arts & entertainment (other) 75
- 3 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2026P Porsche · videoHN cites it as the benchmark lap record and recommends it even to non-car fans for its sheer speed and precision.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2021HN people share it as an inspiring talk linking skateboarding creativity to hacking and open-source knowledge sharing.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2014Strongly recommended as a gripping hour on K2 and on leadership and summit fever in extreme conditions.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2022L larsandersen23 · demoRecommended as an entertaining example of rediscovered lost skills, though some commenters note it is contested.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2024J Jon Bois · commentaryHN commenters recommend it as a funny, well-told retelling of one of the strangest sporting events ever.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2020HN links it in threads about athlete body types, sports technology and record-breaking as a relevant, counter-intuitive explanation.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2026M Magnus Midtbø · documentaryRecommended for conveying viscerally just how exceptional Honnold's composure is compared to other elite climbers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2023Recommended as a fun, semi-technical intro to machine learning that holds kids' attention.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2019HN commenters cite it as a sharp, accessible primer on the NCAA's amateurism model and athlete compensation, including for readers outside the US.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2026N NaturalRunningCenter · tutorialHN commenters call it the best video on natural running form and link it in running technique threads.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2017T The North Face · documentaryIt is linked whenever Honnold or free soloing comes up, as a gripping and frightening example of extreme climbing.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2017C CBS News · documentaryHN commenters point to it as a nerve-wracking look at Honnold's free soloing, often when climbing, risk or van life comes up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2016J JayMJ23 · videoHN invokes it as the classic illustration of learning through repeated failure and iterating, often in startup threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2025Shared in threads about the Nurburgring and after Schmitz's death as a charming showcase of her skill.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022H Hard Is Easy · demoCited in climbing knot threads to counter the claim that figure 8s jam, by showing the correct tying method.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2020O On The Roofs · videoHN recommends it as a gripping and vertigo-inducing watch that put rooftop climbers on the map.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2016T TheCoach · demoHN commenters use it as a vivid demonstration of learning by quieting the conscious mind, and recommend it alongside the book.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2023T The Toaster Challenge · demoHN uses it as a vivid illustration of how little sustained power a human body produces, even a champion's.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2019HN recommends it for her humility and for her stories of persevering through extreme endurance races.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023HN recommends it as a good, short explanation of athlete's heart and the risks of extreme fitness.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2022F forfunny59 · videoHN points to it as the best commentary of the goal, in Spanish, usually after Maradona's death or in discussions of remarkable goals.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2026L Laura Try · documentaryCited as an example of ocean rowing crossings and recommended by one commenter as really good.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2023N Nürburgring · demoHN uses it to show what a skilled human driver can do in a car, for example in self-driving and motorsport threads.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016–2022G GoPro · videoHN commenters cite it as a striking example of humans doing extremely dangerous, precise things for fun.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2025C ClassicEngland · videoHN uses it as footage of a famous officiating failure, linked in Maradona obituary and video-review threads.
- cited 3× 0 months 2023–2024S sll914 · demoCited as a striking example of dynamic soaring letting unpowered gliders far exceed wind speed.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2022G Gary Connery · demoCited as an example of how padding can allow survival of very high-speed impacts.
- cited 4× 0 months 2011–2020HN cites it as an illustration of how hard F1 cars are to drive, for example that they can't go slowly because of no downforce or tyre heat.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2018E Epic Challenges · demoCited as proof that a fit person can outrun a Tube train over short distances.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2023HN mostly mentions it as an example of an extreme maker project, not as a recommendation.
- cited 5× 0 months 2020–2024S Santa Cruz Bicycles · demoUsed as evidence that carbon wheels and rims are far tougher than their fragile reputation suggests.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2022O OfficialHoophall · talkHN refers to it as a source for Jordan's motivation-from-slights anecdotes and his cut-from-the-team story.
- cited 4× 0 months 2014–2024W wakoiii · videoUsed as an example in helmet and longboarding safety discussions.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016–2023G gravylookout · demoHN uses it as the go-to example of an astonishingly perfect hand-drawn circle.
- cited 4× 0 months 2010–2017J J · videoIt is cited as an example of mystical or energy-based martial arts failing against real fighters, alongside the Tai Chi master incident.
- cited 3× 0 months 2019–2020H HillClimb Monsters · news clipCited as evidence that electric cars can beat combustion cars in racing, here in a hillclimb where altitude and short runs suit electric power.
- cited 7× 0 months 2015–2026K KUKA Group · demoHN links it as the go-to example of fast robot reactions and robots playing table tennis, with some skepticism that it was staged marketing.
Questions
What is the most recommended sports & athletics video on Hacker News?
The 919 Tribute Tour: On-board record lap, Nordschleife. by Porsche: HN cites it as the benchmark lap record and recommends it even to non-car fans for its sheer speed and precision.
How is this sports & athletics list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.